Observing the activities of decision makers is just one way to assess their information requirements. Observing the physical environment where decision makers work also reveals much about their human information requirements. Most often, such observing means systematically examining the offices of decision makers, because offices constitute their primary workplace. Decision makers influence and are in turn influenced by their physical environments and by their interactions with the technology that takes place there. Many HCI concerns can be identified through structured observation and confirmed with other techniques, such as interviews or questionnaires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Film critics sometimes use a structured form of criticism called mise-en-sc\u00e8ne analysis to systematically assess what is in a single shot of the film. They look at editing, camera angle, set decor, and the actors and their costumes to find out how they are shaping the meaning of the film as intended by the director. Sometimes the film\u2019s mise-en-sc\u00e8ne will contradict what is said in the dialogue. For information requirements analysis, the systems analyst can take on a role similar to that of the film critic. It often is possible to observe the particulars of the surroundings that will confirm or negate the organizational narrative (also called \u201cstories\u201d or \u201cdialogue\u201d) that is found through interviews or questionnaires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The method for STRuctured OBservation of the Environment is referred to as STROBE. Successful application of STROBE requires that an analyst explicitly observe seven concrete elements commonly found in offices. The seven observable elements and some key questions that may arise are listed in the table shown below. These elements can reveal much about the way a decision maker gathers, processes, stores, and shares information, as well as about the decision maker\u2019s credibility in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n