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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper notes move from an inbox to action, project and calendar collections.
Operations
Getting Things Done
Paper illustration for ALPEN Method
Operations
ALPEN Method
Gemba Walk workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Gemba Walk
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.With many open commitments and ideas in daily life, a reliable external storage system emerges. The method relieves the mind so priority and context don't have to compete in memory.With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time.When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen1-2 h Setup, laufend10-20 min daily30-120 min
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen112-6
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncAsyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsAction Lists, Project List, Review RoutineDaily Plan, Time Estimates, Review NotesObservation Notes, Improvement Ideas
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
ProductivityPlanningTasksExecution
PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations
LeanObservationProcessOperations
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