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The Field Guide
2:48 with Tomer SharonBefore you go to the field to observe people, prepare a field guide that will help you focus on your goals and support your data collection.
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Before you go to the field to observe
people, prepare a field guide that will
0:00
help you focus on your goals and support
your data collection.
0:04
A field guide can be a one page document
with a bullet list of things to look for.
0:08
Or a 50 page booklet that facilitates a
more structured note taking.
0:13
It’s pretty much up to you, your
personality and preference.
0:18
I’m more on the open ended side of things.
0:21
I prefer going on field observations
without too much structure around what I
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wanna do and see.
0:28
I create a list of things I need to pay
attention to and look for
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while keeping an open mind about new,
sometimes surprising things that will
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reveal themselves to me during
observation.
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Others and I definitely remember myself
taking this approach sometimes.
0:42
Prefer structuring their note taking and
prepare as many placeholders as possible.
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To save time during observations.
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Here's an example of a field guide created
and shared by the design agency IDIO.
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You can clearly see this is a highly
structured approach to note taking.
1:00
I’m not saying any approach is better than
the other.
1:04
It’s a matter of personal preference and
personality of observers.
1:07
What you must prepare prior to going to
the field is a short list of
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research questions.
1:16
Even if you prefer the more open ended
approach to field observations.
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It’s actually a must have for any type of
user research but
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in the case of field observation, it
becomes far more critical.
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Research questions are questions that will
be answered during the study.
1:32
Don’t confuse them with questions you
might ask research participants.
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They are not the same.
1:40
Research questions are questions you or
the team have.
1:42
Getting answers to these questions is the
reason for running research.
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As a ballpark estimate you should probably
have around five research questions.
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They will help you during field
observations and
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will guide you into what parts you need to
pay the most attention to.
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Here are a few sample research questions.
2:04
One, how do people choose which app to
buy?
2:07
Two, what are the steps people make to
recover a password they forgot?
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Three, what is the primary problem people
have when using public transportation?
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And four, who uses voice to control their
smartphone?
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Did you notice what these questions are
after?
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That's right.
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Human behavior.
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This is why you need to observe people.
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You want to observe their behavior to
answer your most important questions.
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Next, we'll learn how to actually collect
data during field observation sessions.
2:41
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