CPSC 681 Research Methodologies in HCI Saul Greenberg, Instructor

Contents

Contextual Techniques

Written by:

Donald Cox for partial requirements for Computer Science 681 : Research Methodologies. March, 1997

What are they?

A structured process for acquiring and analyzing an understanding of how users do their work. [Details]

How do I do it?

You interview users as they do real work in their real work environment. Then you and your team analyze the data. [Details]

When should I use them?

Use Contextual techniques whenever you need hard evidence and a good understanding of what real people really do. [Details]

What are their strengths and weaknesses?

The major strength of Contextual techniques is that they provide a tested, well defined process for studying and undestanding what is going on "out there." There are a number of weaknesses that need to be taken into consideration before choosing to use Contextual techniques. [Details]

Can I see an example?

Unfortunately, there are no complete examples out there, and I haven't had the opportunity to generate one that I can share. However, there are a number of partial reports. [Details]

Where can I find out more?

The best place to start is the Incontext Enterprises website. Or you can read my annotated mini-bibliography. [Details]

Donald Cox, coxd@cpsc.ucalgary.ca