A few things about this project are going to change in the near future.
Photos
I notice that most of the photos I take feature the participant on the right side of the image. I like this composition, but want to experiment with alternative framing, probably placing the participant on the left, just to see if that also looks good.
Language
I am contemplating a number of changes in language:
"Experiment"
Experiment is the word I use to describe what I'm doing. I may start start using "exercise," "practice," or "project" instead. I have a somewhat formal process for carrying out my interactions and documenting the results, so "experiment" works and is appropriate. But my intention is to continue to engage in this behavior after the 30 days is up, although I may not put pressure on myself to do it every day and may not document it as verbosely. So while there is certainly an experimental aspect to this, at the core this is more of an exercise or practice for me. Even if I am not documenting it, I still want it to be a part of my daily life.
Introduction / Pitch
Leading in with "I am doing an experiment in which..." is like using training wheels. It frames the interaction as "scientific" or "research" and makes it less personal, less vulnerable, and safer. It hides, to a certain degree, my personal motivations for doing what I'm doing. Which is OK. These training wheels have helped me get out there and get the project off the ground. The experiment framing helps me to approach people with whom I might not personally feel compelled to make eye contact, i.e. to invite to be vulnerable and make a connection.
More people are saying "yes" to making eye contact with me than I expected. I wonder, does the less personal nature established by the experiment framework make it safer for strangers to accept my proposal? Will the frequency with which I get a "yes" decrease if I make my introduction more personal?
Perhaps something like this:
1. Optionally start with "I have [a bit of] an unusual request..." or "[I know] This may be [a bit of] an unusual request..." at my discretion.
2. Then tell them what's up:
Version A: "I would like to invite you to make eye contact with me [for 60 seconds]." (Least vulnerable way without the experiment framing. Establishes what I want to invite them to do before actually extending the invitation, and doesn't explicitly say that this is what I want to do.)
Version B: "I want to invite you to make eye contact with me [for 60 seconds]." (More vulnerable. Now I'm saying that this is something I want to do, yet I still mention the invitation before actually asking, which primes them for the ask and adds a little distance.)
Version C: "I would like to make eye contact with you [for 60 seconds." (Drop the mention of the invitation and just say what I'm interested in doing. This is more vulnerable, but "would like" is less vulnerable than "I want" in my mind, so I've reverted to that for balance.)
Version D: "I want to make eye contact with you [for 60 seconds]." (I am most vulnerable, expressing what I want directly. This is also pretty abrupt. Since what I am doing is unusual, it may be better to give people a bit of a lead-in before going for the ask.)
3. Then actually ask them. Some variations include:
Version A: "Is this something you'd be willing to do with me?" (Least vulnerable.)
Version B: "Is this something you'd like to do with me?" (Wanting to do something is more vulnerable than just being willing to do it.)
Version C: "Would you be willing to do this with me?" (Drop the lead-in, revert "like" to "be willing" for balance.)
Version D: "Would you like to do this with me?" (Most direct, and I think most vulnerable proposition for the stranger.)
It's important to me to actually ask (doing step 3) and not to just mention the invitation (stopping after step 2 and not doing step 3).
I'm not sure which change(s) I'll make, or when, but I'll write about them when they occur.
Name + Photo Ask
I usually say something like "The last thing I ask participants is..." or "The other things I ask participants is..." and I want to work on this. I want the segue to be smoother and I want to use a different word in place of "participants" but I am not yet sure how to change the phrasing.
Leave-Behind
Currently I hand-write the project name and blog URL for each participant on a piece of paper torn from my journal. I've ordered a set of mini business cards from moo.com to replace this make-shift process. The cards have a picture of my eye on one side. The other side has the project name, blog URL, and enough space to write a short personalized message for each person. I'll begin giving these out when I pick them up in Portland in about one week's time.