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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
A paper-based illustration representing Context Canvas with its core stages and visible working result.
Product Discovery
Context Canvas
Paper illustration of a participant using a prototype while an observer takes notes beside a highlighted usability issue.
UX Research
Usability Testing
A paper-based illustration representing Design Sprint with its core stages and visible working result.
Innovation
Design Sprint
Purposedifferent
When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise.When an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency.When a product is built but people get stuck on tasks, usability testing shows the friction at concrete points. Observed use instead of self-report makes visible where orientation, understanding, or interaction breaks down.When the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen45-90 min1-2 h je Session4-5 Tage
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen3-10Based on research question5-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsContext canvas, Open questions, Shared context notesUsability Issues, Severity List, RecommendationsPrototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas
ValidationUXPrototype
Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation
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