Four Takeaways from My First In-Person Fieldwork

There comes a moment for every researcher when you close that Excel sheet full of participant names and demographics and finally put a face to the list you’ve been staring at for weeks—fieldwork! And then, there’s that next step: seeing those faces beyond the confines of a Zoom window—in-person fieldwork!

Last December, I had the chance to spend two weeks in India, speaking to some incredible people and exploring big, broad questions for a global tech company. I found myself in cities I’ve visited all my life, like Delhi, and new ones, like Jaipur and Chennai. The two weeks I spent chatting about culture, success, and tech, opened up a whole new dimension to my work.

It’s hard to fully grasp just how much richer research becomes when you step away from your desk and meet people in person. The depth of understanding that comes from sitting face-to-face with people, hearing their stories, and seeing their worlds up close—immeasurable. This is the kind of nuance that’s difficult to capture through online methodologies or desk research. And so, here are some reflections from my two weeks in India!

⚖️  Build a balanced team.

Fieldwork can be inherently messy, busy, and unpredictable, but having a team that can balance analytical thinking with logistical know-how? Not just a nice to have, but a must. The right mix of skills made it easier for us to capture insights while navigating the daily demands of moving between locations, schedules, and participant personalities.

💭 Quiet reflection works in tandem with progress.

There can be pressure to constantly have fresh and developing insights on the go, but the research is served better if you’re able to take a step back and digest the data in your own time. Some of our strongest insights came from quiet musings in our hotel room after a day of interviews! 

🎯 Keep your eyes on the prize.

Being laser sharp on the objectives of your research will guide you through the moments when you’re not sure where things are going. Coming back to the “why” behind my research kept me grounded and helped me pick apart the learnings that were just ‘interesting’ from the ones that were ‘relevant’. Clarity really is your best friend when you're in the thick of it.

📍 No substitute for just… being there.

Yes, our participants shared wonderful musings, and we couldn’t have done it without them. But immersing ourselves in the culture (plus having a local around 😉) allowed us to make 360-degree observations and better grasp the social context of their responses. Many valuable insights—so second nature to participants they didn’t think to mention them—were understood as a result of seeing their worlds firsthand.

Every project, every team, and every culture calls for a unique approach, and so I hope these reflections offer some helpful insights! If you’re a junior researcher gearing up for your first fieldwork experience, I think you’ll find these especially useful. And for senior leadership teams, there’s something here for you too—ways to think about how to support junior team members and structure fieldwork plans that lead to the best outcomes, for both the team and the research itself.