Contextual Inquiry

Contextual inquiry reveals what people actually do, why they do it that way, latent needs, and core values.

• One-on-one field interviews
• Conducted in the user's work or life space
• Focused on observing and talking with people about their on-going activities

Interpretation Session

Interpretation sessions create a shared understanding within a cross-functional team.

• Includes product management, business analysts, marketing, design, technology, content, etc.
• Captures data in structured work models including key issues and insights gleaned from hearing the whole story of each field interview

Data Consolidation

Consolidated work models characterize the target market or population.

• Diagrams capture the structure of different aspects of the users' work or activities
• Models present issues, tasks, collaboration and roles, business processes, artifact usage, culture, and physical environment
• Used to develop personas, focus system and process re-definition, and drive new product or solution ideas

Visioning

Invent new product and system concepts from customer data and technological possibilities.

• A team walks the consolidated data to stimulate design thinking
• The ideation session is a facilitated group storytelling process that generates new ideas and concepts to meet customer/user needs
• The cross-functional team involvement ensures a shared understanding of and agreement to the new direction

Storyboarding

Freeze-frame sketches capture scenarios of how target personas or user segments will interact with the new product or system.

• Working out the details of the vision guided by the consolidated data
• Storyboards embody the product/system requirements and future scenarios of use
• Use vignette representations to build buy-in for process changes supported by technology inside of organizations

Product and System Requirements

Create abstract representations of requirements independent of technology choices and design methodologies

• For software, the User Environment Design captures the structure of the new system, showing how each part supports the user's tasks
• For consumer products, the Future Artifact Definition specifies the product form factor, defines product requirements, and highlights science and technology assumptions
• Frees technologists and designers to invent new ways to provide required functions
• Guides visual and industrial designers to think about function and aesthetics together

Paper Mock-Up Interviews

Paper invites the user to co-design the solution in their real-life environment.

• Rough paper prototypes test and iterate the new concept with users, including process changes supported by technology
• The user pretends to do real activities in the mock-up, directly testing acceptance and uncovering additional requirements
• 3 rounds of iteration stabilize the requirements, the structure of the product or system, the user interface approach, the content, and the process changes

Interaction, Visual, and Industrial Design

High fidelity mock-ups tested in the field ensure that the overall visual and aesthetic design generates market excitement

• For software, the graphic and interaction paradigm of the user interface is defined and tested
• For consumer products, the overall aesthetics and function of the form factor are defined and tested
• Eliminate slippage with clearly documented and tested requirements and detailed design at every level of design