Q: What is Ethnography?
A: Ethnography is the study of people in their natural or "native" environments—where they live, work, shop, and play. It is a set of complementary techniques developed within the discipline of anthropology. The ethnographic method requires a well-trained researcher skillful in immersing him or herself in diverse environments, cultures, and populations; in establishing rapport with people in these social contexts; and in interacting with them through participation, observation and dialogue to uncover their attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and values, as well as the unspoken cultural patterns that shape behavior.
Q:
What is Observational Research?
A: Observational Research yields surprising insights into how people use products and services, how they interact with spaces (retail, home, work), and what improvements or innovations are needed. Our anthropologists are skilled in interpreting these behaviors and translating these insights.
Q:
When is Ethnography appropriate?
A:
In a business or marketing research context, ethnography is used to uncover, interpret, and understand the consumer point-of-view and the hidden rules of environments. Whereas focus groups and surveys rely on self-reporting and memory out of context, ethnography provides a holistic view of consumers in the context of their daily lives. There really is no substitute for the opportunity to experience what consumers experience. For example, consumers do not interact with your products and services in isolation; they are affected by changing family patterns, unseen cultural factors, and other products and objects in the proximate environment. Ethnographic research is the best means for getting at these unspoken cultural and social patterns that shape consumer behavior. Ethnography can be used as a stand-alone technique or can be used in conjunction with other qualitative and quantitative marketing research techniques.
Ethnographic Tool Kit
- Participant-observation in real-life settings
- Onsite in-depth interviews
- Video Ethnography and Documentaries
- Affinity group interviews
- Photo, audio, and written journals or diaries
- Experience Mapping
|
