Adam Little @ CIID

Some pointers on ethnographic research taken from a handout in class. My comments in italics.

Interviewing pointers

• Don’t ask leading questions
  No yes/no questions
• Don’t use professional lingo
  No technical jargon, especially important during the user testing
• Keep asking why, why, why?
  A person from ReD was with on our first visit, he really drove this point home
• Follow the user
• Create a relaxes atmosphere - don’t become a pro interviewer, expert or guest
  Becoming a guest was difficult to avoid, especially as a foreigner in an elderly person’s apartment
• Don’t judge - try to understand the respondent

Observation pointers

• Look for mismatch between words and action
  Users often tell you what they think you want to hear
• Look for workarounds
  What tricks does the staff have to make their job easier? What tricks do the elderly people have? Not always east to spot but crucial. Anne’s writes notes on the back of her photos so she can remember…
• What image is the respondent trying to convey?
• Ask for explanations
• Document what you see: notes, pictures, artifacts

Taking photos

• Get consent/permission before starting
• Take many pictures
  I can’t believe I took so many pictures and in the end I was still asking people if they have a picture of this or that
• Get a portrait of the participant
  These would have been great for our presentation and user scenarios
• Photograph the context
• Photograph the detail
• Photograph activities (not just talking heads)