Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ethnography Primer
Ethnography Primer
An Ethnography Primer
Ethnography is a tool for better design.
Enter ethnography.
1
“A designer should care about ethnography because Ethnography informs design by revealing a deep
it can help produce more compelling, innovative
design that really connects with users—in a way that understanding of people and how they make
creates delight.” sense of their world.
—Darrel Rhea, design research consultant Ethnography is a research method based on
observing people in their natural environment
rather than in a formal research setting.
2 3
People and culture are incredibly complex.
Ethnography offers a way to make sense “If you want to understand what motivates a guy
to pick up skateboarding, you could bring him into
of this complexity. It lets us see beyond our a sterile laboratory and interrogate him… or you
preconceptions and immerse ourselves in the could spend a week in a skatepark observing him
interacting with his friends, practicing new skills
world of others. Most importantly, it allows us to and having fun. Ethnography is observing people’s
see patterns of behavior in a real world context— behavior in their own environments so you can get
a holistic understanding of their world—one that
patterns that we can understand both rationally
you can intuit on a deeply personal level.”
and intuitively.
—LiAnne Yu, cultural anthropologist
4 5
Ethnography is a systematic process.
“Trained ethnographers derive deeper insights While useful ideas can emerge during casual
from observational and immersive research than
other people do. Just like professional designers,
observation, the most powerful insights come from
professional ethnographers have well-developed a rigorous analysis of systematically collected data.
frameworks, processes and tools that help
During research, a trained ethnographer will collect
them be more efficient, more effective and
more creative. A good ethnographer will actively photos, video, audio and other contextual data.
encourage designers and others to participate in These photos or images may look “unpolished” or
the process and in so doing, will fundamentally
expand their way of seeing.” “rough.” However, the beauty of ethnography is
that what one observes is visually compelling, real
—Keren Solomon, ethnographer
and meaningful without being staged.
6 7
Ethnography allows us to...
8 9
Discover meaning
People have a need for meaning in their lives. By examining the artifacts that reflect people’s
Ethnography provides rich insights into how lives, we learn what they value and hold dear.
people make sense of their world. For example, As a result, we can design products and services
people incorporate rituals into their lives—but that evoke meaningful experiences for them.
some rituals are large and public while others are
small and private.
10 11
Understand norms
Cultural norms influence design decisions. By examining how people express themselves
through style and ornamentation, we gain insight into
Ethnography reveals the ways in which cultural norms
how people define themselves within a group or a
shape people’s perceptions. For example, some cultures
emphasize the shape of the body and seek ways to community.
accentuate it, while others try to minimize it. The role and As a result, a company’s brand and products will
use of color can also vary greatly from place to place. resonate with customers instead of striking a culturally
off-key note.
12 13
Make communications powerful
14 15
Be worldly
Ethnography enables us to create for the By examining local tastes, we see opportunities that
global marketplace. are new and exciting.
Ethnography helps us learn how products, As a result, we can create brand experiences that are
technologies, and communications flow in the both globally consistent and locally relevant.
global world. Branding, experience design
and point of purchase elements all tell a story.
Compare how experiences work around the
world, even for the same products and services.
16 17
Observe reality
What people say is not what they do. By observing what people do (rather than taking
them at their word), we learn more about the
Ethnography highlights differences between what
choices they make and how they perceive and
people perceive they do and what they actually
filter their own actions.
do. For example, while people say they eat in a
healthy way, they sometimes make less-than- As a result, we can create environments or
healthy food choices. messages that connect with people’s real
emotions and intentions.
18 19
Identify barriers
Behaviors provide clues to where problems But an experienced ethnographer goes
exist. beyond the obvious and sees how to make the
experience even better—such as putting the cup
Ethnography vividly identifies people’s “pain
holder on the left (where it’s easier to reach while
points” and guides the way towards solutions.
driving) rather than in the center console (where it
For example, the obvious solution to improve the
can be distracting).
morning commute is a cup holder.
Seeing these nuances means that the resulting
products make people’s lives truly easier.
20 21
Steps in ethnographic research
Ethnographers and designers work together to
incorporate ethnography into the design process.
22 23
1 Define the problem
24 25
3 4
Plan an approach Collect data
Figure out a game plan for observations Meaningful insights don’t come quickly. The
and interactions with respondents. Create a process involves slowing down, taking everything
set of questions to ask consistently. Include in, using all five senses and being curious.
opportunities for people to show what they own, Attitudes, mannerisms, vocabulary and group
what they value and how they do things. dynamics are all important. Of particular interest
is how what you observe supports or contradicts
what people say. Take photographs, video,
audio, handwritten notes and sketches.
26 27
5 6
Analyze data and interpret opportunities Share insights
This is the most challenging part of any research. The insights that are generated through
A trained ethnographer brings deep contextual ethnographic research are useful to the whole
and cultural understanding to analysis, and gets team and to the client’s whole organization.
beyond the obvious insights derived from casual Storytelling and information design can be
observation. used to communicate the value of the work and
Analysis is time-consuming, but links findings to the possibilities it holds for creating something
a concrete direction. The outcome of the analysis wonderful.
may include design principles, models, personas, Information that is presented in a visually
user scenarios and/or experience frameworks. compelling way is more likely to intrigue,
Once the data have been analyzed, the team inspire and engage. The ethnographer and
should be able to tell that story to multiple the designer together have the ability to make
audiences, and should have a clear set of “aha’s!” others see and believe.
and next steps.
28 29
GLOSSARY
Digital Ethnography
Good ethnographers don’t just A way to use common technologies (such as digital
ask questions cameras, cell phones, and the internet) to capture
ethnographic insights in a cost-effective, highly
pervasive manner.
They delve deeply into the lives of a few people
Discussion Guide
rather than study many people superficially. A series of questions that the researcher refers to
during the research.
They holistically study people’s behaviors and
Field
experiences in daily life.
The research location or environment. The term
“fieldwork” refers to doing research in the research
They know what questions to ask and how to
subject’s natural environment.
translate large amounts of data into concise and
Field Notes
compelling findings.
Written and visual notes and recordings of what the
researcher observes.
They use video and other visual materials to get
their point across. They tell stories instead of just Human Factors (or Usability) Research
A type of research that tests whether people are able
listing facts.
to accomplish certain tasks, often done on a computer
or in a lab.
They make connections. They take the leap from
research to strategy and innovation, working Observational Research
Covers a range of contextual research methods, from
collaboratively with designers to solve complex
casual observation to complex, culturally informed
problems. ethnographic research.
Stimuli
Images, concepts, prototypes, or other tangible items
to which a respondent can react during research.
30 31
This brochure is part of an ongoing series, AIGA National Partners
produced by AIGA, on the evolution of design.
164 Fifth Avenue AIGA’s mission is to Aquent, the official AIGA sponsor for professional development
New York, NY 10010 advance designing as
T 212 807 1990 a professional craft,
F 212 807 1799 strategic tool and global This brochure was produced with the support
www.aiga.org cultural force. of our partners.
Paper provided by:
The content for this primer was developed in
partnership with Cheskin.
www.sappi.com
www.aiga.org