Basic guidelines for direct observational research. 1. Watch first. Then ask.

When studying people in the field, the tendency can be to buffet them with questions to get as much information as possible. The intrusiveness of these questions may inadvertently cause the person to change behavior. To prevent this, begin with silent observation. After the activities are completed, follow up with questions to understand why the person acted in a certain way and what he/she felt during the situation being observed. 2. Look for needs, not solutions. Customers often express their needs by describing a solution they hope might be implemented, precluding other solutions that they may not exist yet. Therefore, always state the need independently of how that need might be served. One method to achieve this goal is to state needs in terms of a verb rather than a noun. For instance, it would be preferable to note, The user needs to reach items on the top shelf rather than, The user needs a ladder. 3. Avoid intrusions to keep behavior natural. People alter their behavior when they know theyre being observed, changing their workflow and reconsidering their actions. To minimize these effects, limit intrusions into their environment and actions. Stay out of peoples way as much as possible, and dont direct their actions. When taking pictures, shut off the flash. Wear clothes and use language that matches whats typical in the environment. 4. Look for non-verbal clues. Facial expressions and body language convey a great deal of information about peoples attitudes and feelings. This nonverbal data becomes especially crucial when people wont articulate their emotionseither because they dont feel comfortable discussing their feelings or because they have difficulty explaining their responses. 5. Record even the obvious or the seemingly unimportant. Whats obvious to one researcher might offer insight to another. Seemingly unimportant details sometimes turn out to be the key to a persons needs. Dont just wait for the great observations. 6. Beware of leading questions. Avoid multiple choice questions or statements phrased as questions. They presuppose the range of answers, which can prevent one from seeing entirely new answers. Instead, use open-ended questions to allow the customer to phrase issues in his/her own words. 7. Record information in the customers terms. When documenting a discussion with a customer, record the persons statements in his or her own words as much as possible. Their choice of words can carry meaning that would be lost if it were paraphrased. 8. Look beyond the immediately solvable problem. Record even complex issues that are beyond the scope of the immediate project or the teams current abilities. Recognizing and dissecting these deeper problems allows the company to plan for the issues that should be fixed down the road, even when they are not currently solvable.