Observation (Fly on the Wall)

A day after the expert introduction and guide of Dominion Road, I returned on the Saturday night to try and capture more activity and points of interest by walking the entire 6km stretch of road between the hours of 6pm and 11pm.

I used "Fly on the Wall" Observation method, observing the environment and how people behave within it. I did my best to be discreet and stay unnoticed to avoid influencing participant behaviour. I looked to use this method to continue answering the same list of questions from my Assumption Map, and search for new research pointers to continue investigating through interviews and other participant involved methods.

The most important observations I gathered were as follows:

-Only minority cultural groups and "Rough looking" people accomodated bus stops, and any shelter was littered with rubbish, graffiti or etchings on the glass - adds to perception poor people catch bus

-The Bus stops (10-12 each side??) along the road were SO FAR APART and equipped differently - in terms of electronic/physical paper timetable display, covered/uncovered, seated/standing and audio availiablilty - but no stimulation whatsoever at any as mentioned previously in blog

-Abundancy of dangerous driving and poor driver etiqutte in tooting/shouting/disobeying road rules (three traffic collisons observed in visit but with immediate police response)

-People waiting at bus stops or passing on the side walk did not communicate with others if alone, if they were with friends/family comfort levels seemed higher. I sensed an element of distrust and vulnerability on the street

-Light/noise/activity was progressively stronger around the Balmoral intersection end of the street, any hub of activity however was definately littered with "dark patches" where shops were inactive

People in lit areas with groups seemed at ease