Ethnography

Reveal the hidden complexities of everyday life.

Ethnographic research is a holistic approach to exploring routine activities.  It provides insight into the rituals and patterns of everyday life by observing human behavior in natural settings, away from the artificial environments of usability labs and focus groups. 

With ethnography, you can learn how products are made meaningful by people and how they are incorporated into daily processes and routines.  Ethnography reveals important gaps between what people do and what they say they do, and between the intended and actual use of products.

Ethnographic methods include:

• Observations, both formal and informal, in natural environments
• In-depth interviews
• Analysis of processes and artifacts 
• Respondent  projects and exercises
• Self-documentation, with photos, videos, and journals
• Longitudinal studies that show how products are used over time

Deliverables can include:

• Detailed reports discussing important findings
• Video clips highlighting patterns and trends
• Personas of product users
• Stories from and about people

Results can help you to:

• Understand how people actually use products, not how they say they use them
• Discover the types of people that use your products
• See how people incorporate products into their lives, in expected and unexpected ways
• Bring real-world experience into the product development lifecycle

User Centric's Experience with Ethnographic Research:

• Observing how medical devices are used in people’s homes and medical centers
• Visiting contact centers and fast food restaurants to improve efficiency
• Riding with cable repair technicians, to see how they interact with a new application

Ethnographic research conducted by User Centric has lead to products, devices, and applications being easier to use, more efficient, and safer.

Questions?

Contact us for answers, and to discuss how our ethnography and other services can help you to better understand the people who use your product.