#contextual design

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Authors of Contextual Design second edition, Karen Holtzblatt and Hugh Beyer said: "Everyone, no matter how technical, values and expects a cool user experience" (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016) which is entirely accurate even in its rawest form. This essay shall seek to discuss contextual design – sometimes also known as participatory design, User-centered Design and User Experience (UX) design – and how it affects and should be wholly considered within the process of identifying and solving any design problem. Specific references will be made to the second edition of the books Contextual Design, the Basics of UX design and Participatory Design. Another reference shall be made to academic journals Contextual Design: Experience in Real Life and the Methodology of Participatory Design as well as examples of contextual design and how these outcomes are the result of the contextual process.

Contextual design is a form and process of design that has existed for approximately 30 years overall. It can be defined as a "state of the art approach to designing products directly from an understanding of how the consumer works" (Holtzblatt, 2001) and it also "represents a new approach towards system design in which the people destined to use the system play a critical role in designing it" (Schuler & Namioka, 1993). In its most basic form contextual/participatory/UX design is design with the user in mind and what they want to use in their everyday lives to perform their tasks more efficiently and satisfactory (The Basics of UX Design (1st ed., pp. 1-71)). It is important to note that Contextual design, is an overview and summary of all information gathered. The process of designing anything contextually means that the user is involved and considered in every step, right from the very first  (Spinuzzi, 2018).

Contextual design started in 1988 in Scandinavia which then spread to the US and entered into the mainstream product and system design (Schuler & Namioka, 1993).  From that point until 2007, the designer built something they had thought was useful and would be loved (Schuler & Namioka, 1993).  They just simply hoped that clients and users would love it. The issues with this method of design are that there was no consideration for the user and that it just isn't logical in today's day and age (Holtzblatt, 2001); the market is far too condensed to design something that is also being designed by one hundred other companies – the user will obviously pick the one that is most tailor-made to suit their lifestyles and ways of working in the industry in which they are located (Schuler & Namioka, 1993).

Modern-day contextual/participatory design was brought by with the advances in cell phone technology when the public saw leaps and bounds in its system software and functionality in 2007 and 2008 (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016). At that point up until this very second, contextual design rejects the assumption that computerizing efficiency doesn't automate skills but instead improves efficiency. The idea that the phone and other related technological devices are considered "an appendage" is what iOS being used to the advantage of not only the designer but the designer's users too [basic of UX ]. This notion meant that, with the integration of technology into our lives, the idea of work-life lifestyles came into practice – this simply refers to the fact that there is often no clear distinction between work life and home life as efficiency now spreads and flows across place, time and devices [basic]. This meant that contextual design could spread too; all forms of design required to suit everyday life whereas pre-2007 saw designs that suited the task and outcomes of said task. It is so important to know that "to be successful in today's world, those who define and build [designs] must know how to fit them into the fabric of everyday life" (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016).

When design doesn't consider it's user, it incapacitates them causing the app to seem to dominate instead of helpful and useful (Schuler & Namioka, 1993). In such a condensed economy, it makes sense to involve the consumer because the core of design is the combination of the product definition and product specifications. User-centered designs do not gamble on the faith that users will need/desire the final product (Schuler & Namioka, 1993). A great designed final product/idea is achieved by marrying a detailed understanding of the target market and a thorough understanding of how technology works and how it can be used and manipulated to the user's needs in all aspects of life (Schuler & Namioka, 1993). Throughout the contextual design process, the user is involved (Schuler & Namioka , 1993); although it can be considered a step-by-step process, the circle of the process moves back and forth to create a final design that will be satisfactory to the user with regards to lifestyles (the opinion of the user is highly valuable in all steps).

Because your consumer and user is so crucial to the success of the idea/product, it so critical to know what they think is aesthetically appealing and "cool." This lead to what is known as the ‘Cool Metric' (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016). It quantitatively determines and validates the value of the product/idea to the consumer; this means that it is then used to define the ‘coolness' using what people thought was cool to use n devices. The ‘Cool Metric' consists of two main criteria – a ‘cool' product will deliver all of both criteria. These criteria are ‘the Wheel of Joy in life' and ‘the Triangle of Joy in Usage' (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016). The Wheel of Joy shows how ‘cool products' touch our core human motives, while the ‘triangle of Joy' addresses how the design of a product can enhance the joy of using a product or design by creating ‘moments of magic' (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016).

The process in which contextual design is carried out can vary extensively because many have made an overall system of designing contextually but what is noticeable is that when broken up into six linear yet non-linear steps, it is easier to use (Nodder, 2017). These steps are specifically derived from Chris Nodder's UX design process which can be found in videos on Lynda.com. These steps are: collecting and analyzing user data, creation of user personas, understanding the ideation process, working with and creating scenarios and storyboards, building paper prototypes, and planning to implement (Nodder, 2017). Throughout all steps, each previous step is considered as well as how the consumer will react.

One excellent example of how Contextual design was applied is through the device feature known as the ‘pull down to refresh' feature. This specific feature came into effect officially in 2010 and since then has become an integrated part of app design and development (something that " feels so obvious, so natural, and so much like the way things are supposed to work on iOS devices" (Perez, 2012)) that almost all to most of them have this user-centric feature. It gained so much traction during this time that Twitter ended up patenting the feature in 2010 when it over-took the app Tweetie which then became Twitter, despite the fact that so many apps make use of said feature.  

This simple to the user feature is even considered so amazingly designed that it was named an enhanced user interface mechanic. Apart from the fact that it is patented to an odd company instead of Apple themselves, the feature came into effect at the request of the user and the notion to make apps more exciting and user-friendly to use. In fact, a psychologist has said that the mere action of pulling to refresh is derived from the design of addictive technologies such as gambling slot machines ("Experts Link Smartphone 'Pull-To-Refresh' Feature To Slot Machine Design," 2018). This ‘addictive' feature leads the brain to think that the app we are using regardless of what app it may be, every time we refresh the app, we are being entertained and are satisfied mentally with the results. The same addictive feature is even present in Tinder, the dating app – swipe right to see if you've ‘won' this person you're attracted to (Stampler, 2014).

Another example is the X-ray machine in which a designer explored in more in ways only known as immersion –  a known and implemented phase of contextual design (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016). Immersion is used to identify the hidden questions that designers ask themselves and others around them as well as the consumer. Immersion means the designer immerses themselves within the work-life field of their customers to understand more. With the x-ray machine, the designer immersed themselves after users asked for more ‘exact speeds to control the machines. They soon noticed after studying the work intensely that they realized the user simply needed a timer to run the tape at an exact speed to measure elapsed time. The user had requested a technical solution to an existing system (which changes the system drastically), but the real issue was with how the work was executed and thus designed accordingly (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016).

This is a substantial example of relevance how it is required to implement contextual design to a design solution – it means a guaranteed solution to the issue instead of a narrow and simple tweak or addition which is temporary. This guaranteed result implies that the system then becomes more appropriate to the user's work (Holtzblatt & Beyer, 2016).

Another interesting example is when apps release beta versions or when an app releases a beta version before releasing its final app to the world. The term ‘beta' was coined in the 1950s and is referring to a product's stage of development (Lee, 2013). It works like so: alpha to beta to release the app to the app store. I like to compare it to the life cycle of insects, which typically goes through multiple phases: eggs, larva, pupa, and adult. As products develop, they go through a similar cycle: pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and release candidate. Usage of the "alpha/beta" labeling can be traced back to IBM as early as the 1950s (Lee, 2013). The alpha phase means that the app has been developed enough for the very first testing stages – it tests for core functionality (its most basic functions work accordingly and as intended). If it does what is intended in core and basic function, it passes the alpha phase (Lee, 2013).

The beta phases are what follows.  It is the most prolific type of non-release software out there (Lee, 2013). While the alpha phase only ensures functionality, the beta phase ensures polished functionality. Beta can be one of the longest phases in development of new or fixed software. Apps like Snapchat are always in beta testing – some apps have a ‘sign up for beta testing' option so that beta users can experience the new features first and give the right user-related feedback (Chowdhury, 2018)

In conclusion, the fact that your income and money flow is caused by the customer is accurate and can be applied appropriately to contextual design. It is so important to listen to your users as they will make or break the success of the of the design you wish to show the world – they determine if views and usage are even worth their time. If they decide that your designs aren't user-friendly nor user-centric, they will cause the failure and downfall of your design. Application of the contextual design process is not new and is easy to carry through and thus will determine a place in the market for any design you as a designer may create.