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8.3 Applications of interviews in HCI research 195

Both contextual inquiry and ethnographic techniques have been used extensively by
HCI researchers.
Low-level questions about how tasks are completed may be more appropriate
if you are trying to improve interaction and process details for specific tools. You
might ask how users accomplish various goals, which approaches they use (e.g.,
menu selections or keyboard shortcuts), what problems they face, which options
work well, and which don't, and what sorts of functionality they'd like to add to their
current software.
To really understand how someone uses current tools, you might ask them to
demonstrate how they complete typical tasks. As they go about their tasks, you might
ask questions aimed at helping you understand what they are doing and why. This
approach may blur the line between interviewing and observation. Effectively, the
tool acts as a “probe”—an external aid that encourages interviewees to provide more
detail and explanation. The following list gives examples of questions relating to the
use of available tools for the scrapbook example:
• Which tools do you use for scrapbook creation? What purpose do you use each
of them for?
• What types of data do you use in your current tools for scrapbook creation?
• Do you have to make frequent use of multiple tools? Do you often move data
between tools?
• How do you enter or organize the data values?
• Which calculations do you make? How do you make them?
• Can you preview your output?
• Do you print your scrapbooks on paper?
• What do your tools not do that you would like to be able to do?
• If you could change or improve this process, what would you do?
• Please show me how you create a scrapbook. Please explain which steps you
take and why.

8.3.3 EVALUATION AND SUBJECTIVE REACTIONS
Interviews can also be very useful during the development process. As prototypes are
developed, interviews can capture the reactions of various users. Early user feedback
on information flow, location of controls, use of language, and other aspects can help
designers validate their approach and identify areas in need of revision. Interviews at
these stages focus on specific questions aimed at eliciting reactions to various design
elements. Similarly, interviews can provide useful input for summative evaluations
of completed products. A broader focus in such interviews may be productive, as the
summative reactions to a completed tool can inform the process of designing the next
revision. Interview questions for evaluating the design of proposed interfaces for the
scrapbook tool may include:

• Do you find this interface easy to use?
• Do you understand the menus, icons, and language?