Observation Notes

Length: Will vary, but expect to write several pages of notes per observation
Genre: Observation Notes

Each week for four weeks you will observe your community for two hours during which time you will take detailed observation notes. 

Example Assignment

Example observation notes that were taken on a phone are available in the Project 1 Example Google Drive folder. 

Due Date for Observation Notes for Week 1

You will turn in the first week's observation notes by Sunday of the first week of observations. See the class calendar or schedule for the specific due date. This will allow me to check in with everyone and make sure you're all on the right track. 

Due Date for Observation Notes for Weeks 2-4

The rest of the observation notes will be due after the final observations of Week 4. See the class calendar or schedule for the specific due date. 

Instructions

Take field notes. You will record your field notes in your observation journal in a double-entry format.

On the left side, you will need to record what you see, hear, smell, etc. These are your objective notes. This may seem overwhelming, at first, since a lot is happening. Some things to think about while making your observations:

• The date, time, and place (Thursday, January 17, 2022, 8 pm)

• Specific facts, numbers, details (there are 2 customers)

• What’s going on in the space? What activities are occurring?

• How are people behaving?

• Who is saying what?

• Specific words, phrases, conversations, insider language

• What do people look like? Do they seem comfortable?

On the right side, you should respond to what you’ve observed, noting your personal reactions (whether they are good or bad) and any questions you may have. These are your subjective notes and questions. You should think about:

• What are you seeing?

• What is your reaction to it (does it seem strange, unusual, amusing?)

• What does it make you think of? Does it remind you of anything?

• What seems surprising, paradoxical, interesting?

• Questions for further investigation

Make sure to periodically save your Observation Notes. If it’s handwritten, clear photographs will suffice.

Alternate Instructions (for using a phone)

If you would like to take your notes on your phone, instead of on paper, come up with a system for marking whether a particular note is objective or subjective. 

For example, you could use a percentage sign at the beginning of all objective notes (the things you are seeing, hearing, smelling, etc) and an exclamation point in front of notes that are subjective (the questions you have, the feelings or thoughts you have about what you are seeing).