Agenda
- Project topics
- Observation assignment discussion
- Research planning
- Interviewing & Shadowing
- Assignments for next week
Reading
- Zeisel, John. Inquiry By Design: Tools for Environment-Behavior Research. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1981. Chapter: "Focused Interviews”
Assignments
1. Final Project— Preliminary research plan
Each team will write a research plan for their selected focus area. It should include:
Hunt statement
A broad, or “global” statement of what you want to understand, and why.
Research objectives
A list of 8-10 general questions that you would like to answer. What do you need to know in order to successfully understand the participants and their needs as related to you particular topic? The questions can be broad (How do teens create social networks?) or specific (How do seniors remember to pay their bills on time?). Use the 5 human factors and AEIOU framework to guide your thinking.
Research methods
Describe how you might begin to answer each question. Prepare a brief list of the kinds of things you might look at in an observation or uncover through an interview. Discuss any tools and methods you might use to get the information you need. (Don’t worry about including all of the methods here, there are several that we haven’t introduced yet.)
Research participants
Describe potential research subjects: who, how many…
Logistics
List any potential hurdles / challenges you think you might encounter during the research phase of this project.
2. Shadowing assignment
Like last week, the topic of this assignment is an everyday activity in the home. This week, however, you will use a combination of unstructured interviewing and observation techniques.
- Work in with your final project team. Choose a different activity or participant than last week. Should relate to your final project.
- Recruit. Recruit a friend or family member that will allow you to shadow them in the process of an everyday activity in the home
- Plan. Once you’ve arranged the interview, create an interview question guide
- Pre-interview. Pre-interview your subject to establish the context for the person, the activity and the steps leading up to the activity (“Describe the task you’re about to perform. What steps will you be taking? Are you traditionally the person to cook dinner? How did you decide what to prepare today?”)
- During the activity. Interview / observe / probe. (“Why did you do it that way? Why did you use X tool instead of Y tool?”) Use AEIOU framework and human factors.
- Document. using video, still photos, space or process diagrams, or sketches.
- Debrief. Conclude with any questions that arose during observation.
- Analyze and summarize with key insights about the process—look for patterns and meaning in your observations. Ask yourself questions such as:
- What is the intent? What is the outcome? Are there any tensions or inconsistencies?
- What are the triggers and steps important to the task?
- How does the person describe the task beforehand, versus how they actually perform it?
- What are the inputs and outputs of the task?
- Who are the other key players (that may or may not be present at the time?)
- What communication needs to happen to make the task successful?
- What things did you see frequently?
- What works well here? What doesn’t work well here?
- What is surprising?
- What’s missing?
- What’s here but under utilized? Why?
- What is being used in a different way than was originally intended? Why?
- How have things been modified?
- Be prepared to present your shadowing report in class next week (we probably won’t get to all of them.)