Contextual Inquiry: Observe, Ask, Learn
AUGUST 14th 9:00AM PDT; 12:00AM EDT; 5:00 PM BST (UK); 18:00 CET; 22:30 PM IST
30 minutes
- Open Circle: FREE (Get it FREE>> Join Open Circle)
- Inner Circle: Included in your $99 a month Inner Circle membership (50% discount available) for all events plus Digital Library 250+ videos, mentoring, hands-on workshops and more.
Why Contextual Inquiry?
Contextual inquiry is one of the most powerful ways to uncover what users actually do, not just what they say. The technique developed by Holtzblatt and Beyer in the late 1990’s is based on grounded practices of place-based research (Ethnography, Task Analysis, etc). This contrasts with Focus Groups for UX– a ‘waste of time’ market research technique. Instead, by stepping into your user’s world, you capture the hidden workflows, pain points, and workarounds that surveys and even interviews alone often miss.
In this session, Frank Spillers will break down how contextual inquiry works in practice. You’ll learn how to plan a field session, what to observe, how to ask the right questions in the moment, and how to capture insights without disrupting your participants’ flow. We’ll also talk about remote adaptations.
We’ll walk through real examples from digital services, healthcare, and internal tools to show how contextual inquiry shaped product and service decisions. Whether you’re new to field research or want to sharpen your approach, this webinar will give you the tools to go deeper in User Research and uncover what really matters.
Topics we’ll cover in Contextual Inquiry: Observe, Ask, Learn
- Contextual Research-comparing methods
- Essential elements of a Contextual Inquiry
- Unpacking and socializing data from a CI
- Checklist for initiating, conducting and making decisions with contextual data
- Q&A
About Miniclasses:
A brief, but deep-dive into a topic, led by Frank Spillers a UX veteran with 25 years in the field, with clients like Nike, Intel, Microsoft, World Bank, CIty of New York, Mayor of London and more. The sessions provide an orientation to key points on a topic. The sessions are FREE- join the Open Circle for access. Get a paid membership for $49 per month (discounted) or $99 standard for access to 250 video trainings, workshop upskilling, mentoring from Frank Spillers and more. Also see: What kind of people join the UXIC?
| Date: | 14 Aug 2025 |
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| Time: | 09:00 am PST 12:00 pm EST 05:00 pm GMT 06:00 pm CET |
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