Improv Everywhere may not strike many as a source for guerilla research techniques, but the way they use the public space as a staging area, and their ability to involve the public in the scene is inspiring and informative. My takeaways:
Your approach has to be novel. First and maybe most importantly, it needs to engage and hold the attention of the randomly accosted participant. Hopefully, the scene can escalate to the point where people volunteer instead of waiting to be asked.
It should be a delightful interruption. After the experience, the participant should walk away saying “I’m glad that happened”.
Present yourself as professionally as possible. Impersonating or embodying authority is a culture jamming rule of thumb. For whatever reason, we tend to trust someone in a button down shirt and khaki pants more.
Respect your participants. Although deception is the foundation for many of IE’s pranks, they never step outside the bounds of human decency or the law.
Thoughts? I’m interested in learning about your own guerilla research experiences and techniques.
by ddddarby
