DO’s
- Do ask yourself “what traces are missing?” on top of asking “What traces do I see?” to get a more complete idea of a place
- Do use unobtrusive observing when you don’t want to influence the behavior that caused the trace.
- Collect as many data as possible.
- Use the left half of the paper for original notes and diagrams and leave the right side open for recording hunches and hypotheses.
- Use the quantity of traces to acquire full value
- Keep in mind to look beyond the trace itself to understand the bigger picture
- Explain how the acts you describe relate to one another on top of choosing an appropriate level of analysis.
- Record cultural contexts for behavior when you carry observational studies in another culture/ country
DON’Ts
- Don’t try to infer what the person who left a trace intended, just create a hypothesis.
- Don’t overlook group membership traces of an unfamiliar group
- Don’t forget that people from different cultures interpret things differently.
- Don’t forget that sensitively record situations in which mistrust is likely to have changed behavior
- Don’t let familiarity dull your observer’s ability to look carefully at what is actually going on past the obvious part.
- Don’t forget to observe how the context of observed activities affects the activities.
- Don’t subsume significant individuals under general group descriptions
- Don’t interpret what you see before the data has been fully collected
