Part 1. Context

Think of context as the environment and circumstances of use for your app. To understand context is to understand everything around your app that isn’t the app itself, but can impact interaction with it. Context is the who, where, when, which, why, what, and how of your app:

Who is using the app? What’s special, unique, or different about them?
Where is the app used? Are there different uses in different countries or rooms?
When is the app used? Is it used differently at different times of the day or year?
Which tasks is the app used to help with? What alternatives are there?
Why is the app used? What are people actually trying to achieve?
What parts of the app are used? What do the people using it want the app to do?
How is the app used? Is it the way that was originally intended?

Having answers to such questions provides a knowledge of context. In turn, it allows for the creation of apps that can provide an experience better suited to the people and circumstances in which they’re using it. Without this knowledge, there’s a risk of creating an app that’s too generic and all-encompassing. This provides no distinct benefits to the people using it. Or, worse still, it’s an app that no one wants or needs. Sadly, such apps make up the majority of what’s available in app stores today. You don’t want your app to join them.