Abstract
Observational field work is an essential part of design research. In this paper we introduce a new method for design research called Immersive Behavioural Observation (IBO). We developed the IBO method in order to analyse meaningful bodily relations to our environment, particularly in transit spaces. Human beings constantly interact with their environment and are often unconsciously guided by their surroundings. The IBO method aims to understand relations that point to a background structure embedded in space which shapes the human interaction in it. The method makes explicit an implicit, tacit knowledge that is part of our practical and purpose driven understanding of and within a place. The IBO method has its foundations in anthropological field research methods like participant and direct observation. It is also deeply influenced by phenomenology, especially Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s analyses of the lived body experience and Martin Heidegger’s analysis of a functional environment or “totality of involvements.”
Keywords
embodied observation; phenomenology; lived body experience; transit space
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2020.232
Citation
Sahoo, S., and Schmidt, S. (2020) The method of Immersive Behavioural Observation (IBO) — a conversation between theory and practice, in Boess, S., Cheung, M. and Cain, R. (eds.), Synergy - DRS International Conference 2020, 11-14 August, Held online. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2020.232
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
The method of Immersive Behavioural Observation (IBO) — a conversation between theory and practice
Observational field work is an essential part of design research. In this paper we introduce a new method for design research called Immersive Behavioural Observation (IBO). We developed the IBO method in order to analyse meaningful bodily relations to our environment, particularly in transit spaces. Human beings constantly interact with their environment and are often unconsciously guided by their surroundings. The IBO method aims to understand relations that point to a background structure embedded in space which shapes the human interaction in it. The method makes explicit an implicit, tacit knowledge that is part of our practical and purpose driven understanding of and within a place. The IBO method has its foundations in anthropological field research methods like participant and direct observation. It is also deeply influenced by phenomenology, especially Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s analyses of the lived body experience and Martin Heidegger’s analysis of a functional environment or “totality of involvements.”