What is a contextual inquiry?
Contextual inquiry is an ethnographic field study that lets you observe and speak with potential users to understand their behaviors and practices regarding your product. These studies are generally conducted early in product development, driving your product design and engineering forward with meaningful changes and enhancements. These studies can improve your understanding of user actions, behaviors, and thoughts surrounding your products without the impact of a lab setting.
Partner with Blink UX for Contextual Inquiry Services
If you want to learn more about how people use your products, Blink UX offers detailed informative research inquiry services to provide you with the data need. We have a long history of working with household brands such as Mastercard, T-Mobile, Starbucks, Beats Audio, and XBOX to improve customer experiences and enhance product designs.
Our team of researchers and analysts combine traditional interviewing and ethnography to create a complete picture of your product's usability and the perspectives surrounding it. We'll take that information to identify opportunities to propel future product development.
Contextual Inquiry FAQs
Learn more about contextual inquiries in our FAQs.
What is contextual evidence?
Contextual evidence is gathered by watching and having conversations with a group of consumers within their natural environment. The key to collecting these environmental insights is to act as a fly on the wall and avoid interference with their usual routines and daily tasks. Doing this provides valuable data regarding how individuals utilize products and services in unique ways, informing future features and improvements.
What is a contextual inquiry interview?
A contextual inquiry interview observes and questions participants in environments where they live, work, learn, or play. These interviews can include diverse questions and occur in various locations where someone will likely use your product.
What is task analysis?
Often used to inform a contextual interview, a task analysis deconstructs the tasks involved within a product into simple steps. This strategy is a valuable tool for learning more about a product's elements, its usability, and how you can streamline it to enhance the overall experience. While small changes may seem insignificant, they can extend a long way toward a product's functionality.
Contact Blink for More Information
Our researchers have years of experience conducting various contextual inquiry interviews and studies. We'll tailor our services to fit your needs and ensure you obtain valuable insights that make a difference in your customers' experience. Our teams operate out of studios nationwide in Boston, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, and San Diego. If you want to learn more about how we can help you create better experiences for your customers and employees, contact us today.
