Visual Observation - Griffith University

Visual observation is 'direct' allowing researchers to witness the behaviour firsthand in its natural setting. However, numerous studies reveal that visual ... Home> GriffithBusinessSchool> SocialMarketing@Griffith> VisualObservation VisualObservation VisualObservation Getareal(andnotreported)understanding Menu SM@G Services Impact Training&Resources Blog Events Contactus Enquirenow Peopledon’talwaystellyouwhattheydo;andtheydon’tnecessarilydowhattheysay. Itisnotthatpeoplelieabouttheirbehaviour,theproblemmaybetheirabilitytorecall information.Astudyhasrevealedthatwithinonehour,peoplewillhaveforgottenanaverageof50percentoftheinformationpresented.Withinonlyaweek90percentiscompletelyforgotten.Sowhyarewestillrelyingonself-reportmethodssuchassurveysandfocusgroupstoretrieveinformationaboutourtargetaudience’sbehaviours?Shouldn’twebeusingalternativemethods?SocialMarketing@Griffithgoesbeyondself-reportstogetanaccurateunderstandingofthebiggerpicturebeforewecommittoprogramplanningandadvisingourpartners. BackgroundResearchersneedtoensuretheirfindingsarethemostaccurateaspossible.Formativeresearchdigsdeepertounderstandhowpeoplebehaveandwhatmightmotivatethemtodoso.Foryearsacademicshavedebatedtheproandconsofdifferentmethodsofcollectingdataforformativeresearch. ResearchMethods TheSelf-reportmethod Self-reportmethodsaskparticipantsinthestudytoreflectontheirownbehaviour.Thismaybecompletedthroughsurveys,questionnaires,interviewsandfocusgroups.Thesemethodsrelyheavilyonparticipants’awarenessoftheirownbehaviour.Includingtheirabilitytorecallinformationaboutthesebehavioursindetail.Essentially,whenindividualsdrawuponthesereflectionsabouttheirpastbehaviours,theiraccountmayonlycontainwhattheywilladmittodoingandwhattheycanrememberdoing.Insomecases,peoplemayhavethetendencytoonlyreportthingsthatreflectapositiveself-image. VisualObservation Visualobservationis‘direct’allowingresearcherstowitnessthebehaviourfirsthandinitsnaturalsetting.However,numerousstudiesrevealthatvisualobservationtechniqueshaverarelybeenused.Observationgathersdatathroughvisualortechnologicalmeans.Forexample,bysittingandwatchingandtakingnotes,orfilming,orphotography,orthroughacomputerthatrecordsbehaviour(suchasjourneysonpublictransport,purchasesinsupermarkets). "Humansareunpredictableandoftensayonething,yetdoanother.Observationgivesyouthechancetoseeexactlywhatconsumersaredoingwhenconfrontedwithanarrayofchoices."-TheUpfrontAnalyticsTeam Self-reportvsVisualObservationSelf-ReportVisualObservationDataCollectionResearchersaskparticipantstoprovidedataDatagatheredbyresearchersdirectlythroughvisualortechnologicalmeansMethodsSurveysQuestionnairesFocusGroupsInterviewsFilmingPhotographyComputerrecordedbehaviourProsQuick,easyandcost-effectivemethodespeciallyfromlargesamples/differentgroupsofpeopleSimpleEquipmentusedisinexpensiveAbilitytoaskopinions,reflectonmemoriesandattitudesAccurateaccountofbehaviour:ReallifesituationsProvidesmeasuresofactualbehaviourIn-depthunderstandingofhowbehaviouroccursinasettingConsDifferencebetweenreportedbehaviourandactualbehaviourReliesonindividualsto‘tellmorethantheymayknow’SocialdesirabilitybiasInabilitytorecallpastbehaviourResponsesmayportrayapositiveself-imagePotentialtomisinterpretquestionsCanbetimeconsumingAttitudes,memoriesoropinionsaren'texpressedRequiresequipmentwhichmaybecostlyforexample-DSLRcameraObservationcanbedifficultinbusysettingsPeoplemaychangetheirbehaviouriftheythinkthey'rebeingwatched GoFood 6steps:How-toconductyourownvisualobservationresearchThisguideiswrittentoprovidestep-by-stepdirectionsonhowtosuccessfullyconductvisualobservationwithinyourbehaviourchangeresearch.Followingthese6easysteps,youwillgainabetterunderstandingofthespecificbehavioursthatcontributetothesocialissueyouaretackling,anddiscoverwaystocapturemoreaccuratebehaviouraldata.Previousstudieshadshownthatmilitarypersonneloftenmadefoodselectionsthatwerenothealthywhichleadtopoorhealthandperformance.Here,wewillguideyouthroughourownstudy,‘GoFood’(conductedin2014).  Thisexampleshowsyouhowweappliedvisualobservationtounderstandfoodselectionsmadebypeopleinamilitarydiningfacility. STEPONE- Research:definingtheobjectiveTostart,youneedtoestablishthepurposeofthestudybeingconducted,andhowyouplantoobtainthe‘right’typeofdata.HowwediditinGoFood:Thepurposewastounderstandwhatfoodchoicespersonnelmakewhengivenanumberofoptionsinadiningroom.Wehadalreadyinterviewedparticipantsinthestudytodiscusstheireatingpreferencesandbehavioursandwehadalsoexaminedtheirfoodenvironmenttounderstandtheopportunitiesandbarriersforhealthfuleating.Weconsideredthatusingself-reportmethodswouldbesubjecttosocialdesirability(everyonesaystheyeatwell!)andwouldalsoriskaskingindividualstorecallbehaviourstheymaynothavebeenfullyawareofordidnotmemorise(didIputbeansonmyplate?). STEPTWO-Measuringbehaviour:whattypeisbestcapturedManydifferentbehaviourscanbehappeninginanygivenscenario.Thissteprequiresyoutoestablishwhatspecificbehaviouryouplantomeasureandhow.HowwediditinGoFood:GoFoodwasconcernedwithrecordingthepresenceorabsenceofparticularbehaviours.Thestudyexaminedfoodselectionsandselectionpatternsandparticularlywhathealthfulornon-healthfulchoicesweremadebyparticipants.These‘relatedbehaviours’contributetoparticipants’riskofhealthproblemsandcanimpacttheirperformance.Here,wewillguideyouthroughourownstudy,‘GoFood’(conductedin2014).  Thisexampleshowsyouhowweappliedvisualobservationtounderstandfoodselectionsmadebypeopleinamilitarydiningfacility.BehaviouralDimensionforGoFood(Refertothetablebelow)Dimension:Pattern Type:RelatedBehaviours SixBehaviouralDimensions Dimension:Presence Type:OccurrenceWhetheranindividualdisplaysabehaviour(ornot)overaperiodoftime.Establisheshowprevalentaparticularbehaviourmaybe.ExampleMonaghanetal.(2012)recordedhowmanycitrusworkersworeprotectiveeyeglassesduringvisitstofruitgroves.Researchersrecordedwhethereachindividualwaswearingglassesornot.Lessthan2%ofworkersworeglasseseventhoughmostemployersprovidedthem.Aprogramwasdesignedtoincreasetheusageofprotectiveeyewearinordertoreduceeyeinjuriesduringcitrusharvesting. Dimension:Frequency Type:RepetitionConcernedwithrepetitionofabehaviourbyanindividual.Importantwhenrepetitionofbehaviourcreatesahealthorsocialissue,ratherthanasingleinstanceofbehaviour.ExampleSharynRundle-Thiele(2009)observedalcoholconsumptioninlicensedpremises.Observersbeganbymanuallyrecordeddetailsofthesetting(diagramorphoto).Followedbyrecordingdetailsofeachdrinkingepisode.Individualswerevisuallytrackedfromwhentheyfirstenteredthefacilityanduntilthetimetheyleft.Observersrecordedeachdrinkthatwasordered,drinktypeandotherfactorssuchaswhethertheydrankwaterorateameal.Thedatawasthenusedtocalculatethenumberofstandarddrinksconsumed,enablingcomparisonwithguidelinesforsafealcoholconsumption. Dimension:Time Type:DurationThelengthoftimeanindividualengagesinbehaviour.ExampleGarus-Pakowskaetal.(2013)observedhandwashingbehavioursinahospitaltodeterminewhetherphysiciansandnursesadheredtothesafetyrequirementsforthepreventionofthespreadofdiseases.Aresearcheraccompaniedamedicalstaffmemberandrecordedalltaskswerefor1hour.Astop-watchenabledtheresearchertocalculatethedurationofevents.Researchersobservedwhetherornothandwashingoccurred,thelengthoftimespenthandwashing,andifalternatives(suchasgloves)wereused.Resultsrevealedthatonlyon5.2%ofoccasionswastheprocedureadheredto,andthetimespentwashinghandswassignificantlybelowwhatwasrecommended. Dimension:Pattern Type:RelatedBehavioursWhenrelatedbehavioursindicateapatternthatmaycontributetoasocialissue.ExampleBernadoetal.(2015)usedobservationtoexplorenutritionanddietquality.Thestudytookplaceinaself-servicebuffet,wheredinerschosefromalargenumberofdishesandpaidaccordingtotheweightoffoodchosen.Dinerswereapproachedaftertheyhadfinishedtheirfinalfoodselections.Researchersphotographedthefood,thenclassifiedthedishesaccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganisation(WHO)andnationalgovernmentcriteria.Thenahealthscoringsystemwasappliedwhichallowedthemtodeterminewhichselectionsweremoreorlesshealthful.Thestudyshowedthatmanydinersobtainedalowscoreindicatingoneormoreoftherecommendedfoodtypesweremissing. Dimension:Process Type:Path&SequenceThepathtakentoreachaparticularoutcomeorthesequenceofactivitiesinvolved.ExampleIncreasingthewalkabilityofurbanneighbourhoodsincreasestheliveabilityofsuburbs,reducestrafficandprovidesmoreopportunityforphysicalactivity.Kim(2015)observed139pedestrianjourneysfromtrainstationtofinaldestinationtoexplorewalkingbehaviour.Kimmappedtheroutetaken,walkingspeed,distanceandactivitiesengagedinduringthejourney.Kim’sobservationsshowedthatpedestriansoftenwalkmuchfurther,oftennottakingtheshortestoffastestrouteevenwhendirectlygoinghome.Instead,theytakemainstreets,orstopatshopsorcafes,engagewithotherssociallyorutilisestreetfurniturelikesittingonbenches.Thisindicatesthatwalkabilityandliveabilityincorporatesmorethantheshortestroute. Dimension:Interaction Type:DurationHowindividualsreact/engagewiththesocialandphysicalenvironmentsthatsurroundthem,including:PhysicalEnvironment:capturingfeaturesofphysicalenvironmentandthebehaviourthatoccursinthatproximityofthosefeatures.Humaninteraction:capturinginteractionbetweenindividualstounderstandthesocialfactorsthatmaytriggeratypeofbehaviour.ExamplePhysicalenvironment-Childetal.(2014)observedover16,000publicparkpatronsinSanDiego,notingthelevelofphysicalactivityperformed,thetypeofparkarea(eg.  Paths,courts,pools)andotherenvironmentalfeaturessuchaswhethertheareawassupervised,open,ingoodworkingorderandifactivitieswereoffered.Theseobservationshelpedresearchersunderstandwhatfeaturessupportorpromotephysicalactivity.Human/Human(interaction)-TownsleyandGrimshaw(2013)lookedataggressionandviolenceinanightclub.Thestudyinvolvedpairsoftrainedobserversconductingobservationsfor2hoursatatimeinvariousnightclubs.Observersdiscretelynoteddetailsontheirphones.Theyrecordedmeasuresofaggressionorviolenceaswellasmeasuresof:crowding,queuingandothersocialvariablessuchasthelevelofnoisefrommusicandvoices,sexualactivity,contact,competitionandpermissiveness.Individualaccountswerecompared.Thestudyshowedthatcrowdinghasanimpactonthefrequencyofaggression,evenaftertakingintoaccountotherfactors(suchaslevelofnoisefrommusicandcontact). STEPTHREE-Familiarisingyourself:UnderstandingtheenvironmentInitialvisitstotheresearchsiteenableyoutounderstandthefeaturesanddynamicsoftheenvironment.Fromthis,youcandeviseastrategytosystematicallycapturedatathatismeaningfulandfeasible. KeyQuestions:Whatarethefeaturesanddynamicsoftheenvironment?Canyouseewhatishappeningclearly?Doyouhavetimetorecordallthedetailsyouneed?Whatisthebestplacetopositionyourselftorecorddata?Whatarepotentialbarriersthatmayaffectdatacollection? Themoreaccuratethepersonathebettertheunderstandingofwhattypeofproduct/serviceandcommunicationwillresonatewiththepersona. STEPFOUR-Plan&Prepare:RecordingdataAftervisitingtheresearchsite,youmustidentifywhatrecordingmethodwillbemostsuitable–willitbemanual,technologicalorboth?Itisimportanttoorganisethemostappropriaterecordingmethodtoensureitcapturesdataclearlyandefficiently.Additionally,youwillneedtoorganisekeypeoplethatmayberequiredtoassistwiththedatacollectionanddefineeachoftheirrolesclearly.Keyinsight:Itisimportanttocheckthatthereisnopotentialbiasesthatcouldaffectthedata.Importantfactorstokeepinmind:validity,reliabilityandfeasibility. STEPFIVE-Observe:NotedownkeyinsightsOncetheresearchhascommenceditisimportantthatalldataisnotedinaclearandconcisemanner. HowwediditinGoFood: Wedevelopedscoringresourcesassistinguswiththeefficiencyandtimeconstraintswewereunder.WealsousedahighqualityDSLRcameratocapturephotographsofmealsquicklyandinhighdefinition/quality,leavingthemoretimeconsumingcountingofwhatwaschosenforlater. STEPSIX-AnalysefindingsThefinalstagerequiresanalysingbehaviouraloccurrences,interactions,responsesandpatterns.Behaviouraldimensionsshouldbeaccountedforwhenassessingthedataforexample:Frequency(repetitiveness):Howfrequentwasaparticularbehaviour?Process(path/sequence):Whatpathwasthemosttimeeffectiveandmostcommon?Time(duration):Whatactivitytookthelongestamountoftime?HowwediditinGoFood:EachofthedishesofferedwasclassifiedintooneofthreegroupsbasedontheAustralianDietaryGuidelines.Thechoicesoneachplatephotographwerethencounted.Thestudyrevealedthatthemainchoiceswereoftentheleasthealthful(red)categoryandsidedishesmostlythemosthealthful(green).Butdinersalwayschoseamain,butdidn’talwayschoosemanysides.Fromthis,itwassuggestedthatprovidingmorehealthfuloptionsformaindisheswouldassistdiners.Otherkeyinsightsrelatedtothediningroomlayoutandfoodselectionprocess.Patternsshowedparticipantswalkeddirectlytothehotfoodcounters(leasthealthfuldishes)firstandthentothevegetable,saladandfruitcounters(mosthealthful).Thissuggestedthattheprocessandwayindividualsinteractedwithelementsofthediningroomcouldinfluencefoodselection. TakeawaymessageVisualobservationcapturesactualbehaviourandamorein-depthandaccurateunderstandingofbehaviourcanbegainedthroughthisprocess.Fromthisprocessweareabletoseewhere,whenandhowspecificbehavioursoccur.Thisunderstandingallowsustocreatebetterbehaviourchangeprograms. DownloadtheVisualObservationHow-to(FREE) Wecollectyourdetailstoprovideyouwitharangeofresourcesandservicestohelpyouimproveyourmarketingefforts.Youwillreceivetheseandothercommunicationsviaemail.Formoreinformationabouthowwetreatyourdata,checkoutourprivacypolicy. *indicatesrequired Name* EmailAddress* Company/Organisation* Telephone* LeadMagnets Howtoincreasebehaviourchange Howtodoco-design Howtodomarketsegmentation Howtodovisualobservation Howtoincreasebehaviourchange-ChangeConf DigitalMarketing-5Stepstodigitalsuccess DesignThinking-5-stephuman-designprocess Wecollectyourdetailstoprovideyouwitharangeofresourcesandservicestohelpyouimproveyourmarketingefforts.Youwillreceivetheseandothercommunicationsviaemail.Formoreinformationabouthowwetreatyourdata,checkoutourprivacypolicy. Checkoutmorebehaviourchangeprograms Otherprograms