On Feb 2, 2009, at 2:12 PM, Katie Albers wrote:
I feel compelled to reiterate my note-taking plea here: Don't do it!
Note-taking splits your attention and tends to change the behavior
of the subject. It's aurally, visually and actively intrusive.
Note-taking is evil.
Use a tape recorder or a web cam or a small video camera you can
mount on the cubicle wall and aim, or similar (depending on what
behaviors you're particularly studying) but if at all possible,
don't take notes. Much of what you would take notes on can be
translated into sound simply by asking questions. Then schedule time
between sessions when you can jot down your notes and aides de memoir.
I realize that contemporary note-taking is in some cases simply
unavoidable, but make sure that you really need to do it in this
case before automatically incorporating it.
I'd argue that note taking is very valuable and, when properly done,
very important to both the observer and the participant.
(As an aside: In this case, the "subject" is not the person you're
observing, it's the software you're studying. The formal name in
phenomenalogical ethnographic studies is "informant", but many of us
just use "participant". Or their first name, which feels less
impersonal.)
Trying to remember everything you see, especially in an 5 to 6 hour
session, also splits your attention. Tape recorders, web cams, and
video cameras change the participants behaviors as much, if not more,
than note taking.
When I'm doing field studies, I prefer to take a small audio recorder.
(I'm in love with the Olympus LS-10, though we often use bulkier
Marantz PMD-660s.) However, I still take my trusted Moleskine large-
size reporter's notebook, for which I take most of my notes. I would
not take notes on a laptop or palm-sized keyboard.
If you've never taken notes in a live interview before, I recommend
you practice it. It's a learned skill and practicing definitely
improves it. Rehearsing your site visit by watching fellow colleagues,
taking notes, then writing up your daily summary -- repeating that
process a couple of times -- is a great way to work the kinks out and
get some practice.
Jared
Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: [email protected] p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks Twitter: jmspool
UIE Web App Summit, 4/19-4/22: http://webappsummit.com
________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
To post to this list ....... [email protected]
Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
