User Experience Research
Analyzing User Expectations Through Contextual UX Research
This prompt helps teams design a contextual UX research study to analyze user expectations and behaviors in their real-world environment. It focuses on uncovering how context influences product interactions and user needs.
Responsible:
Product Design
Accountable, Informed or Consulted:
Design, Product, Strategy
THE PREP
Creating effective prompts involves tailoring them with detailed, relevant information and uploading documents that provide the best context. Prompts act as a framework to guide the response, but specificity and customization ensure the most accurate and helpful results. Use these prep tips to get the most out of this prompt:
Define the target environment and relevant tasks for the research.
Identify and recruit participants with diverse use cases and settings.
Prepare scripts, observation guidelines, or lightweight prototypes to facilitate the study.
THE PROMPT
Help design a contextual UX research study to analyze user expectations and behaviors in their natural environment for [specific product or feature]. Focus on:
Participant Selection: Recruiting users who represent the target audience and work in contexts relevant to the product.
Context Exploration: Observing participants in their real-world settings, such as offices, homes, or mobile environments.
Behavioral Insights: Capturing details about how users approach tasks, interact with the product, and adapt to environmental factors.
Expectation Mapping: Identifying what users expect the product to do and how it aligns with or diverges from reality.
Improvement Insights: Translating contextual observations into actionable design and product recommendations.
Provide recommendations for structuring the research study, including tools (e.g., ethnographic observation, remote contextual inquiry) and methods for analyzing findings. If additional details about the product, audience, or use cases are needed, ask clarifying questions to refine the suggestions.
Bonus Add-On Prompts
Propose methods for documenting real-world environmental factors that influence product use.
Suggest techniques to analyze gaps between user expectations and product performance.
Highlight ways to adapt designs to diverse user contexts and workflows.
Use AI responsibly by verifying its outputs, as it may occasionally generate inaccurate or incomplete information. Treat AI as a tool to support your decision-making, ensuring human oversight and professional judgment for critical or sensitive use cases.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE
Focus on specific contexts, such as remote work, on-the-go usage, or shared environments.
Include techniques for validating context-specific accessibility challenges.
Propose methods to observe group interactions, such as team-based workflows.
Highlight strategies for remote contextual research using video calls or asynchronous feedback.
Add recommendations for analyzing findings with qualitative coding or thematic analysis tools.
WHEN TO USE
To understand how users interact with the product in real-world contexts.
During feature development to ensure alignment with user workflows and settings.
When exploring potential barriers or opportunities unique to specific environments.
WHEN NOT TO USE
If the product is rarely or never used in real-world scenarios.
When focusing solely on high-level user goals rather than detailed behaviors.