Assignment: Observation and Interviews
Version 1 December 2007
The point of this assignment is to look, ask, and listen, with the
intention of understanding someone else's work, interactions with
others, and uses of technology and information within a particular
setting. This will also give each of you insight into a particular
setting on campus, which, when shared collectively, should provide a
number of examples of some of the particular places on campus and the
things that occur there. These individually performed observations and
interviews should be planned in conjunction with your project
groupmates, and your writeups should be incorporated (in edited form)
within your first project milestone.
Consider a particular place that the public has access to on
another university campus where people carry out particular
activities. This need not be the campus that you end up using for the
balance of your milestone; you can use any campus for initial data
- Provide a brief description of the campus that you have
chosen. Is the campus urban, rural, or suburban? New or old?
Sprawling or compact?
- Provide a one sentence description of the specific "place" on
the campus that you have chosen.
- Write down your presuppositions
(i.e. before you look, ask, or listen) about the following in
relation to this particular place:
- who carries out what kind of activities there?
- what does each person do? What are the different roles?
- what are the main barriers or breakdowns that hinder people
achieving their goals?
- What information comes in and goes out? How is it used and
transformed while there, and who uses and transforms it?
- What information technologies do people use? Don't just say
"computer" -- be specific about particular pieces of software
and devices. Don't take anything for granted (e.g. phones,
- Only after you have done the above item: Go to this place and
observe people there for at least 30 minutes. Take
"field notes" that include a description of the physical
setting, what "tools" people use, and what interactions people have
with one another. After 30 minutes, based on your notes and
recollections, answer the questions you already answered based
on your presuppositions.
- Only after you have done the above two items: Interview
people having two different roles in this setting for 15 minutes
Ask their consent to do so before starting the
interview. Explain the purpose of the interview. Do not continue
without this person's permission. Explain that no one but the
other students in the class and your instructor will see their
responses. And explain that they need not answer any questions
that the do not want to, and can stop at any time.
Your interview should be guided by the following questions. Feel
free to use a different order, to reword the questions, to
elaborate, to ask for followups and clarification, and to have "off
task" or tangential discussion. In other words, try to have a
conversation with this person where you learn the answers to the
following items by the end of this discussion.
- what are your activities?
- what are the goals that your activities are directed
- what gets in the way of your achieving your goals?
- what information do you need to carry out your goals?
- what information do you provide to others as part of
carrying out your goals?
Make sure to write down their answers as faithfully as possible.
- Take a few photographs of this location. Prior to doing so,
ask the people in that location for their permission to do
so. Explain the purposes of the photographs. Do not include anyone
in the photos who does not give you permission. Explain that no
one but the other students in the class and your instructor will
see these photos.
- Finally, in writing, reflect on differences between these
different ways of working (introspection, observation,
interviewing). What did each one reveal? Summarize the strengths
and weaknesses of each of these three methods.
Your writeup: what to hand in
Hand in: your description of the setting, your answers based on
your presuppositions, your field notes (typed up), your answers based
on your observations, your interview notes, your photographs, and your
reflective comments on the three methods of working.
Hand in your assignment softcopy and hardcopy. For the hardcopy
handin, please try to minimize paper use. For the softcopy handin, use
the "Observation and Interview" assignment of the "TCSS 452 Assignments"
dropbox of the Collect It
- 1 December 2007. Original version.