UX Research vs Pandemic

Help save contextual inquiry

Coronavirus introduced a variety of new ways in which humans engage with regular labor and life activities. The pandemic changed the way we work, get groceries, receive education, and spend time with family. The ways in which we conduct user experience research is no exception — researchers have to come up with new strategies to conduct user interviews, usability tests, and focus groups among other methods. One of the biggest methods that is in immediate danger, however, is contextual inquiry.

The main question that we should ask ourselves about contextual inquires is whether it needs to be saved? If so, how can it be saved?

What is a contextual inquiry, anyway?

It is a powerful method that helps designers understand the environment in which users operate and interact with products. It also gives researchers more data on user behavior, habits, and responses.

But as public places close and governments warn people to stay in their homes and avoid contact with each other, what are the UX researchers to do?

The reality is that good old contextual inquiries are going to be pushed back for the time being. It’s just one of those things that can’t be done during a pandemic because it might endanger the designer and the participants. So why do we talk about something so apparent?

Because contextual inquires is something that is worth fighting for and something that should not be forgotten when opportunities to conduct them return. I am afraid that researchers might get too used to software that enables them to run everything from the comfort of their own desk. And don’t get me wrong, I am by no means saying that remote usability studies are less effective or important. In fact, they are highly effective, time- and cost-saving ways of carrying out user research. But they can’t always provide an adequate picture of the environments in which users interact with the product.

A couple of methods that we could use now to help save contextual inquiry are the following:

The idea here is to try to use the user’s eyes and perceptions to study the context.

It is understandable that we do what we can with the given circumstances. My point here is to leave a room for knowing that there is always an extra step we can take in getting closer to exploring user behavior.

For now, however, stay safe and stay home. We shall overcome.

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