Observations

Observations are a primary research method where you watch and record what people do, or note the conditions of a place, instead of asking questions. You can observe people, such as customers, employees or competitors, or you can observe a location, such as a shop entrance, a market square or a car park.

What observations are good for

Observations help you spot patterns of behaviour. Imagine you run a small gift shop. You stand back and record which way customers turn when they come in, where they pause, and how long they stay. After a week you notice most people turn right and stop at the window display, then leave without walking to the back. That pattern tells you the back of the shop is being missed. You can observe customers, employees or competitors in the same way — for example, noting where staff spend most of their time or which part of a rival's stall attracts a crowd.

Observations are also useful for evaluating a location. By tallying how many people pass a spot at different times of day, you can judge whether a stall there would be busy enough. Because people often do not know they are being watched, observation can give a true behavioural response rather than an answer they think you want to hear.

Limits of observations

Observations are time-consuming and costly, because someone has to watch and record for hours. They show what people do but cannot reveal the reasons behind it: you might see shoppers ignore a display without learning that the prices were too high or the labels were unclear. One session is rarely enough, so observations usually need repeating at different times or on different days to be reliable.