Observation - Ethnomethodology – fieldwork & questionnaire design

4.03.2014, Media Lab
13:00-16:00 pm ( Ethnomethodology – fieldwork & questionnaire design,  Professor Lily Diaz-Kommonen
 )
16:00- 17:00 pm Lecture by Katariina Nyberg, Video production, installation in orchestra context, Sibelius Academy .

The lecture was focused on fieldwork and questionnaire design for designers when they are collecting information for Ethnomethodology :"Ethnomethodology is a method for understanding the social orders people use to make sense of the world through analysing their accounts and descriptions of their day-to-day experiences." (Karamjit, 1996)

Some of the important components of the fieldwork methods are  clarity, having an introduction and studying the demographics.

The interview

In designing questionnaires, the essential information comes first, for example what is the first language, age, sex, education. One can prepare a package a notebook, set of software tools, where people can make notes on a weekly basis and disposable cameras that they can use and give to collect visual information too.

In order to study social interaction and how people relate or respond to a software or a product one can use primary sources --- focus groups. It is a good method to have a social interaction. Key studies can be done over longer period of time. Field work can be for example, spending two a three days in the museum, and observing what do people do in a museum and what made them decide to look at one image etc.

Some things to take into considerations whilst designing questions: questions are simple and to the point, each question should address the single issue, check with the colleague if all the questions are intelligible, avoid leading the respondent, transcribe and quote text out, do not reveal the identity of your sources, thank the respondents at the end. Questions can be structured and unstructured. It is also important to codify the interview and make a detailed transcript with time references.

The lecture was followed by examples of students work in game design and also an art project called Race code -- an interactive installation against racism.

This was followed with a presentation by Katariina Nyberg who came to talk to us about her Immersive Digital Installations.

"She was invited for a six month internship by the digital department of the Philharmonia Orchestra, where she assisted in the Orchestra's digital installation, the Universe of Sound, helped with building their new website and edited films as well as organised film shoots." ( ExClaM, date of retrieval 15.05.2014)

http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/universeofsound

She is also part of the company called ExClaM  who organises events in Helsinki with the view of creating immersive experiences between musicians, dancers and digital artists. 

This is something I would like to explore in my teaching, especially for example in installation art or performance art, there are elements that can be explored in the similar way.  

References

Karamjit S. G. 1996. Human machine symbiosis. Springer. Page 330.

Huffpost Arts & Culture, Satter, R.2012. "Universe of Sound" Installation at London Science Museum Puts You on Conductor's Stand. Date of retrieval 15.05.2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/universe-of-sound-london-science-museum_n_1536463.html

ExClaM. Date of retrieval 15.05.3014
http://www.exclam.fi/index.php