Cultural Probes

A self-documentation kit for fieldwork: diary, photo, collage and map probes.

In Research Question · Out Probe Kit + Framework · Cost 25 credits

What it does

Designs research instruments you hand to participants — diaries, photo tasks, collages — to explore their everyday context, then helps you read what comes back.

When to reach for it

Early, when the user’s world is genuinely unfamiliar; when participants are too scattered to observe directly; or when you need emotional and cultural depth that a half-hour interview cannot reach.

Worth knowing

Probes are slow. They are worth it exactly when the questions you would ask in an interview are the wrong questions.