We often join in with whatever our participants are doing. Sometimes this
means we cook, eat, shop, go on sales calls, or help take care of the kids.
The important thing is we want to become involved in whatever the participant
is doing. We try to blend in and put our participants at ease.
This type of participation helps us build rapport and gives us the opportunity to notice potentially important areas for new discovery. When we participate in the action, we see first-hand the objects, movements, gestures, and processes that help us to understand our topic of interest. Coupled with open-ended interviews, participant observation adds dimension and ensures the validity of our data.
