Illiteracy

Communication
Language
Age Related Disabilities
 Purely verbal methods have many limitations

Cannot record behavior, emotions and

feelings

Respondent are not able to answer a

questionnaire: Illiteracy, Kids, old people
Study of illegal and illegitimate activities.

There might be a difference between ‘what

Need for other
people say’ and ‘what people do’.
tools to express
People may not be able to articulate or their choice.
describe the architectural setting
characteristics desired by
them.
Visual Research Methods
Notice
Record
Analyze
• What
• How
• When
• How Long
 Situation Example
People watching people Observers stationed in
supermarkets watch how
people move.

People watching phenomenon Observer stationed at an

intersection counts
traffic moving in various
directions.

Machines watching people Movie or videotape

cameras record behavior
 What can be observed
• Human behavior and physical actions
• Verbal behavior
• Expressive behavior
• Spatial relations and locations
• Temporal patterns
• Physical objects
• Verbal or pictorial records

Care to be taken ??? Types ???

Hawthrone Effetct
 Sampling Observations

Timing and duration of observations

The event sampling and time sampling.

In event sampling the researcher observes the field only at
those times when a particular event of interest is scheduled.
 Time Sampling
In time sampling, systematic
observations, at different points in
time are carried out.

Time Sampling
Participant observation
Participant observation
 Complete
Observer

researcher observes a social process without becoming a part of it.

 Participant as Observer

Is she a working
waitress or a

sociologist

conducting a study
using participant
observation?

(Photo courtesy of zoetnet/flickr)

 Observer as Participant

Researcher identifies himself as a researcher and interacts with the

participants in the social process but makes no pretense of actually
being a participant.
 Behavioral Observation
How it’s done:
Systematic observation and recording of patterns of
human behaviour through:
• Notes and diagrams
• Mapping
• Categorization and counting of activities
• Photographs

‘Behaviour mapping’, also called ‘activity mapping’, involves

recording on a plan or map the patterns of movement of people
and use in a particular space or place, and may include getting
users themselves to plot how they use spaces.
Observational techniques to study interaction between
the users and the space:

• Activity Observation: Straightforward

recording of what people do in a space.
• Interaction Observation: It provides a more
complete picture of how certain activities
occur in a social context.
Ecology Observation and mapping: It
combines activity as well as interaction
observation by considering activities,
interactions, actual settings and influence of
each on the other.

Hester (1975)
The method of behavioral mapping is
a form of observation, the goal of
which is to watch people as they
move around in a particular space.

Researcher have to pay attention to

the positions and movement patterns
of a chosen space in order to gain an
understanding of the flow of the
area.

By recording the most common

pathways used by people in the area,
it is possible to gain an awareness of
spatial behaviors unique to that
place.
Behavior map in park shows the relative attraction of the active play area. The area
includes swings, a play structure accessible to a higher level, interconnected by a wide,
curving, primary pathway. This records children’s use of the playground.
 Tracking

Tracking is the systematic following and recording of a subject’s movement.

Patterns of pedestrian activity are derived from tracking a large number of

subjects.
Time spent by the pedestrians / users at particular locations can be
noted and it can give an idea about the interest a particular location offers.

Eg.: Tracking can help to understand the pattern of movement of people in

a museum. Artifacts / displays attracting most of the visitors can be
identified. Such a study can help in better design of display layouts.
Accretion and
Erosion trace
observations
 Accretion and Erosion trace observations
Eroded grass due to
pedestrian movement.

Litter / used liquor bottles.

 Physical trace observation

• Physical trace observation is, a systematic

inspection of a place in the absence of its users to
identify traces of activity.
• The observer does not actually observe behavior
as it occurs, but rather, infers that behavior
occurred by looking at the "traces" that the
behavior left behind.
• Observations are recorded by counting,
photographing, mapping, or a combination of
these techniques.
• Cognitive Mapping Analysis
• Purpose: This method is
designed to identify how an
environment is understood
(comprehended) by an
individual or group. It is
based on methods developed
by Lynch, Milgram and
Festinger, et. al. It can help
understand the unique
perspectives that individuals
and groups have about
places they use, either
frequently or infrequently.
 Elicitation methods
Elicitation methods are used to gain accounts of
experience, memories, emotions and the
meanings the respondent can relate with the
stimulus material.
Photo Elicitation
Sound Elicitation

Photography as a tool
 Photo Elicitation
Photo elicitation involves the use or creation of an image in the
form of a photograph as stimuli to gather data about
participants’ own meanings and associations.

Respondents need to see a picture and comprehend the context of the stimulus
which is easier as they do not need to decipher any semantic coded messages
conveyed using spoken language.
 Photo essays
Photo essays are a series of photos, sometimes with captions,
descriptive and/or explanatory text.
Photo essays illustrate something that is more immediately
knowable through an image, often by evoking an emotional
response.
It is used to portray lived experiences
A photo essay structures a collection of images either in a specific
order to illustrate the progression of events, emotions, and
concepts OR thematically to illustrate concepts.

Photovoice
Participants click photographs to document, reflect upon, and
communicate issues of concern
 Sound elicitation and soundscape study

Sound elicitation : sound as a stimuli

Soundscape mapping
 Improvisational psychogeography
• The geographical environment, affect the
emotions and behavior of individuals.”
• It encompasses diverse activities that raise
awareness of the natural and cultural
environment, is attentive to senses and
emotions as they relate to place and
environment.
A technique of transient
passage through varied
ambiances” to get a feel
for the campus and its
“resonances.

A blind-folded, ear-plugged
tour through the campus
by students leading the
others along.

Explaining with three

senses smells and sounds,
touch
Q –Sorting : Open Sorting and Closed Sorting
Why students are frustrated in Lockdown?

Student explain what they feel is lacking.

Gather the data, examines the results to discover the root cause of their
problems and presents solutions.
Grounded Theory