RESEARCH METHOD / PRACTICE GUIDE

Contextual inquiry

What changes when we observe the work in its real setting?

A repeatable workflow using Plan → Conduct → Report. Adapt recruitment, timing and depth to the decision, participants and evidence available.

1. 01

   Plan

   Choose a consequential task and recruit people who perform it in different roles. Agree on consent, recording and what must stay private. Prepare prompts about triggers, tools, handoffs and decisions; leave room to follow the participant's actual work.

2. 02

   Conduct

   Ask the participant to perform a recent or current task in their usual environment. Observe before interrupting. Ask what they are noticing and why a choice matters. Capture actions, artifacts, interruptions and workarounds separately from your interpretations.

3. 03

   Report

   Reconstruct the task as a sequence of decisions and evidence. Compare cases, including exceptions. Review the interpretation with a colleague or participant, then connect each finding to a product decision, its supporting observation and the next question.