Guide for

collecting visual
data in Inclusive
Agribusiness
Case Studies.
The collection and use of photography
and video in case studies for the agri-
food sector is often restricted due
to a lack of resources coupled with a
poor understanding of how audiences
absorb information, and what kind of
photo’s and video’s support effective
learning.

This guide proposes the use of

the AEIOU framework to collect
visual data, looking at/for Activities,
Environments, Interactions, Objects
and Users. It offers examples of using
the framework while on location, and
invites you to start making your own
pictures using a simple camera or
smart phone.

This guide is a work in progress and

will be tested and adjusted during
summer/fall 2016.

Content
1. Introduction to AEIOU
2. Case studies & AEIOU: topics &
examples.
3. Introduction to Photography
4. Co Creation formats
5. Video interview

Draft V 0.2
Roger Reuver
02-08-2016
Introduction to
AEIOU
This guide proposes the use of
the AEIOU framework. This is a
structuring mnemonic used to
gather and organize visual data
under the following sections:
Activities are goal-directed sets of actions—paths towards things people want to accomplish. Objects are building blocks of the environ-
What are the modes people work in, and the specific activities and processes they go through ? ment, key elements sometimes put to complex
or unintended uses (thus changing their func-
tion, meaning and context).
What are the objects and devices people have
in their environments and how do they relate
to their activities?

• Activities
• Environments
• Interactions
• Objects
• People
Environments include the entire arena where activities take place.
The goal of using this framework What is the character and function of the space overall, of each individual’s spaces, and of
is to help you visually map the shared space ?
significant relationships and
interactions while visiting a
location.

Using these five categories as

mental ‘lenses’, will allow you
collect meaningfull images
that can be used for multiple
audiences and purposes.

Users are the people whose behaviors, prefer-

Interactions are between a person and someone or something else; they are the building ences, and needs are being observed.
blocks of activities. Who is there? What are their roles and relation-
What is the nature of routine and special interactions between people, between people and ships? What are their values and prejudices?
objects in their environment, and across distances?

Sources
http://dlrtoolkit.com/aeiou/
http://help.ethnohub.com/guide/
aeiou-framework

2
Case study topic:
The Enabling Environment

Topics: AEIOU topics

• Rule of Law Activities

• Skills and HRD selling
labour
• Economic predictability administrative
• Infrastructure law enforcement
• Political stability reading
• Efficient labour markets learning
• Open markets building
gathering
waiting ( in line)
etc
Apart from making you own
pictures it is often possible to Environments
find images online that are Markets
Shops
available under a creative Governement buildings
commons license. (Flickr.com Roads
allows you to search for specif- Schools
ic licences) Banks
etc

Interactions
teaching
buying/selling
gatherings
etc

Objects
signs
shopwindows
newspaper (headlines)
money
trucks
computers
etc

Users /People
All photographs in this guide Politicians
Civil servants
have been made by Georgina Entrepreneurs
Smit and Neil Palmer for CIAT, Crowds
and are available under a cre-
ative commons license.

3
Case study:
Business performance

Topics: AEIOU topics

Activities
• What is the structure of the farm
industry sector? transport
• How is the chain organized? factory processes
• Who are the key actors? packaging
• Who are key partners? payment
service provision
• How do products, payments, construction/building
services and information flow
through the chain? Environments
farm
• What is the mission/vision of office
workfloor
the business? warehouse
• What is the growth strategy? market/shop
• How effective and efficient is ‘problem’ area
the business in terms of reach- ‘succes’ area
ing its objectives? construction area

• How viable is the business fi- Interactions
nancially? producing
buying/selling
information exchange
service provision
brokering
building

Objects
raw materials
final products
machines
transport
signs (business signs, ad
vertising, nameplates, shops)
mobile phones
computer (screens)

People
interviewees
key actors
farmers/producers
employees
customers
women/men

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Case study:
Inclusiveness

AEIOU topics
Topics:
Activities
• What has been the progress on farm
business goals and the impact on transport
factory processes
social inclusion in the value chain?
packaging
• What processes helped company payment
move from one phase to the oth- service provision
er? construction/building
• What makes the business model
Environments
analysed inclusive?
farm
• Are there specific barriers to par- office
ticipation? workfloor
• Are there mechanisms that didn’t warehouse
work out well? (Supply chain co- market/shop
‘problem’ area
ordination, Fair and transparent
‘succes’ area
governance, Equitable access construction area
to services, Sharing of risks and
rewards, Effective market linkages Interactions
New Business Models) producing
buying/selling
• Which are the success factors, ob-
information exchange
stacles, weaknesses for creating service provision
inclusive business? brokering
• Are there any major unaddressed building
issues that could pose a risk etc. –
Objects
e.g., role of waged labour and lev-
raw materials
els of wages/employment practic- final products
es, environmental sustainability. machines
• What policy support exists in the transport
context of exclusivity? Are there signs (business signs, ad
vertising, nameplates, shops)
“spillover” benefits? (from the
mobile phones
cash crop in the value chain to computer (screens)
other crops on the farm? to on
farm paid labor? through bene- People
fits to farmers not participating in interviewees
key actors
the value chain? are there other
farmers/producers
enterprises generated by the busi- employees
ness?) customers
• How are women / marginalized women/men
groups participating in the supply
chain?

5
Introduction to
Photography
Photographing people
Not everyone appreciates
being photographed and,
especially when it concerns
people in a work situation,
people may not always be
in a position to make their
objections known. Therefore
it’s important to let them
know upfront what your doing
and why you are doing it.
• Become involved with
people
• Build trust, explain what
you’re doing
• Respect their privacy
• Step in someones shoes,
use their POV
6
Rule of thirds Perspectives From wide to close-up
Putting the topic in the centre of the frame will If possible let vertical lines run parallel to the When at a location, make sure you get a variety
sometimes create a strong impact, however sides of your frame as slopping lines will look of shots from wide to really close
most of the time it’s best to position the object / out of balance.
shape more to the left of right of the image.
The rule of thirds states that the most important
elements in the scene should be placed along
the gridlines or at the intersections where the
lines meet. This works for portraits as well as
landscapes
In fact, on the iPhone you can easily display
these gridlines within the camera app. To switch
the gridlines on go to Settings > Photos & Cam-
era > Grid.
When taking a neutral picture of someone, ide-
ally your camera should be at the same height
as their eyes or very slightly below.
Don’t be afraid though to sometimes use a
different perspective, and take a picture from a
low or high point of view.
Diagonals
Use diagonal lines to guide the viewers eye and
balance multiple subjects in a photo.
Introduction to
Photography
Camera or smartphone ?
Smartphone camera’s have
developed to the stage where
they perform just as well as
most pocket cameras, with
the added benefit that you
always have them with you.
Especially for Iphone 6 and
up there are some great apps
available (Camera + being
one of the best) that allow
you better control over focus,
exposure, gridlines etc.
It pays to spend some (flight?)
time in getting to know the
possibilites of your (smart-
phone) camera. There are
a large number of Iphone
photography resources on-
line. You can find an overview
here.
7
Image quality
Always go for the highest image quality (reso-
lution) you camera or smart phone allows for.
The downside to this is that they take up more
space. So upload regularly to a harddrive or
cloud service (dropbox, icloud etc) and make
sure that the image are transfered in the highest
resolution.
Light
When shooting portraits, avoid sunny and direct
light on faces, which can create harsh shadows
(and a lot of squinting). The best light is bright
overcast, open shadow, or even a bit of fog. For
technical reasons, the small sensor in the iPhone
will handle this light best.
Keep in mind that, for portraits, light from a
window will provide a soft and pleasing look.
Rembrandt lighting—using the light streaming
in from a window as the main source—creates a
natural look and a more comfortable subject.
Also, don’t settle for one shot. Instead, get close
with the camera, talk with your subject as you
compose, and get the expression just right.
Camera shake
In low light conditions the shutterspeed of your
camera/smartphone will be to long to hold your
camera still, resulting in blurry pictures.
You can reduce camera shake with some tech-
niques that literally stop your hands from
moving as much: pushing the side of your body
against a vertical surface to steady it, resting
your elbows on a low wall, or even simply brac-
ing your iPhone by holding it in both hands and
tucking your elbows into your body.
Or you can use the two-second self-timer. With
this, so you’re not actually pressing a shutter
when you’re taking a shot and so shaking the
camera with the simple act of doing so, you en-
able the timer, press the shutter, then in the two
seconds before the camera actually takes the
shot, brace yourself and hold the iPhone firmly.
A third option is using a small tripod like a Joby
GripTight Gorillapod or a
Co Creation formats
Using a format which puts the
camera into the hands of the subject
can be a particular powerful tool
for a researcher. It can challenge
participants, provide nuances,
trigger memories, lead to new
perspectives and explanations,
and help to avoid researcher
misinterpretation.
The following short disciptions of
two of these methods are meant to
give some insight into the process.
To design a specific format for use in
an IB setting more research will be
needed.
Based on Bettina Kolb, Involving, Sharing,
Analysing—Potential of the Participatory
Photo Interview
(http://www.qualitative-research.net/
index.php/fqs/article/view/1155)
More Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoice
http://steps-centre.org/methods/path-
ways-methods/vignettes/photovoice/
http://www.pwhce.ca/photovoice/pdf/
Photovoice_Manual.pdf
8
1. Photo Interview
The photo interview has proven particularly
useful for sustainability and environmental
studies in which eliciting community points of
view is crucial to the research effort.
The technique can:
• be used at any stage of the research
• provide a means of 'getting inside' a
program and its context
• bridge psychological and physical realities
• allow the combination of visual and verbal
language
• assist with building trust and rapport
• produce unpredictable information
• promote more detailed interviews in
comparison with verbal interviews
• be preferable to conventional interviews for
many participants.
The photo interview process contains three
phases—involving, sharing and analysing—and
explores potential influences on data quality.
Instructions:
1.In the first or opening phase, researchers
invite photo interview respondents to consider
a general research question and consider how
to take photos that reflect their viewpoint on the
question. The opening phase starts a cognitive
process on the part of respondents as they
reflect on the influence or meaningfulness of
the question for their own life concepts and
experiences.
2. In the second or active photo shooting
phase, participants implement their reflections
by taking photos of specific subjects in their
social and material surroundings—for example,
places, buildings, people, social networks or
local activities and businesses that relate to the
research question and are meaningful to them.
3. In the third or decoding phase, participants
consider their photos and verbalise their
thinking in an interview with a researcher and,
when desired or culturally appropriate, in
collaboration with other participants also.
4. The final or analytical scientific interpretation
phase involves researchers analysing the
data—photos, interview transcripts, and
observations—generated by the first three
2. The photo Voice method
This method asks people to submit photos
or images based on a prompt, often asking
participants to document specific moments
throughout their days or artifacts they
encounter in their lives. This research method
provides rich glimpses into users’ real life
experiences that might otherwise be difficult
to observe. Photo studies allow for diverse
perspectives and interpretations that can often
inspire additional research ideas and directions.
The photo studies method works well when
paired with diary studies or follow-up interviews
that allow researchers to delve deeper into
the qualitative significance placed by the
participants on their respective images.
There are two main approaches to photo
elicitation. The first provides the participant with
photos that the researcher has pre-selected.
The second uses images that the participant has
identified, thus “empowering stakeholders” who
might not otherwise be involved (Van Auken et
al. 2010, 374).
Instructions:
1. Define the research inquiry and sample
population. Determine whether you will provide
cameras to participants. (This is particularly
important if your participants do not have
access to cameras or camera phones.)
2. Construct the prompt.
(What should participants take photos of?
When/where should they take photos? How and
by when should they submit photos?
What else should they include with the photos
(written description, contact info, time of day
photo was taken, etc.)?
3. Distribute the prompt to participants and set
a deadline for submittals.
4. Follow up with participants as appropriate.
(This may be asking participants questions
about your interpretation of their photos to
validate your research or it may include further
research such as interviews, focus groups, etc.)
5. Analyze results.
Advantages: useful for recording behaviors,
values, and life as seen through users’ eyes
(events that are often otherwise difficult to
observe); unique/creative nature may entice
more people to participate; may lend itself well
to crowdsourcing and snowball sampling.
Disadvantages: limited to physical realm
(what people can take photos of); limited by
researcher’s interpretation of photos (asking
participants to include a written description
or participate in a follow-up interview or focus
group can counteract this limitation); biased
towards those with time or interest to participate
References
Given, Lisa M., Anna Opryshko, Heidi Julien,
and Jorden Smith. “Photovoice: A Participatory
Method for Information Science.” Proceedings
of the American Society for Information Science
and Technology 48, no. 1 (2011): 1 - 3.
Harper, Douglas. “Talking about pictures: a case
for photo elicitation.” Visual Studies 17, no. 1
(2002): 13 - 26.
Martin, Bella, and Bruce M. Hanington. Universal
Methods of Design 100 Ways to Research
Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas,
and Design Effective Solutions. Beverly, MA:
Rockport Publishers, 2012. 134-5.
Van Auken, Paul M., Svein J. Frisvoll, and Susan
I. Stewart. “Visualising community: using
participant-driven photo-elicitation for research
and application.” Local Environment 15, no. 4
(2010): 373–388.
Video Interview
with a smartphone
Shooting an interview with a single
smartphone is possible but takes
carefull preparation.
As an interviewer you can choose
to either be present in the video, in
which case you’ll be recording your
conversation, or stay out of the
frame in which case only your ques-
tions will be heard. You can also
choose to edit out your questions
later.
To be able to do edit later it is very
important that you let the subject
speak whithout making any noise
yourself. (no ‘uhuh’, or ‘right’) This is
suprisingly difficult at first.
Alternatively you might consider us-
ing a ‘one minute’ format. Here you
ask the subject to elaborate without
interuption for one minute on open
questions like:
• What has changed for the better
in the last 6 months
• What are the biggest challenges
you are facing right know ?
• If you could change three things
in your business environment
what would they be ?
• etc
Keep the interview short. (10-15 min-
utes max)
9
1. Camera preparations
• Use landscape mode, not portrait mode.
• check to see if you have enough empty
space on your smartphone for video, (at
least 1GB)
• make sure your battery is full and your
phone is in airplane mode.
• shoot (and watch) some test footage to see
and hear if everything is working correctly
before you begin.
• Write down the name and adres
2. Lighting
• The ideal spot to do a short interview is out-
side on a bright day in the shade.
• Avoid direct sunlight if possible and look for
more even lighting in the shade.
• If you stay inside make sure there’s enough
light available and don’t hesitate to move
closer to a window or propose to go outside.
3. Location
• Make sure that you find a quiet secluded
spot with as little background noise as pos-
sible.
• Set your subject against a quiet background.
4. Composition
• Use a light tripod to keep your camera
steady.
• Position your camera/smartphone at eye
hight or slightly below.
• Use the rule of thirds to position your sub-
ject off centre.
• Leave a little headroom (space between the
top of the head and the image edge.)
5. Sound
• A general rule for clear audio is to get your
microphone as close to your subject as pos-
sible. Also make sure your the surrounding
area is quiet. If not, move to another place.
• Test your sound quality beforehand. Record
someone talking and play it back though a
pair of headphones.
• You might consider to position a sound
recorder (or a second iPhone) directly above
or in front the subject’s head to record the
audio. Clapp your hands when starting a re-
cording so you can synchronize your sound
later when editing.
• Another option is to use an external micro-
phone. For instance a small lapel mic (like
this)
Preparing an Interviewee
Interviewees get stage fright so it’s important to
prepare your subject as far as possible.
1. Write down the name and function of the
person you’re interviewing and explain the
purpose of the interview.
2. Share the questions you’re about to ask, so
they’ll know what to expect.
3. Remind het subject to look at the
interviewer and not at the camera. (Unless
that is what you want off course)
4. Practice turning requests for information
into declarative statements instead of
obvious answers to questions. (‘I was
born in Nairobi’ in stead of ‘Nairobi’) Not
everybody is able to pull that off. Alt.
you can play a visible role as interviewer,
in which case make sure you also video
yourself asking the questions ( you can do
this afterwards)
5. Explain how you will use editing to make
mistakes disappear. If she stumbles she can
repeat. If she phrases something wrong she
can try it another way. Above all, remind
your subjects that your job is to make
them look good and they’ll be proud of
themselves when they see the result.
6. Ask some throwaway questions first, while
the subject warms up and relaxes.
7. The Important questions come next, when
the subject is fresh and energetic.
8. Less important questions will help to round
out the interview.
Locations / Topics Activities Environments Interactions Objects People

10
Locations / Topics Activities Environments Interactions Objects People

11