Universal Methods of Design

RESEARCH METHOD

57 Observation

A fundamental research skill, observation requires attentive looking and systematic recording of phenomena—including people, artifacts, environments, events, behaviors and interactions.

For design purposes, observational methods may be characterized by their degree of formality, based on the level of prestructuring of the observations and recording methods, and their intended use.

Semistructured, or casual observation, typically describes ethnographic methods in the exploratory phase of the design process, where the intent is to collect baseline information through immersion, particularly in territory that is new ...