Text One: An original report about an invented neighbourhood advice session.

A neighbourhood group held a weekly drop-in session in a room beside the public library. At first, visitors sometimes arrived just before closing because the opening hours were shown only on a notice inside the building. The organisers moved the hours to the outside entrance and added the day of the next session to each notice.

The group found that visitors were more likely to ask questions when they could speak to one organiser at a time. Some people preferred to leave a written question and return later, so the organisers set out a box for notes and agreed who would check it after each session. The notes showed that several visitors were unsure which topics the group could help with.

The organisers later added a short list of topics to the entrance notice. They kept the question box, although they planned to check whether people were using it regularly.

Text Two: An original account of a different invented advice session.

A tenants' group held a monthly advice session in a community hall. The first session was quiet at the start, then several visitors arrived together after seeing the announcement in a local newsletter. The group changed the layout so that people waiting could sit away from the table where conversations took place.

Visitors said that the separate waiting area made it easier to talk privately. However, the organisers noticed that some people left without asking anything. They invited visitors to take a simple card listing the session's subjects, so they could decide whether to speak to the group without explaining their concern in front of others.

At the next session, more visitors took a card than spoke to an organiser. The group considered this useful, but it could not tell whether those visitors would return or had found the information they needed elsewhere.