Contextual inquiry

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Contextual inquiry is a user-centered design (UCD) method, part of the contextual design methodology, that happens up front in the software development lifecycle. It calls for one-on-one observations of work practice in its naturally occurring context. During or after the observations, discussion ensues wherein users’ daily routines or processes are discovered so that a product or website can be best designed to either work with the processes or help to shorten or eliminate them altogether. Contextual inquiry comprises preparation, evaluation, analysis, and design phases.

Contextual inquiry involves collecting detailed information about customer work practice by observing and talking with the user about the work while s/he works, in the normal context of the work. Researcher ought to stay on the background and let the user lead the situation as much as possible. This means that researcher tries to form a partnership with customer i.e. learning (but not doing) as an apprentice while the customer is the master of the work. This helps the researcher understand the customer's work. The goal is to understand how and why something is done or why something is not done^[1].