From the course: Learning Design Research

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 23,200 courses taught by industry experts.

Observational note-taking

Observational note-taking

From the course: Learning Design Research

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

Observational note-taking

“

- In this section, we'll discuss another design research tool, observational note-taking. Observational note-taking involves a researcher watching and recording human behavior. The process of recording or taking notes is usually done through descriptive writing, though it may also include sketching and diagramming. The key to observational note-taking is for the researcher to remain invisible, that is, unnoticed by the group being observed. If the researcher remains unnoticed, then it's much more likely that the group being observed will behave in a normal way. So we're taking notes of human behavior. What is human behavior? Simply put, it's everything you can see. How people interact with others, their conversations, the way they sit, stand, behave, talk, dress, and look, all the qualities that help define what people do, think, and feel. Observational note-taking can be particularly beneficial during the beginning…

Contents