What is the goal of contextual inquiry and what do engineers gain?

Tests grounding technical decisions in observed behavior rather than self-reports. Goal: observe users in their environment to uncover tacit work practices, invisible workarounds, and mental models they omit in interviews. Engineers learn environmental constraints, tool integrations, and trust gaps like habitual saving despite autosave. These shape architecture, data models, and error handling. Red flag: treating it as usability testing, demanding statistical significance, or ignoring findings that conflict with your assumptions.