What is an Ethnographic studies?

Question

What is an Ethnographic studies?

Answer 1

Ethnographic Study / Field Observation  

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What is it?

Observing users in the field is often the best way to determine their usability requirements. Traditional usability testing, while providing a laboratory environment that makes data collection and recording easy, also removes the user and the product from the context of the workplace. Sometimes, it's best to see exactly how things are done in the real world.

How do I do it?

You begin by arranging for a field visit with users. Choose a variety of users of your product, from different workplaces, industries, and backgrounds. You may have to arrange with your sales staff for contacts within your customer's organizations.

Use your time onsite wisely. You'll have just a few hours at the field site, so try to collect as much data as possible while you're there. You can analyze it later when you get back to the office.

Part of field observation is inquiry; that is, interviewing users about their jobs and the ways they use your product. Part is observation; watching people use your product in the way they normally would in the course of day-to-day life.

One way to ensure adequate data collection is to identify as many artifacts and outcroppings as possible:

Artifacts are physical objects in use at a site (notebooks, forms, reports, spaces, walls)

Outcroppings are noticable physical traits that mark or characterize the site (size of cubicles, size of whiteboards and what's written on them, uniforms written by certain castes of personnel). For example, in one hospital study, people who got to wear scrubs around the hospital had more status and influence than those who couldn't, either by management decree or by peer pressure.

Both of these terms come from anthropology--some mention the term ethnographic observation, which I take means "watching people."

Post-It notes can be both artifact and outcropping.

The layout of cubicles, and location of personnel (who sits next to the boss, who sits near the loading dock, etc) can be informative as well.

Someone you consult for advice or information is neither artifact nor outcropping, but can be characterized as part of a relationship.

How to Collect Artifacts and Data about Outcroppings

"Collecting artifacts and outcroppings" sounds like you're going on an archeological dig; in actuality, it's quite similar. In the same way an archeologist looks at the pottery of an ancient civilization to determine their nutritional intake, you can find objects during your field observation that will help identify how your users use your product. Perform the following steps:

Identify the artifacts and outcroppings during interviewing/observation

Collect and mark them onsite

Take photos, get files on disk, ask for maps or layouts of physical objects

You can do remote observation by sending a disposable camera out to a site, and have the people there take pictures of their environment. Once you get the pictures, discuss them over the phone with the people at the remote site.

Representing the Data

When using such data to form decisions or sway opinions about design alternatives, try some of the following representations:

Show the artifact itself

Show a photo of the artifact or outcropping

Show a diagram of the artifact or outcropping

Show a drawing of the object with the parts labled

Show a drawing of the object before and after use

Show repeated instances of the artifact or outcropping

Group Relationships

Group relationships can help identify process and information flows. They include organization, hierarchy, informal and formal links/interactions among groups, reporting relationships, etc.

Communication Patterns

Communication patterns show who talks to whom, and how often. For communication-intensive products, such as telephony, email, or advertising, this information is vital.

Inquiry

When asking people how they do things, or how they're supposed to do things, ask them, "Does that work?" "Do others do things differently?" "Why?"

When should I use this technique?

This technique is best used in the early stages of development, when you need to know more about the issues surrounding the use of a product rather than actual metrics. In the really early stages of development, when you just have an idea that you might need a product to satisfy this particular need, field observations help gather user requirements and issues for incorporation into preliminary designs.

Answer 2

a study that deals with the scientific description of specific human cultures

Answer 3

Ethnographic studies -, by nature qualitative, the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) - examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces

Answer 4

Yes, BMit is correct.  Additionally, this "scientific" characterization oftentimes lends itself to anatomy/physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology, history, etc. as means of properly depicting and reporting on the subject.