The second case, when a contextual inquiry might be overkill is for the product or flows that aren’t very dependent on the context. An example would be spending time on testing “sign up” and “sign-in” flows. The first one concerns observing behaviors that have very little room for variation. The contextual inquiry research method could be less potent in two cases. Finally, sometimes digital products just aren’t that dependent on the context of their usage. Time and costs aside, taking into account the quarantine restrictions, it’s harder to provide safe conditions for close user observation. usability testing session and an on-site contextual observation session. Just think of the difference between the logistic of a remote 30 min. Why doesn’t everyone do contextual inquiries then? Hence, contextual inquiries can also take place at that time. Generally, usability testing sessions are conducted to validate early clickable prototypes and high-fidelity prototypes. Again, this mostly applies to context-heavy apps. In the midst of the hands-on product design, the other instance when you might want to borrow the contextual inquiry processes is usability testing. That way you won’t have to redo anything that has to do with the usage context. The best time to hold contextual inquiry sessions is at the very beginning of product development. In terms of the design process, there are a few stages where such an inquiry might come in handy. The more “out of the ordinary” their work setting is, the more you should think about conducting contextual inquiries. Remember the nurse example in the previous section? Think of your potential users and their operating environment. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that contextual inquiries work best for apps that heavily rely on the context. User bias is a whole subject within itself. Therefore, the data you gather might be incomplete or users might unintentionally omit some details they might think are obvious or irrelevant. When you ask users a question, especially outside of their usual environment, they tend to solely rely on their memory. There’s an additional major benefit of observing users in their context. We’ve intentionally used healthcare professionals as an example since their working conditions are often stressful and demanding. You can’t have nurses or doctors test said app in an office because if you do the validity of the user research is questionable at best. An example of a digital product the context of the usage of which is essential would be an app for Emergency Room healthcare personnel.
However, the degree of its vitality varies depending on the product.
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