In this tutorial, participants gain hands-on experience with three related observational methods through which groups can learn about users and their work, in context. We have presented earlier versions of this tutorial at a number of conferences, including CHI and the British HCI conference, as well as at a number of companies in the US and Europe. Participants have rated it very highly in all of these venues.

The tutorial presents an overview of a variety of methods and in-depth practice with three methods for observing users in context. The methods include:

• Naturalistic Observation
• Contextual Inquiry
• Artifact Walkthrough
• Usability Roundtables
• Remote "Electronic Ethnography"

Participants will practice the first three in this tutorial. These methods all derive from ethnography, which is a branch of anthropology. Traditional ethnographers, however, typically spend a much longer time with their "informants" than is practical for software development teams. Therefore, this set of "rapid ethnography" techniques has developed over the years to meet the need of teams to learn about their users, their users' work, and the context of that work. The materials and the processes of rapid ethnography differ from traditional ethnography in a number of ways:

• The time is significantly shorter, usually hours rather than weeks or months.
• The participants are typically recruited to participate and may be paid.
• The visits are often made by a team or group, rather than an individual.
• The interviewer does not participate in the work or the context.
• The group uses a focus to manage the information and to provide a filter for their observations.

Techniques such as Usability Roundtables and remote "electronic ethnography" do not take place in the work context at all. In the following sections of this proposal, we briefly describe the three techniques, and then summarize the agenda of the tutorial.

OBSERVATIONAL TECHNIQUES THAT WILL BE PRACTICED (OR DEMONSTRATED)

Naturalistic Observation

More systematic than just "people watching," Naturalistic Observation allows developers to observe users and their work over time in the context of that work. This technique has been used successfully to identify unarticulated needs for new product ideas, user characteristics for user profiles, common user tasks for task analysis, and environmental factors that may impact effectiveness of different types of designs.

The basic process involves developing a focus as a team, and then using that focus to guide the observation process. Naturalistic observation requires that observational team members manage their focus, in order to maintain adequate attention. In addition, natural tendencies to force closure too early, or to react to the inevitable ambiguity with anxiety or disengagement, can make this technique challenging.

In order to learn and practice Naturalistic Observation, we will have teams observe each other as they play games (Uno Stacko and Blockhead). These games have been chosen because they are physical, rather than linguistic, which makes them more accessible to all participants, regardless of native language. This also makes them easier to observe.

Contextual Inquiry

Originally developed at DEC, Contextual Inquiry has become an important tool for understanding work that requires interpretation in order to be understood. The basic process involves starting with a team-developed focus, as in Naturalistic Observation, but this focus then guides questioning and a dialogue with the user as they perform work tasks in context. The resulting interview is grounded in the reality of the current moment, rather than abstracted from memory.

Contextual Inquiry can be difficult for teams if they are not familiar with ways to guide an inquiry in an open manner. Striking a balance between showing understanding (for rapport) and showing ignorance (for clarification) can be difficult for new inquirers.

We will learn and practice Contextual Inquiry in small groups, where pairs will build Lego toys, while other pairs conduct the inquiry. Each pair will have an opportunity to experience both roles.

Artifact Walkthrough

This method involves having the user "walk through" the creation of "artifacts" such as printouts, documents, etc., usually in the context of work. For this method, we will demonstrate a walkthrough for the class.

Instructors

Susan Dray, of Dray & Associates, is an expert in user-centered design. She has perfected and used the techniques in this tutorial to conduct user studies for a variety of companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and AT&T, including international field studies. She has also taught these methods at CHI, HFES, and BCS-HCI conferences as well as at a number of companies in the US and Europe.

She is very active in the HCI community. She was elected a Fellow of HFES, and has been a frequent presenter and organizer of conferences and workshops at a variety of conferences, including UPA. In addition, she is the Business column editor for the ACM-SIGCHI magazine interactions.

She received her Ph.D. in 1979 in experimental psychology from UCLA. She has worked as a researcher, manager and internal consultant, both at Honeywell and at American Express Financial Advisors, prior to founding her consulting firm of Dray & Associates in 1993. Currently, she consults to companies worldwide on how to develop technology in a user-centered manner. A key element of her work has been ethnographic observational studies, especially international ones, which are a particular specialty of hers.

David Siegel has worked as an Associate of Dray & Associates, Inc. since 1993. He has been involved in all aspects of usability, user interface, and user-centered design consultation, including project planning and study design, expert evaluation of interface designs, formal usability testing, and user-centered interface design. He has evaluated or tested numerous software designs, including web designs and designs for innovative technologies.

He brings to the field of Usability and Human Factors his strong background in psychology, including neuropsychology, psychological assessment and measurement, and research methodology. He received a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA (1982). His work in the field of Human Factors is also enriched by his years of experience as a practicing psychologist, manager, and consultant to hospitals, clinics, and insurance companies. His experience in using behavioral data, observation, formal assessment, and interviewing to assess cognitive processes directly contribute to his skills in evaluating designs, identifying and analyzing usability problems, and recommending targeted solutions.