Most of us have at least heard of anthropology and ethnography, but how many of you have considered using it in your projects?  If I were to guess, I’d say not many, which is what I’m hoping to change with this brief article.

In the broadest and most literal sense, anthropology is the study of human beings:  What defines being human?  How did we evolve to where we are today?  What separates us from animals?  What differentiates groups of humans from each other?  In what ways are humans similar across cultures and societies?   To answer these questions, anthropologists look to those boring yet extremely complex everyday experiences that we all go through.

Anthropologists have a number of tools and techniques they use to answer these questions, but one of the primary tools is ethnography.  Ethnography is a qualitative research method that tells a story from the perspective of those being researched.  Ethnography differs from usability testing in that it is almost always conducted in the field, and typically involves some sort of participant observation where the researcher actually gets involved with the activities under study.  In general, usability testing is typically more structured than ethnographic research and seeks to answer more specific questions.

Inputs

Ethnographers utilise a number of methods to gather information, including:

• Surveys: While not a primary source of information, surveys are occasionally used in ethnographic research.  They are typically open-ended and used in conjunction with other forms of research.
• Guerrilla research: For example, vox populi or man-in-the-street style interviews can be a great way to get honest, gut-level responses from people.  These can also be a great way to recruit for more in-depth studies.
• In-situ exercises and projects: Essentially, this entails interviewing participants as they do specific tasks such as cooking a cooking a meal, making a purchase, or paying bills.
• Journaling, video diaries, blogging: This method can be especially powerful when used with other techniques.  For example, journal entries can be used as discussion points during interviews.
• Interviews: This is really the most important tool of an ethnographer.  A good ethnographic interview tends to be driven by the participant and is narrative-based.  In other words, participants tell stories about their lives.

Interviewing Tips

• Invest time and effort in recruiting: Ethnographic interviews provide the best information when participants are good storytellers.  However, bear in mind that recruiting the Chatty-Cathy’s means that you won’t necessarily be capturing the experiences of those who are poorer communicators.
• Give participants a call before you show up: Have a chat with participants over the phone before the interview.  Introduce yourself, the project, and how the interview might go.  This helps make you a less of a stranger on the interview day.
• Be interested!: Be aware of your body language and the verbal confirmations you provide throughout the interview.  If participants don’t think you are interested in what they have to say, they won’t say it.
• Find a comfortable place: Getting a participant to engage in conversation is easier in places where they feel comfortable.
• Stress that you are there to learn from the participant: This empowers participants and builds their confidence.
• Encourage story-telling: Humans like telling stories, and these stories are gold for researchers.
• Move around during  the interview: Be mobile and point things out to get participants talking. For example, you might want to walk around the kitchen and ask about the things you see, like pictures on the refrigerator or custom placemats.
• Record everything: When trying to process the information you collected, you will rely on having complete and accurate recordings.

Gotcha’s

When doing ethnography, there are some general principles you should bear in mind:

• Understand and state biases: Biases occur in nearly every form of research.  Be clear about what they are and how they may impact findings.  In particular, try to understand what influence your presence has on the research and on the interview dynamics.  Be aware of how your own background may be affecting how you interpret the information you gather.
• Recognize the fluidity of culture: Culture is not static.  Who we are and what we value changes over time.
• Be aware of power relations and societal divisions: Try to understand the roles of issues like gender, class, ethnicity, and even location.

Benefits

When considering whether or not ethnography is the right choice for your project, keep in mind the things that ethnography does well, including:

• Reporting through the eyes of the interviewee.
• Showing what people do, not just what they say.
• Revealing participants as the people they are, not just data-points or sources of information.
• Uncovering how people make sense of the world and their place in it.

If done correctly, anthropology and ethnography can provide you with extremely rich and in-depth information about who your users are and how they actually use the products you design.

Good luck and happy researching!

P.S.  You may be interested in these slides from a recent breakfast briefing on the same topic.

Jared Jeffers is a consultant from the US-firm User Centric.  He has spent the last three months hanging out at Optimal Usability learning how we do things on this side of the world.