Translating Field Research Through Contextual Inquiry: A Case Study in Retail Workspace Design Export

@mastersthesis{citeulike:1215181, abstract = {An effective process for translating contextual inquiry data into usable design concepts is described. A literature survey, field observations and laboratory simulations preceded contextual inquiry sessions with seven cashiers working in retail checkstands. Data from this field research was communicated with a graduate student design team during interpretation sessions. Diagrams and pictures from the physical workspace were introduced, work behaviors and breakdowns were discussed and design ideas and insights were recorded during these sessions. The final communication tool is a wall-sized affinity diagram created by members of the design team. The affinity diagram tells the story of people's experiences working in retail front end work environments by incorporating patterns of cashier's behavior and concerns, while maintaining details of each participant's comments. It translates the applied research from basic contextual inquiry data to a sustainable communication tool for contextual researchers, workspace designers and other project stakeholders. The design research method presented yields valuable qualitative results for physical workspace design that can be communicated to people who are not involved in data collection.}, author = {Quick, Jason C.}, citeulike-article-id = {1215181}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/11632/1/Quick_Jason_200608_Mas.pdf}, comment = {"Observation is possible in a retail environment, but does not allow immediate verification of researchers' assumptions or inquiry about task details. Interviewing allows questioning about details, but is too disruptive to occur in a retail work context." pp. 4-5 * Valid even for customer research? Doubt it. ---=note-separator=--- Unobtrusive, casual observation informed the creation of an observation checklist. This was an attempt to categorize and tabulate the frequency of observations... ...the transactions were too fast to accurately use the checklist; forcing the researcher to use handwritten notes and categorization afterwards. p. 15 ---=note-separator=--- According to the ” converging perspectives approach” described by Sanders, research methods can typically be broken down into what users ” Say, Do and Make” (1992). While observation is useful for realizing what people ” do” and interviews are good for understanding what people ” say”, both of these methods can be unreliable by themselves because of the gaps in information collected. Participatory design methods incorporate the ” make” component of user research. p. 15 * Is it possible to incorporate the 'make'/participatory design perspective into contextual evaluation? How? ---=note-separator=--- DILEMMAS ENCOUNTERED BY THE RESEARCHERS Retail checkstand work occurs in a very public environment, making it difficult to eliminate reactivity, defined as the effect of research upon participants and data collected (Sommer and Sommer 2002). Contextual inquiry in a retail checkstand environment is necessarily intrusive to interactions between cashiers and customers. The researcher and the act of note taking were always in full view of customers. When appropriate, efforts were made to ease customer's potential concerns by establishing eye contact, smiling or delaying note writing. p. 16 ...participants generally offered socially desirable responses. Cashiers may have been ” unwilling to give truthful answers to questions that invade privacy, embarrass them, or have negative impact on ego or status” (Malhotra 2004). Truly candid comments were difficult to gather in most situations; the only exceptions occurred when customers, supervisors and managers were not present—in other words, usually when the core checkstand work was not happening. p. 17 ---=note-separator=--- PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE RESEARCHERS Attempts to use an observation checklist were relatively unsuccessful. A first version of the tool containing two pages of information was too difficult to use without missing important observations. Constantly flipping pages on a clipboard also caused disruptions that increased employees' reaction to the researcher. p. 26 ...during initial grouping of contextual inquiry notes on the affinity wall, a lack of interrogation was realized in a significant portion of the notes. With more practice, the researcher may have been able to interrogate cashier responses further, including during transactions, to reveal more intentions and motivations. p. 88 ---=note-separator=--- ...necessity for clear research goals during laboratory and contextual inquiry sessions. p. 26 ---=note-separator=--- METHOD [CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY] ...a ” post-transaction inquiry” technique was utilized that capitalized on the short breaks between customers. This allowed immediate contextual feedback on observations without disrupting cashier-customer interactions; and it also focused on motivations for techniques rather than description of detailed task steps. p. 36 ---=note-separator=--- * Note: this study was done with \_contextual design\_ in mind, i.e with the intention of informing (re) design of a cashier's desk. How does that, if at all, differ from evaluation?}, keywords = {contextual\_inquiry, retail, user\_research}, month = {August}, posted-at = {2007-04-07 21:26:38}, priority = {0}, school = {Georgia Institute of Technology}, title = {Translating Field Research Through Contextual Inquiry: A Case Study in Retail Workspace Design}, url = {http://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/11632/1/Quick_Jason_200608_Mas.pdf}, year = {2006} }

TY - THES ID - citeulike:1215181 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1215181 N2 - An effective process for translating contextual inquiry data into usable design concepts is described. A literature survey, field observations and laboratory simulations preceded contextual inquiry sessions with seven cashiers working in retail checkstands. Data from this field research was communicated with a graduate student design team during interpretation sessions. Diagrams and pictures from the physical workspace were introduced, work behaviors and breakdowns were discussed and design ideas and insights were recorded during these sessions. The final communication tool is a wall-sized affinity diagram created by members of the design team. The affinity diagram tells the story of people’s experiences working in retail front end work environments by incorporating patterns of cashier’s behavior and concerns, while maintaining details of each participant’s comments. It translates the applied research from basic contextual inquiry data to a sustainable communication tool for contextual researchers, workspace designers and other project stakeholders. The design research method presented yields valuable qualitative results for physical workspace design that can be communicated to people who are not involved in data collection. TI - Translating Field Research Through Contextual Inquiry: A Case Study in Retail Workspace Design PB - Georgia Institute of Technology KW - contextual_inquiry KW - retail KW - user_research N1 - "Observation is possible in a retail environment, but does not allow immediate verification of researchers’ assumptions or inquiry about task details. Interviewing allows questioning about details, but is too disruptive to occur in a retail work context." pp. 4-5 * Valid even for customer research? Doubt it. N1 - Unobtrusive, casual observation informed the creation of an observation checklist. This was an attempt to categorize and tabulate the frequency of observations... ...the transactions were too fast to accurately use the checklist; forcing the researcher to use handwritten notes and categorization afterwards. p. 15 N1 - According to the “converging perspectives approach” described by Sanders, research methods can typically be broken down into what users “Say, Do and Make” (1992). While observation is useful for realizing what people “do” and interviews are good for understanding what people “say”, both of these methods can be unreliable by themselves because of the gaps in information collected. Participatory design methods incorporate the “make” component of user research. p. 15 * Is it possible to incorporate the 'make'/participatory design perspective into contextual evaluation? How? N1 - DILEMMAS ENCOUNTERED BY THE RESEARCHERS Retail checkstand work occurs in a very public environment, making it difficult to eliminate reactivity, defined as the effect of research upon participants and data collected (Sommer and Sommer 2002). Contextual inquiry in a retail checkstand environment is necessarily intrusive to interactions between cashiers and customers. The researcher and the act of note taking were always in full view of customers. When appropriate, efforts were made to ease customer’s potential concerns by establishing eye contact, smiling or delaying note writing. p. 16 ...participants generally offered socially desirable responses. Cashiers may have been “unwilling to give truthful answers to questions that invade privacy, embarrass them, or have negative impact on ego or status” (Malhotra 2004). Truly candid comments were difficult to gather in most situations; the only exceptions occurred when customers, supervisors and managers were not present—in other words, usually when the core checkstand work was not happening. p. 17 N1 - PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE RESEARCHERS Attempts to use an observation checklist were relatively unsuccessful. A first version of the tool containing two pages of information was too difficult to use without missing important observations. Constantly flipping pages on a clipboard also caused disruptions that increased employees’ reaction to the researcher. p. 26 ...during initial grouping of contextual inquiry notes on the affinity wall, a lack of interrogation was realized in a significant portion of the notes. With more practice, the researcher may have been able to interrogate cashier responses further, including during transactions, to reveal more intentions and motivations. p. 88 N1 - ...necessity for clear research goals during laboratory and contextual inquiry sessions. p. 26 N1 - METHOD [CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY] ...a “post-transaction inquiry” technique was utilized that capitalized on the short breaks between customers. This allowed immediate contextual feedback on observations without disrupting cashier-customer interactions; and it also focused on motivations for techniques rather than description of detailed task steps. p. 36 N1 - * Note: this study was done with _contextual design_ in mind, i.e with the intention of informing (re) design of a cashier's desk. How does that, if at all, differ from evaluation? AU - Quick, Jason PY - 2006/08// UR - http://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/11632/1/Quick_Jason_200608_Mas.pdf ER -