Preserve participants’ words and actions before interpretation
Aliases: descriptive fieldnotes · analytic memo · evidence traceability
What it is
Separation of observation and interpretation preserves what someone said or did, when, and under which conditions before labeling its meaning. “Said ‘I cannot find the next step,’ then returned two screens” is traceable evidence; “does not trust the flow” is one interpretation. Preserving words over interpretation describes evidential priority and auditability, not a claim that verbatim text is unbiased or self-interpreting.
Why it happens
Observers compress event sequences into stories consistent with prior expectations. When notes begin with interpretation, wording, pauses, action order, and rival accounts disappear, leaving later analysts to inherit one person’s judgment. Separate descriptive and analytic fields delay premature closure and allow a second analyst to reconnect claim and evidence. Audio and video add detail but remain selective through framing, transcription, and excerpt choice.
Studying it
Fieldnotes can separate timestamp, quotation, observable action, context, and analytic memo; uncertain paraphrases should not receive quotation marks. Expand shorthand soon after a session and link inference to audio, video, or screen evidence. Analysis checks whether themes have multiple instances, negative cases, and intact quotation context. Multiple observers reveal omissions and interpretive divergence, although agreement alone does not establish truth.
Where it stops holding
Verbatim records remain shaped by questions, selective attention, transcription, and translation. A participant’s words may reflect recall error, social performance, or post-hoc rationalization. Privacy may prohibit recording, and detailed notes can still identify people. Research ultimately requires interpretation; quotation accumulation is not analysis. The requirement is that claims remain traceable and open to rival explanations.
Applying it
- Separate words/actions, context, and analytic memo in the note template; never place interpretation in quotation marks.
- Link each finding to timestamped evidence and retain excerpts that disagree with it.
- Ask someone absent from the session to interpret the evidence independently and compare assumptions.
- Audit quotation context and anonymization; revise claims when removing context changes meaning.