Participant Observation

“In this way the participants were able to engage in a critical dialogue which they clearly enjoyed… These dialogues became part of an iterative design process which is still ongoing.”

Vines et al (2012). Cheque Mates: Participatory Design of Digital Payments with Eighty Somethings.

Definition

Participant observation is a user research method focused on capturing fieldwork and people’s daily activities.

Context

Co-design

Procedure

1. It’s always good to research some background information in order to be productive out in the field.

2. The key to participant observation is to build trust. The best way to do this is to show a serious and genuine interest in people’s work.

3. It is necessary to get a participant’s permission to observe them. By clearly explaining the goals of the research and stressing that the purpose is not to judge them, people will be more likely to accept.

4. It can be helpful to find a guide or advisor who will give access to more people or places.

5. Follow up with the participant by thanking them for their time and showing appreciation. This is also an opportunity to ask them any questions based on the observations.

Use Case

As a Product Marketing Intern at Bosch, I supported my project manager with interviews and observations in the field. Together, we visited job sites where we researched how construction workers used different power tools.

Oftentimes, I would help make participant observations by taking notes and recording videos. The images shown here are actually frames from videos recording two workers using tools on their job.

Forming a relationship was essential to collecting useful observations in the field. Each time we went out, we wore a helmet and reflective vest to showed we were serious about safety. We always talked to the manager first to get permission to walk around the sites. We were very open-minded to any rules or precautions we had to follow. To build trust, we usually handed out a free Bosch product to the manager and anyone who was helpful in the field. To my surprise, most of the time workers were receptive to our presence. Once they realized we were designing the products they use, the workers would usually want to help us by showing how they used their tools on the job.

Data Analysis

While making observations, I developed a system for taking notes on things that were interesting, out of the ordinary, or anything relevant to the topic. This helped me later make sense of the photos and videos I took.