An Introduction to Ethnography

SHOPPING ETHNOGRAPHY 5 Reasons to get out of the lab and into the field (and how to do it)

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1. Users are in their natural environment

‣ Observe users in context

‣ IN LAB... users are remove from their environment and place into an area that does not reproduce the same mindset as a natural setting

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2. External factors can influence behavior

‣ External factors include: co-shoppers, contextual dynamics, situational, mood

‣ IN LAB... these factors do not exists, cannot see the full customer experience

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3. Identify the “real” user

‣ “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things...” - Margaret Mead (Anthropologist)

‣ IN LAB... users are asked to recall or predict their actions, and does not accurately judge what they did or will do

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What people say they do

What people do

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4. Follow the story lines

‣ Researchers can see the whole customer journey (entering store to point of sale)

‣ IN LAB... one hour sessions lead to incomplete fragments of the users’ experience

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5. Project team immerses in the user setting

‣ Walk a mile in the users’s shoe to better understand how customers shop your brand

‣ IN LAB... project team sits behind a mirror (no direct interaction with participant)

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... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

1. DEFINE what you want to observe (objectives/goals)

2. CHOOSE who you will observe

3. IDENTIFY which approach works best

4. OBSERVE

5. ANALYZE findings

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... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

1. DEFINE what you want to observe

‣ What are your objectives and goals?

‣ Keep it broad, but focused so it can allow you to make new insightful discoveries

‣ Example: If you sell coffee; observe spaces where people consume coffee (cafes, on the streets, in the office) and look at the role coffee consumption plays in the users’ lives

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... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

2. CHOOSE who you will observe

‣ Who’s perspective do you want to understand?

‣ Example:

‣ Gen Y and their mobile addiction

‣ First time parents and baby shopping

‣ Patients waiting in hospitals

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... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

3. IDENTIFY which approach works best

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IN-STORE OBSERVATIONS INTERCEPTS SHOP-ALONGS

Unobtrusively observe customers as they browse, and purchase – see the entire shopping experience

Researcher:

‣ Do not talk to shoppers

‣ “Invisible”

Shoppers:

‣ Unaware being observed

Interview customers after the point of purchase - understand motivations behind purchase decisions

Researcher:

‣ Observes and interview after shopper makes a purchase

‣ “Interviews”

Shoppers:

‣ Aware of observation (after purchase decision have been made)

Researcher shops alongside actual customer (shopper can be recruited in advance or on site)

Researcher:

‣ Observes and interviews throughout shopping experience

‣ “Moderates and probes”

Shoppers:

‣ Aware of observation

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... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

4. OBSERVE

‣ Create an observation checklist

‣ USE EYES and EARS

‣ Example:

‣ If you’re the MTA looking to improve the mass transit experience, look at commuters, how they interact with the environment (subway trains), other commuters, with ads - where do pain points occur, etc.?

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... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

5. ANALYZE findings

‣ Look for common themes and patterns in observations and story lines to find what drives behavior

‣ As you analyze the findings, think about what you can do to improve the overall experience?

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When conducting ethnographic research remember...

DOs‣ Be unobtrusive (observe discreetly)

‣ Use your eyes – non-verbal cues (observe the environment and how the customers interact in that space)

‣ Use your ears – verbal cues (listen to what is said)

‣ Preserve objectivity- create a persona for yourself (away from your demographics/brand) to remove any preconceived notions

‣ Find themes among behaviors/patterns (even in unexpected patterns)

‣ Work with other researchers on the floor

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DON’Ts‣ Be obvious (when taking pictures/recording

videos)

‣ Be too concerned with note-taking (instead focus on data naturally occurring)

‣ Follow only one customer (instead observe different customers/situations)

‣ Be biased (focusing on past knowledge can alter results instead keep an open mind)

‣ Make observations with answers in mind, do not make validation a goal (use ethnography to gain deeper understanding of the bigger picture)

‣ Generalize actions of individuals to reflect a larger majority

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