Protocol
Observe the workaround where the work happens
The missing requirement may be on the sticky note beside the screen.
When it fits
- A workflow sounds simple in interviews but remains difficult in practice.
When to avoid it
- Research presence can change work. Do not observe sensitive records, bystanders or hazardous tasks without appropriate safeguards.
Why it matters
With permission, observe a real task in its normal setting. Notice tools, interruptions, handoffs and unofficial workarounds. Separate what you see from your explanation, and ask about unclear decisions when interruption is safe.
Steps
- Agree the task, recording limits and information that must stay out of view.
- Record the actual sequence and surrounding constraints without coaching it into your preferred flow.
- Ask what the workaround accomplishes before proposing its removal.
An example
A user copies an identifier into a private checklist because the application gives no reliable completion signal.
Check your result
Can the design problem be explained through an observed constraint rather than an imagined user preference?
Keep this limit in mind
- Research presence can change work. Do not observe sensitive records, bystanders or hazardous tasks without appropriate safeguards.
Connected ideas
Useful withGive the user a goal and keep your instructions out of the result
Evidence and sources
Supports
Contextual research observes activities in the environment where people normally perform them.
Observation does not prove causes or eliminate the effect of being observed.
Contextual research and observation · Method purpose and observation procedure.