iSQI UXQB Certified Professional for Usability and User Experience - Foundation Level Exam

The context of use is described in user group profiles and personas (who are the users), as-is scenarios (how do users currently do tasks), task models (details about what the tasks are) and user journey maps (how users interact with the interactive system and the organisation providing it).

A user group profile is a generalised description of a collection of users with the same or similar personal characteristics and context of use related to the interactive system.

A persona is a description of a fictitious but realistic user and what he or she intends to do when using the interactive system.

An as-is scenario is a narrative text description of the procedure a specific user currently follows to complete one or more tasks,

A task model is a list of subtasks for each task which the user has to complete to reach their goals. Task models help the design team to design the right solution for each task. User journey maps provide an overview of the touchpoints where users interact with the interactive system and the organisation providing the interactive system. They help stakeholders and user experience professionals understand and optimise the user experience.

The main purpose of personas and as-is scenarios is to identify user needs and make it easier for designers, developers and other stakeholders to understand who the users are, what they do, what their obstacles are, and to facilitate discussions within the design team.

Interviews should focus on gathering information about the current context of use rather than the interactive system itself. They should be done contextually. A contextual interview takes place at the location where the user's interaction with the interactive system usually takes place, for example the user's workplace, their home or in a shop. An ordinary interview takes place in a neutral environment, for example in a meeting room.

During a contextual interview, the interviewer treats the interviewee as the master while the interviewer is the humble apprentice (master-apprentice model). The interviewer asks because they sincerely want to learn -not because they want to demonstrate their knowledge. The interviewer should use open and neutral interview questions rather than closed and leading questions to avoid biasing the interviewee.

The interviewer should rely on an interview checklist to ensure that all relevant topics are addressed, rather than using it to control or steer the interview.

The outcome of this activity is a description of the context of use. The context of use has five components: Users (people who interact with the interactive system), Goals (what users want to achieve), Tasks (what users do to achieve their goals), Environment (where the interaction takes place), and Resources (the means required to perform the task).