Observation

Observation is a common method used by design researchers, through by watching and recording behaviours, sites/events, or phenomena in their natural or controlled settings, providing insights into what people do, not just what they say they do. It is used in both qualitative (in-depth understanding) and quantitative (frequency counts) studies, and includes types like naturalistic (e.g. Fly on the wall), participant, and controlled observation, allowing researchers to gain real-world data.