Go-along
Accompany a person during an everyday activity in their own setting, like shopping or getting around their neighborhood, and talk about what happens in the moment.
What it’s for
It combines observing and asking: you see what the person does and hear why, right as it happens.
Key elements
On their turf
The activity and the place belong to the person, not to the study.
Ask along the way
About what is happening now, not about what happened another day.
Let the person lead
You come along; they choose the route and the pace.
How it’s done
Agree on the outing. Which activity, where and for how long.
Go along and talk. Observe, ask, and take notes or photos with permission.
Review afterward. Sort notes and key moments as soon as possible.
Applications in design
When to use it
To understand decisions that depend on place: shopping, getting around or finding your way.
Avoid
Turning it into a tour led by you: let the person set the route.
Don’t fall for it
Your presence changes what they do: keep that in mind when interpreting.
Connections
Authors and works
- 2003
Margarethe Kusenbach
Proposed the go-along to capture how people experience their surroundings as they move through them.
Sources
Original sources
- Kusenbach, M. (2003). Street phenomenology: The go-along as ethnographic research tool. Ethnography, 4(3), 455–485. View source: Kusenbach, M. (2003)
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