Authentic Ethnography for Real Innovation

A Diverse Portfolio

Anthropological Intelligence for Organizational Excellence

Research

Our researchers are experts in mixed methods (qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic) and user experience research (UXR). We have academic training, years of fieldwork, and extensive experience applying anthropology to customer insights research. Where there’s a question about people—their behavior, needs, and desires—we will answer it, absolutely.

Training

With 20 years in the fields of customer insights and UX research, we are deeply qualified to train teams in the adoption of a customer-centric mindset and in using ethnographic principles and tools for generating insights, mapping customer journeys, and designing delightful products and services.

Strategy

Once you understand the customer journey, what comes next? We help transform customer insights into strategic business action, facilitate alignment throughout the organization to achieve full impact, and lead innovation workshops to discover new directions.

Reviews from Our Customers

We look to customer research to help us tell powerful stories that bring strategic issues to life. Ethnographic Insight not only did a marvelous job uncovering these customer truths, they really excelled when it came to disseminating these insights to top decision makers in our organization. EI covers all the bases with aplomb: thoughtful research design, top-notch ethnographic fieldwork, razor-sharp analysis and reporting, captivating consumer videos. We were so impressed at the end of the project, we asked them to facilitate a 3-day ideation workshop with our marketing and product development teams to dig into the implications of the research and to prioritize business decisions. With EI we have found a thought partner who has become an ongoing asset to New York Life.“

Maria Amenta, Corporate Vice President Research, New York Life Direct

Ethnographic Research Training

Customized trainings in ethnography to understand customer needs

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EI Blog

Patient-Centricity & The Covid Pandemic: A Conversation with Victor Montori, MD

In a thought provoking discussion with renowned Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, Victor Montori, MD, I explored a range of topics about the current Covid-19 is shaping the current moment. Our riveting dialogue examined whether or not the crisis represents a turning point for a “patient revolution for careful and kind care.”

Ethnography News

Anthro-Vision: A New Way to See in Business and Life, Gillian Tett, Avid Reader Press (2021)

“This book offers extensive ideas about how to gain anthro-vision, using personal and third-party stories that explore questions such as: Why do we need offices? Why do investors misread risks? What matters to modern consumers? What should economists learn from Cambridge Analytica? What is driving green finance? How should governments Build Back Better? How does culture interact with computers? Before plunging into the details, however, there are three core principles of the anthropology mindset that are the most important to grasp, and which shape the structure of this book. The first idea is that in an era of global contagion, we urgently need to cultivate a mindset of empathy for strangers and value diversity.”

Publications

Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica, Norman C. Stolzoff, Duke University Press (2000)

“Based on 18 months of fieldwork in Kingston, Jamaica, this is the best kind of scholarly writing—careful research driven by a fan’s consuming passion. . . .”
Rob Kenner, Vibe Magazine