Week 2 Reading Calibrating Your Cultural Compass

Reading Chipchase’s Calibrating Your Cultural Compass got me reflect on my everyday observation. Whether it’s people’s activity, conversation or behaviors. People are constantly observing others, they might judge or copy others’ behaviors. Humans are social animals, so people from a region tends to behave in a similar manner.  Researchers observed with more consciousness, for the purpose of collecting data. An exchange study trip opens up my minds and makes me realized that not everyone acts the same way. Everything I see could become some sort of data storing in my head. I noticed the difference between people’s movements on the way to work. In Singapore, during peak hour, everyone moves at a fast pace, maybe due to the high density of population, the train station is usually packed like sardines. While in Sweden, the pace of movement is slow, everyone keeps a  polite distance with one another. Moving south of countries like Spain or France, people became much warmer. Whether you are a friend or visitor, they give you kisses on the cheeks. I believe you learn more experiencing something than by reading a thousand books. Our design has to suit the audiences’ culture. There is no ‘One size fits all’.

Is a person’s observation evidential enough to be used as research data? How do we determine if it’s reliant?

If the researcher himself belonged to the ‘target group’, how should we exclude personal biased opinion?