Brugmethoden

Brugmethoden is a term used to describe a family of qualitative research techniques aimed at understanding how people actually use a product, service, or system in real-world settings. The focus is on observed behavior and reported experiences during routine use, rather than on surveys of stated preferences or laboratory tests. The overarching goal is to identify patterns of use, moments of friction, workarounds, and opportunities for design improvement.

Process generally includes: selecting representative users, defining concrete use cases or tasks, collecting data through direct observation, video, field notes, and sometimes telemetry; coding and analyzing the data to identify recurring usage patterns and critical incidents; and synthesizing findings into actionable design recommendations.

Variations may include contextual inquiry, diary studies, or think-aloud sessions, and can be conducted in-person or remotely.

Applications span product development, user experience evaluation, consumer electronics, healthcare devices, public services, and policy design. Brugmethoden is particularly useful when reliable self-reports are insufficient or biased, and when understanding how a product or system fits into everyday work and life is essential.

Advantages include ecological validity, a deep understanding of actual use, and early identification of design flaws that might not emerge in laboratory tests. Limitations include the time and resource intensity of data collection and analysis, potential observer effects, and the fact that findings are usually qualitative and not easily generalizable. The method is often combined with other approaches to provide a fuller picture of user interactions.

Relation to other methods: brugmethoden draws on ethnography, contextual inquiry, think-aloud protocols, and diary studies, sharing aims with these approaches while emphasizing natural-use contexts.