Transcript Ethno Res Preso 1 - JoanAfton

SOME IN-CONTEXT
TECHNIQUES
“Anthropology never has had a distinct subject matter, and because
it doesn't have a real method, there's a great deal of anxiety over
what it is.”
--Clifford Geertz
Ethnography
is about
storytelling
as much as
interpreting.
“I learned much
more about acting
from philosophy
courses, psychology
courses, history and
anthropology than I
ever learned in
acting class.”
--Tim Robbins
In the academic world, this work is generally the focus of
cultural anthropologists. In the business world, “fieldwork”
is conducted by all kinds of individuals who share a driving
interest in people and their motivations.
It is not for just anyone, however: a willingness to observe
users’ environments with an eye for even seemingly
random detail, and a passion for understanding why
people behave and interact as they do, is required.
Sociologists, product designers and IA’s, psychologists—
even actors!– often make for good ethnographers.
To get the story, study the people
where they are
• A number of techniques – video ethnography, in-store
intercepts, shadowing – enable us to study how people interact
in complex environments.
• The selection of technique is largely in the end bound by
considerations of cost and time. It helps to make these
decisions by having available a palette of complementary tools
and techniques to discuss.
“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one
must look and listen, record in astonishment and wonder
that which one would not have been able to guess.”
--Margaret Mead
INTERVIEWS
In-Context Interviews
Conducted where targeted audience typically performs the activities
of interest or interacts with the relevant products or services.
Protocol [inclusive list of questions to be asked, time estimates, goals,
tools required] often also includes interactive exercises.
Pros
Cons
Time spent in participants’
own contexts of use.
Sessions are time-consuming
for the interviewer and can be
challenging to recruit.
Relies on environment instead
of memory.
Uncover richness of detail and
key nuances.
A catch-22; the more depth of
data collected, the more time
required to analyze it.
“Guerrilla” Intercepts
Often done in-stores or on the street. Participant asked to respond
to short list of questions (5-15 minutes), and is immediately
compensated, either with small merchandise incentive or cash.
Intercepts can be done either pre- or post- an observation.
Pros
Cons
Spurs questioning about
experiences, in the context in
which they occur.
Hard to “screen” for
demographic or behavioral
balance.
Spontaneous feedback, right
while users are mid-interaction.
Requires a certain amount of
sang-froid by the researcher.
Lots of quick exchanges in a
brief time.
OBSERVATIONS
Shadowing
(Individual and Community-based)
Can be done as a portion of an individual’s in-context event, or
conducted more broadly as an overview of a shared space.
Protocol is tailored to include cues to watch for, for the observers.
Pros
Cons
Ideal for the tracking of such
things as traffic patterns,
timing of tasks, non-verbal
behaviors.
Lack of interaction allows for
potential misunderstanding of
what is observed.
Distance from interviewer
allows self-consciousness to
subside.
To ensure against outliers,
multiple passes at the same
location or behavior are
required.
Web Adventure
Studying a participant’s arrangement and use of on-line tools to
accomplish tasks; can include interrogations of bookmarks, apps,
software selections, on user’s own devices.
The web adventure can also be used to frame a user assessment of
competitors’ sites.
Pros
Positions participant as expert.
Can stimulate conversations
around unexpected other
practices and behaviors
developed as work-arounds.
Cons
Can be so random as to lose
relevance.
Can enter grey area not
distinct enough from rigorous
usability test.
CASE STUDY
Studying toothbrush and toothpaste
purchasing reveals the importance of gesture
We thought it was about branding…
Team: 2 researchers, 1 project manager, 1 designer
Market: Atlanta
Objective: Understand the toothbrush and toothpaste shopping
experiences, in order to discover how to carry over (strong)
toothpaste attributes to the (weaker) toothbrush category.
Techniques: Shadowing and guerrilla interviews (4 days, 3
stores)
…but it was all about language
“I need two whole different toothbrushes! A
regular one, and then one meant for babies,
to get back here-- what do you call that?-behind my bridgework. ”
CASE STUDY
Trying to understand “performance” vehicles leads
to… understanding trash management
We thought it was about speed…
Team: 6 researchers, 1 project manager
Markets: Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Raleigh
Objective: Understand how drivers of varying vehicle
platforms feel about “performance”.
Techniques: Shadowing drive-alongs, video diaries, inhome ethnos and visual stories (48 participants)
…but it was all about trash bins
“You’d think they’d come up with something
better than what I had to invent myself! ”
QUESTIONS?
“You guys are like anthropologists!”
--current client, last Thursday night
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joan-afton/1/a43/392