Relating context to interface: an evaluation of photographic scenarios

An ongoing challenge for designers of interactive systems is to take into account its various contexts of use. Picture Scenarios, which use photographic stories to depict situations, are one promising technique. An analysis is presented of 31 picture scenarios developed by student design teams, to determine in what ways contextual factors are shown to bear on an interactive task. A continuum of contextual strength emerged: purely interaction; purely functional; weak fusion; strong fusion; purely situation. The significance of this continuum for design is briefly discussed.