run-contextual-research

Run a contextual inquiry by visiting the user's real workspace and adopting a master-apprentice stance where the user works normally while you observe. Structure the session as primer, transition, contextual interview with observe-interrupt-discuss loops, and a wrapup where you validate your interpretations aloud.

Contextual inquiry allows interrupting the user to ask questions during work, while a field study is observation-first for settings where interruption would destroy the behavior, such as customer-facing service or group dynamics. Choose based on whether interaction during the session is acceptable.

Design diary studies with an entry template taking under three minutes, per-entry incentives plus a completion bonus rather than a flat fee, scheduled reminders, and a mid-study personal check-in. Always pilot with one or two people for two to three days before full launch.

Use a diary study when the behavior unfolds over days or weeks or happens at unpredictable moments you cannot schedule a visit around, such as onboarding journeys or recurring habits. Use a site visit when the behavior occurs during a schedulable work session.

Diary entries alone are ambiguous fragments that researchers misread without context. The elicitation interview walks through entries with the participant, probes logging gaps, and resolves conflicts between in-the-moment logs and later recall, turning raw entries into interpretable data.

Avoid contextual methods when testing whether users can complete tasks on a design, which belongs to usability testing, or when exploring attitudes and motivations without needing observation, which fits a standard user interview. Context methods are for behavior tied to environment or time.