Non-participant Observation
Design Anthropology
Definition
Non-participant observation is the classic fly on the wall ethnographic method, where a researcher tags along with a notepad and a camera and documents their research subject. This method is what pivoted our thinking away from the savior model to the ally thinking. However, it also has some real drawbacks such as observation bias.
“One of the founders of modern social anthropology, Bronislaw Malinowski, shook up the field by stating that ethnographers should see things from the point of view of their subjects, rather than imposing their own cultural and political prejudices on them.”
— Gene Van Dijk, Desin Ethonography: Taking Inspiration from Everday Life Pg 108
Procedure
Preparation
Inform group that you will be observing
Bring recording and note taking devices
In person
When you get to the site make sure that you inform the the person in charge or meet up with your contact so that everyone knows what is going on.
Try to take notes, but also pay attention. Which means take notes sparingly and depend on your recording equipment to go back and fill in the notes later. This way you can stay in the moment and not lose the overall story line.
Analysis
Immediately after each session write down your reflection.
Go through your notes and fill in the ideas that you thought were most important.
With your notes in hand, playback your recording and see if there were any insights that you missed or quotes that you think might be helpful.
Use Case
While studying art creation and waste management in the Eskenazi Museum of Art, my team member and I decided that one of us would participate and the other would hang back to take notes and pictures. We ended up having very different experiences as a participant and an observer.
Strengths
This method can be very useful for groups that you are not able to participate with because there are few ways to get better information about how groups interact than to observe them yourself. Furthermore, this method can be done remotely or not in real time if interactions are recorded or broadcast.
Weaknesses
Observation bias is something that often plagues researchers because as soon as someone shows up and starts taking notes, people notice and change their behavior.
This bias is something that we observed while in the open studio session. While I was able to get lots of great info, my teammate was not able to get much engagement.
