About this Event
About the workshop: Complex public services and policy challenges cannot be fully understood through remote video calls alone. Field research in public spaces reveals how people actually behave in the environments where their daily lives unfold. By integrating creative, interactive methods into real-world contexts, we can lower the barrier to participation, reach people we may not otherwise reach, and gather a rich breadth of insight that screen-based methods often miss.
This practical, one-day, in-person workshop equips you to safely and confidently conduct research in real-world settings. Grounded in public and third-sector contexts, the day combines hands-on fieldwork with case studies, practical templates, and strategies to help you advocate for these methods within your organisation.
What will we cover?
- Three core field methods: Gain hands-on experience applying guerrilla, observational, and pop-up research techniques in public spaces.
- Pop-up station design: Design and run creative, interactive research setups that engage members of the public while lowering barriers to participation.
- Safety, ethics & safeguarding: Balance personal safety, participant safeguarding, and risk when working in public spaces.
- Field team dynamics: Master best practice for interviewing, note-taking, and active communication while working safely in pairs.
- Peer-review & iteration: Identify common pitfalls, refine interactive setups, and evaluate research tools through live feedback.
- Case studies & advocacy: Learn from real-world public and third sector case studies and build strategies to pitch, resource, and advocate for in-person research within your organisation.
Why should you join us?
Great policy and service design relies on understanding people in their actual environments, but taking research out into public spaces can feel daunting without the right structure. This workshop bridges the gap between theory and practice, giving you the confidence, safety frameworks, and tactical skills to step out into the field with ease.
This workshop is designed for mid to senior-level user researchers, design researchers, and service designers working across Central Government, Local Government, the NHS, and the third sector. Whether you want to refresh your practice or expand your research toolkit, you’ll leave with practical tools and mindsets you can use straight away.
Do you want to learn as a group?
We offer group discounts, limited to 5 people per course or we can deliver for your team as a stand alone course, please contact [email protected] for more information.
Equity and inclusion matter to us and learning should be accessible to all!. We reserve a select number of funded places on every course for individuals who are facing financial barriers, currently between roles or on parental leave. Drop us a line at [email protected] to check availability—funded places are allocated on a trust-based system, subject to availability, and a waiting list may apply.
(Note: Capacity is strictly capped at 20 participants, with 3 dedicated facilitators in the room to ensure you get continuous support and hands-on guidance throughout the day.)
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Agenda
🕑: 09:45 AM
09:45 – Arrival, tea & coffee
🕑: 10:00 AM
Morning Session
Info: Framing & warm-up: Setting the stage, team dynamics, and safety & ethics briefing;
Field exercise: Hands-on guerrilla research in public spaces in pairs;
Debrief & reflection: Group reflection, debrief, and risk mitigation;
Lunch Break
Afternoon Session
Info: Deep dive: Exploring observational and pop-up research methods in detail;
Practical build: Designing and constructing interactive pop-up research stations;
Testing & feedback: Peer-reviewing setups, identifying pitfalls, and live testing exchanges;
Wrap-up & Q&A
Info: Addressing burning questions and final reflections
🕑: 04:30 PM
Workshop ends
Info: There will be comfort breaks in the morning and afternoon with timings based on the needs of the room.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Hickman - GPE, 2 Whitechapel Road, London, United Kingdom
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