Problem
At the point you will engage in fieldwork as a researcher, you will probably ask yourself: 'How will I decide what is important, and what is not so important?' Or 'What should I take notes about?' The literature recommends starting with a broad focus and narrow it later, initially taking notes on as many aspects of the scene as possible.
i. Visit a public place with easy access, such as a coffee shop, public park, library, airport gate, reception area or hotel lobby, move around, find the perfect observation spot, and observe with all your senses. For your assignment, reflect on the physical setting, people, conversations, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings, and emotions.
ii. Thereafter, construct an overall description and formulate a tentative hypothesis about the scene or one of the actions associated with the scene. Remember, a tentative hypothesis is often based upon the basis of not more than a hunch, a mood, or a notion.
iii. Reflect on your experience. What were the thrills and spills of observing? Of taking notes? Of writing your experience into a meaningful description? Of making a tentative hypothesis?