User observations & interviews

Description

Observing the user complete tasks in their own environment, and discussing failings, problems, potential solutions and other aspects of their interaction with the system as required.

Appropriate use

Direct observations and interviews are an important part of requirements gathering, task analysis and usability testing. This high quality contact with users is fundamental to user-centred design. We observe many aspects of the user's interaction with a system including contextual elements, such as; how and why they started a given task; what they did immediately after; whether they 'tab' or click from one form field to another, environmental considerations relevent to the system (light conditions, noise levels, distance from the screen, etc.); interaction with other systems during the execution of a process; language and terminology used; etc.

Output

Documentation, task analysis flows in Visio, sample video files.

Video work: It is common in professional environments (such as trading) that getting high quality time with people is difficult. In this case we might video interviews and observations to save time (taking notes of conversations and documenting tasks and processes). 20 minutes of the user's time recorded on video can be as effective as an hour of the user's time without a video record.

Observations & interviews can save a project:

During requirements gathering, input from users is critical. However, programmers or consultants do not always engage with users in ways that get the richest information.

Users, when asked to discuss or document requirements, often have difficulty expressing their needs in enough detail, or in terms of their interaction with the system.

Therefore, many important decisions about the interface, navigation and processes are not made untill programmers start coding.

Observations and interviews are used to provide valuable insight in to the needs of the user, allowing greater levels of detail to be added to the design specifications.