EchoUser | UX Research & Design Agency

Contextual Inquiry

Contextual Inquiry is observing users in natural environments for overall insights on real product use.

It helps identify challenges beyond hyper-focused design & development.

Used in development phases:

Related services:

Featured

Highlight case studies and blog stories associated with Contextual Inquiry.

Tendril User Research

Behavioral Energy Patterns

Conducting contextual interviews to create personas that help an energy company understand their users.

Enhancing the Festival Experience

Transforming Event Dynamics

Collaboration with Berkeley Innovation undergraduate team to ideate, iterate, and prototype concept designs.

Gooru Education Experiences

Full Service Design & Research

Creating a space in which both teachers and students can seamlessly browse and share resources.

Collections

Domain and method sample work that commonly utilize Contextual Inquiry service.

Start-ups

Growth businesses need UX that can adapt to evolving needs.

Case

Drivescale Composable Infrastructure

Power and Flexibility through UX

DrivescaleConceptual Modeling. Full-Service. Interaction Design.

Case

Stitcher Iterative Test & Design

The RITE Method for Internet Radio

StitcherDiary Studies. Prototyping. RITE - Rapid Iteration.

Notable value:

Grit

Infuse passion, fortitude, and determination into getting things done. Hard work creates talent.

Story

The step by step guide of running an ideation workshop

I recently co-facilitated an ideation workshop at Emerson, where we used activities to generate innovative solutions. In this summary, I'll share the workshop's purpose, key aspects, and some tips for running a successful event. We aimed to align everyone's goals, encourage divergent thinking, and gain real-time input from participants.

May 8, 2019

Common service:

Personas

Personas are patterns of insights across user types based on real users.

They are a reference to help make design decisions and keep the user at the center of the design process.

Common service:

Journey Maps

Journey Maps are timeline visualizations of using a product to help broad understanding.

They highlight issues & opportunities for key personas across different stages.

Case

Mighty: Investment Management

Start-up Fintech Design

MightyContextual Inquiry. Conceptual Modeling. Interaction Design.

Common service:

Conceptual Modeling

A conceptual model is a simplified representation of relationships & hierarchy for a product or service.

It helps designers think of high level solutions and guide detailed design direction.

Notable value:

Creative Spirit

Diversity, curiosity, and adventure give us perspective. Get out there and pursue life.

Any Experience

Everything is a human experience. Apply UX to anything.

Case

RoboCam: The Social Robot

Industrial Design & Robotics

RoboSystems Industrial Design. Interaction Design. User Interviews.

Story

Designing for Death

David Bowie's passing was a unique experience, as he released his final album, Blackstar, just days before. Rather than mourning, his fans celebrate his life and new work. His farewell feels more like a celebration, providing a sense of peace for those coping with the loss.

January 13, 2016

Common service:

Contextual Inquiry

Contextual Inquiry is observing users in natural environments for overall insights on real product use.

It helps identify challenges beyond hyper-focused design & development.

Case

Got Food?

EchoUser Labs

EchoUserConceptual Modeling. Contextual Inquiry. Interaction Design.

Notable value:

Optimism

In nearly all situations, you can choose your attitude. Choose to be optimistic and positive.

Story

Experience Innovators: Babyscripts on the Quantified Pregnancy Experience

Here at EchoUser, we love to tackle Any Experience, and we’re always inspired by novel ways of interacting with people, products, and places. We also get to meet a lot of the people who are crafting those experiences, and in this occasional series of interviews with experience innovators, we want to share their insights with you.

April 6, 2015

Story

Transit Behavior Design

Taipei's MRT metro offers a better experience than San Francisco's Muni due to cleanliness, efficient queuing, priority seating, and safety measures. Implementing simple changes like color-coded seats, floor markings, and more handholds can significantly improve public transit experiences.

June 1, 2016

Trailblazing, on Earth, in Space, and beyond

Case

RoboCam: The Social Robot

Industrial Design & Robotics

RoboSystems Industrial Design. Interaction Design. User Interviews.

Story

Hack Space. Save Planet Earth.

EchoUser has partnered with NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge to organize the Asteroid Hackathon, inviting designers, engineers, and astronomers to turn asteroid data into digestible information for citizen scientists. The winning team will receive a cash prize to further develop their idea.

August 11, 2014

Common service:

Workshops

Workshops are hands-on group sessions. They have many uses to spur design thinking and share knowledge.

Visioning, training, brainstorming, design sprints, project debriefs and more.

Story

#InnovateEarthquakes

I recently participated in a meeting on innovating for disasters, with futurists, scientists, engineers, and designers. As a graphic note taker, I captured the day's discussions. We focused on earthquake preparedness, the role of fear in disasters, and how design can improve disaster situations.

June 23, 2014

Notable value:

Creative Spirit

Diversity, curiosity, and adventure give us perspective. Get out there and pursue life.

Story

Asteroid Design Jam at EchoUser

We held a design jam at EchoUser HQ to distill asteroid data into intelligible information for the general public. Teams brainstormed creative ideas such as a game, an innovative website approach, a race to raise awareness and funding, and a basic platform. The jam was a success and a springboard for the upcoming Asteroid Hackathon event.

August 22, 2014

Story

Live Sketching at NASA's Big Think

At NASA's Big Think conference, we used graphic facilitation to capture presentations on human-computer interaction and user perspective in space-related fields. This method promotes active listening, visualizes information, helps revisiting information, and summarizes findings, making complex data more digestible and memorable.

February 20, 2017