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Ethnographic studies involve direct observation of people in a natural setting. Although originally an anthropological method for studying little known cultures in undeveloped nations, Usography conducts ethnography studies in order to understand how people use products, services, web sites and physical locations. Usography has successfully deployed ethnographic studies for companies like The Home Depot, Cox Enterprises, Cingular, and Chick-fil-A, resulting in design criteria that would have been difficult or impossible to derive in any other way.
Video ethnography involves the use of video to record the myriad details that are revealed in a field situation, for later analysis and presentation. Video ethnography is a powerful tool for capturing a complex series of activities and reactions, as well as the context surrounding the activity or person(s) being studied. The results can help designers understand the nuances of what makes their work succeed or fail in the field. It shows the role the product plays in the life of the participant. Video captures the behaviors and contextual details that are critical to understanding how the product fits into the lifestyle of the participant.
No other medium is able to capture the richness and contextual details like video. Video tells an accurate and coherent story that highlights the key opportunities and trouble spots inherent in the usage of any product or service. Video can add a whole new dimension to research data captured in the field. Hours of tape are edited down to a crisp representation of highlights that illustrate the research findings. In Usography presentations, video clips are combined with data summaries, findings and recommendations, so that stakeholders have a clear picture of the current state, as well as guidance about where to go from here.
In one ethnography project Usography conducted for a home improvement retailer, customer interactions were unobtrusively observed to understand barriers and opportunities in the purchase process. A total of 8 retail locations were visited, and from the observations, a map was created that showed how information flow varied from department to department and zone to zone based on the type of product knowledge (PK) that was needed by customers to make a purchase.
Some Usography ethnography projects do not involve any video, because of the sensitivity of the environment or topic of study. For one such project, Usography created a lingerie diary that women aged 25 to 34 completed in the privacy of their own homes. The diary included questions about lingerie purchases and wearing habits, and the impact their decisions had on their subsequent satisfaction levels. The women then came into a store, where they were interviewed in-depth regarding their lingerie preferences. The in-store sessions were videotaped. The result was a strategy for targeting this segment of women more precisely with an online lingerie offering.
Usography has also visited a number of airports to interview and observe flight attendants as they prepare for flights. We were interested in the types of information resources flight attendants use in order to be aware of rapidly changing requirements. It's difficult for them to keep up, because they are a mobile work force, and using a computer is not typically one of the reasons they got involved in their professions in the first place. After observing how the flight attendants used computers and talked to their managers and peers, we conducted individual interviews and focus groups to get a better understanding of what we had observed. (See the Delta Air Lines case study.  44 kb)
Usography tackles each ethnography project in a unique way that is tailored to the client and the context. Contact us today to find out how Usography can help you get a better understanding of how people use your products, services, web sites, or locations.
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