(cymbal swell)
- One of the most effective skills you can have
as a researcher is the ability to take effective
observational notes.
In this challenge, you'll practice writing good
observational notes.
To do this, you'll need to go to a grocery store
and observe people shopping.
Your observation should help you to better
understand how the layout of a store and product placement
influences what people purchase.
Let's talk about that first objective.
Taking good descriptive notes helps to identify
not only what you see, but also why it might be happening.
So when taking descriptive notes,
describe everything around you in great detail.
Even smells and sounds can lead to an important insight.
For instance, pay attention to what people use
when they're shopping.
Are they using a shopping cart,
a basket, or a bag?
Are they shopping alone or with someone else?
Do they have a list? Coupons?
Did they buy any ready made food,
and if so, was it because it smelled good?
Simply put, write down everything that you can
possibly see, even if it seems irrelevant.
Your second objective is to observe two different
demographics of shoppers.
This will help you to see if there's any different
insights you could learn from another shopper.
For example, if you observe a young person shopping,
you can observe someone a bit older.
Finally, you should try to blend in with your participants
as much as possible.
Being unnoticed while observing is very important
to get accurate observations.
If someone realizes you're watching them,
they could be uncomfortable and might change
their behavior.
My advice would be to do this challenge
while you're shopping for your own groceries.
This way you can blend in and
hopefully drawing too much attention to yourself.
This challenge should take you about 30 minutes to complete.
When you're done, make sure to check out my solution
video where I'll share with you my observation notes.
Okay, now go.
Observe and practice taking good observational notes.