Contexts of Use: A Framework for Connection
Summary
The events and experiences of the last several years have exposed gaps in our awareness of - and practice around - connecting with people across the broadest range of human perspectives. Too often, as we've built services and complementary products, we have bypassed the hard questions around identity. To improve design decision-making, many organizations are using new approaches to ask a broader range of questions to more people. We'll discuss strategies for how to connect with the broadest range of people as well as how to represent insights that drive more inclusive design decision-making.
Key Insights
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Personas should focus on user goals, motivations, and barriers rather than demographics or superficial traits.
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Context of use narratives enrich personas by addressing intersectional identities and situational factors affecting user experience.
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Frequent, semi-structured 'mini empathy interviews' provide valuable evolving user insights beyond traditional annual research.
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Inclusive design anticipates a broad spectrum of human perspectives, not just the majority demographic (80%) but also smaller, marginalized groups (20%).
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Public and nonprofit sectors often operate under tight budget constraints but innovate creatively to meet diverse user needs.
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Engaging stakeholders and affected communities as co-designers in research fosters more relevant and effective outcomes.
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Tools like empathy maps, journey maps, and user stories complement personas and context of use to guide design decisions.
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Intersectionality includes both persistent and situational identity elements, plus factors of visibility to systems and data.
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Behaviors such as seasonal service needs or temporary disabilities (e.g., broken wrist) highlight the dynamic nature of user contexts.
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Designing with accessibility features from the start often benefits the entire user base, not only those with specific disabilities.
Notable Quotes
"We can no longer think of users as flat personas; we have to enrich those concepts with intersectional identities."
"Alan Cooper created personas to stop developers building features just because they're cool to build, not because users need them."
"It's not the demographics or names that should drive personas, but what people are really trying to do."
"The context of use framework helps teams understand that different experiences aren't bad, just different."
"Inclusive design isn't an add-on; it should be part of the minimum viable product to serve diverse human perspectives."
"Sometimes accommodating 20% of users with special needs improves the experience for the entire 100%."
"Mini empathy interviews embedded in regular research uncover evolving user stories that quantitative data alone misses."
"Nonprofits often treat communities served as stakeholders, which drives authentic inclusion in design."
"People are individuals first and part of communities second, which adds complexity to designing effective personas."
"Design teams need diverse perspectives because our own experiences cloud our judgment about user needs."
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