Principles of Contextual Inquiry

Contextual Inquiry is the core field research process of Contextual Design. In this chapter we describe Contextual Inquiry: the four principles of Context, Partnership, Interpretation, and Focus; how the Cool Concepts affect the interview situation; how to structure the interview itself; and how to tailor the interview to different kinds of projects. These field visits immerse the designers in the users' world so their designs can respond to users' real issues.