Why we use Contextual Interviews?
Research is one of the very first steps during a project. It is something that can be the thing that shows the designer the direction they should take the project in. Research can help the designer know what they could try, be influenced by and what is already available. A designer should use a variety of research methods but the right research methods for the style of project they are doing.
Contextual interviews are a form of primary research; it allows the designer to gather information straight from the user. The information gathered using this method is more beneficial to the designer as it is reliable, up to date and honest. The purpose of this type of interview is to observe and see how the user reacts to the questions. Interviews allow for the designer to watch and listen to how the user delivers their answers; what they say, how they say it and their body language. All of these things allow for the designer to read into what the user is trying to portray within their answers.
This type of interview is different from other types as it allows the user to lead the direction of the questioning. The designer may have a list of questions to start with but during the interview they may have to change their style of questions depending on how the user answers previous questions. The theme of the interview may also change and the designer could be surprised with the information they then get. This is beneficial for the designer as the user will lead the interview in a direction where they will have more to say. The style of questions during this style of interview are very open, they are also not meant to be leading. This allows for the user to answer the questions fully without any influence from the designer. With the questions not being narrowed into a specific topic it means the user will have a bigger opportunity to talk about their true opinions or experiences.
Contextual interviews have an informal setting. This allows for the interview to take place somewhere that is comfortable for the user. If the user is comfortable, they will be more relaxed and that allows for them to want to spend more time answering questions. Contextual interviews also require communication between the designer and user before, during and after the interview. Having continuous communication will make the user more involved with the process. Designers are taking something from the users so the users should be kept informed about what is happening with what they gave the designers.
Contextual interviews consist of paying attention to the user and what they are trying to say without verbally saying it. This style of interview allows for the designer to gather more in-depth information that can have a strong impact on what they are doing. The in formal set up allows for a more calm and enjoyable experience for both the designer and user.
Reflection of your Learning, Insights and your own use of Photography and Social Media
Reflection of learning:
This project was a struggle as I had to do many things that I wasn’t comfortable with and I hit problem after problem. The first hurdle I had to over come was working with a stranger; I don’t like correcting people so the prospect of correcting a stranger was worse. However, the person I was interviewing was very cooperative and answered all the questions really well, without any correcting. This made the process of interviewing more positive. I struggled with the technology that was used because during the interview I couldn’t get the microphones to work which got me starting to panic as I really wanted everything to go okay. The video editing software was another problem as I had never used it before. Multiple times the software would stop working; it was worse when I tried to open it on another day. I was eventually able to get the video to work however I had to create the full video on one day to make sure that it would successfully work. This project has helped me to understand how to correctly ask people questions so that I get the most amount of information from them. If I was to do a project like this again, I would try and learn how to use the software before going straight in and trying to use it.
Insights from the interview:
This interview has been interesting as I got to see what another person thought of photography and I was able to compare it to what I think about it.
My interviewee said she takes photos as “a way of capturing a moment”, she understands the usefulness of photography. She sometimes takes photos of random things but they will have a meaning for her; beauty, friends. I relate to her as I also take photos as a way to save a memory, I enjoy having something to look back on.
My interviewee is great full of the device that she has; iPhone 7, she doesn’t feel that she needs a professional camera to get a good photo. If she was given the opportunity to get a meaningful photo taken by a professional camera, I think that she would agree. I also have an iPhone 7 and I am also happy with my phone but get annoyed as the quality decreases as you zoom. However, that isn’t a big enough reason for me to want to get a professional camera.
The process of taking photos does not appeal to her but that doesn’t mean she won’t be in photos so other people can take them. She enjoys seeing other people having fun so although she isn’t taking part in the photo taking, she is still being part of the whole experience.
When asked, my interviewee said that the majority of her photos are of her and her friends. She confirmed that she posts those pictures on Instagram. A lot of people including myself post picture on social media to show what is going on in our lives. People always worry about what they post on social media because they usually want to show the positive aspects of their life. Another thing people worry about is the amount of likes they will get. I will admit I am guilty of worrying about if a picture is good enough, I second guess my decision about posting it.
Another thing that she likes is physical photos that you can hold. I gathered that she likes the experience of holding the photos as it is a way of holding onto that memory, it is more personal. Not a lot of people now actually have physical photos, they are mostly kept digitally now. I like physical photos as they can be put in frames and displayed which will be seen more and you get reminded about the memory more. Whereas digital photos are stored then hardly looked at.
My interviewee and myself are very similar in our thought about photography. We enjoy the simplicity of phones and having printed photos. Photos are fun to look back on as they are like a frozen memory, they can remind you of the emotion that you had during that moment.