user observations. challenge #1: Male facilitator – female participant

This s a tough one.  The key is to make sure the participant is feeling comfortable. If you are observing / interviewing in their home, make sure a female observer is present or that the participant is not home alone.  If possible, ask to meet the participant in public. This is the option I went for when interviewing a young participant in Paris. Observation was not important so we asked her to meet us at a café. Furthermore, we made sure she had already met the local facilitator.

So,

• Provide ‘space’
• Visit in public if possible
• Useful if participant has met facilitator prior to fieldwork
• Make sure a female observer is present