Seven experiences with contextual field research

ABSTRACT

Contextual field research is a growing area of interest in human-computer interaction. At the CHI '88 conference, Karen Holtzblatt, Sandy Jones, and myself hosted a Special Interest Group on "Field Research Techniques for Building Usable Products." This overview of seven different experiences with contextual field research techniques grew out of the network we established at the conference.These contributions show a wide range of experience with contextual field research, including its use in academic research and the design of diverse computer products. We hope that this snapshot of contextual field work in mid-1988 may excite your curiosity about what may be possible from this perspective, currently out of the mainstream of human-computer interaction research. The bibliography at the end of this article includes sources for more information on contextual methods, as well as references from the individual contributions.

REFERENCES

• 1: Bjerknes, G., Ehn, P. and Kyng, M. (Eds). <b>Computers and Democracy: A Scandinavian Challenge</b>. Gower Press, Brookfield, VT, 1987.
• 2: Boland, R. J., Jr. <i>Phenomenology: A preferred approach to research on information systems.</i> In <b>Research Methods in Information Systems</b>, E. Mumford et al., Eds., North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1985, pp. 193--201.
• 3: Campbell, R. L. <i>Evaluating online assistance empirically.</i> IBM Research Report RC 13410, Yorktown Heights, NY, 1988.
• 4: Carroll, J. M. and Campbell, R. L. <i>Softening up hard science: Reply to Newell and Card.</i> <b>Human-Computer Interaction</b>, 2, 1986, 227--249.
• 5: De Rivera, J. <b>Conceptual Encounter: A Method for the Exploration of Human Experience</b>. University Press of America, Washington, 1981.
• 6: Dreyfus, H. L. and Dreyfus, S. E. <b>Mind over Machine</b>. The Free Press, New York, 1986.
• 7: Pelle Ehn, Work-Oriented Design of Computer Artifacts, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahwah, NJ, 1990
• 8: Robert D. Galliers , Frank F. Land, Viewpoint: choosing appropriate information systems research methodologies, Communications of the ACM, v.30 n.11, p.901-902, Nov. 1987 [doi>10.1145/32206.315753]
• 9: Gould, J. D. <i>How to design usable systems.</i> To appear in M. Helander (Ed.), <b>Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction</b>, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
• 10: Arthur C. Graesser , Kelly Murray, A question-answering methodology for exploring a user's acquisition and knowledge of a computer environment, Cognition, computing, and cooperation, Ablex Publishing Corp., Norwood, NJ, 1990
• 11: Hollan, J., Miller, J. R., Rich, E. and Wilner, W. <i>Knowledge bases and tools for building integrated multimedia intelligent interfaces.</i> Proceedings of the ACM/SIGCHI Workshop on Architectures for Intelligent Interfaces: Elements and Prototypes, Monterey, California (March 29 - April 1, 1988), 19--38.
• 12: T. Kato, What “question-asking protocols” can say about the user interface, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, v.25 n.6, p.659-673, Dec. 1986 [doi>10.1016/S0020-7373(86)80080-3]
• 13: Lewis, C. <i>Using the "thinking-aloud" method in cognitive interface design.</i> IBM Research Report RC 9265, Yorktown Heights, NY, 1982.
• 14: Mack, R. and Nielsen, J. <i>Software integration in the professional work environment: Observations on requirements</i>, usage and interface issues. IBM Research Report RC 12677, Yorktown Heights, NY, 1987.
• 15: J. Nielsen , R. L. Mack , K. H. Bergendorff , N. L. Grischkowsky, Integrated software usage in the professional work environment: evidence from questionnaires and interviews, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, p.162-167, April 13-17, 1986, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• 16: Suchman, L. A. <b>Plans and Situated Actions</b>. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1987.
• 17: Whiteside, J., Bennett, J. and Holtzblatt, K. <i>Usability engineering: Our experience and evolution.</i> In M. Helander (Ed.), <b>Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction</b>, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 791--817, 1988.
• 18: Terry Winograd , Fernando Flores, Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1987
• 19: Wixon, D. and Good, M. <i>Interface style and eclecticism: Moving beyond categorical approaches.</i> <b>Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 31st Annual Meeting</b>, (New York, October 19--23, 1987), Vol. 1, 571--575.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human information processing

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Measurement, Performance