“What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things,” is one of the reasons we do usability testing, but this quote is from Margaret Mead, an anthropologist who did ethnography in Samoa. Usability practitioners observe people interacting with products and services in the lab to improve usability, while traditional ethnographers observe people as they go about their lives to understand aspects of their culture. Commercial ethnography uses the tools of traditional ethnography, but focuses on consumers and how they purchase, live with, and use a product or service. This is a complementary approach to lab-based usability studies, and usability practitioners should expand their tool set to include the techniques of commercial ethnography. Luckily, ethnography is similar to usability in that the basics are easy to learn. Although it takes years of training and experience to develop expertise in both usability testing and commercial ethnography, you can obtain valuable and useful information as a novice. You can make mistakes in setting up and running a usability evaluation, but you will still probably collect useful information. The same is true with ethnography -- you may make some mistakes, but unless you really screw up, you’ll learn something useful. In this presentation I’ll present a brief history and then go over the basics of commercial ethnography, arguing that it is an essential adjunct to traditional usability testing. I’ll present two exercises (one for you to do at home), and provide a variety of reference material, including an online course and other web resources, slide presentations, videos, case studies, and an annotated bibliography of relevant books. No experience in ethnography is expected or required. The goal is to give you the confidence to get out of the lab to observe people who are using your product or service. You’ll learn the basics of commercial ethnography and can follow up yourself by going through some of the online resources and articles that will be provided. We’ll also discuss some of the important concepts and issues (e.g., will your presence influence what you’re observing?).

1. Ethnography for Usability
Practitioners
Demetrios Karis (demetrios.karis@gmail.com)
UPA Boston
Usability and User Experience 2012
May 7, 2012

2. Ethnography is the study and systematic
recording of human cultures
values, beliefs, social attachments, & goals

3. Agenda
● We'll talk about
○ Traditional and commercial ethnography
○ Observational techniques
○ Interviewing techniques
○ How you can learn more
● But first,
An amazingly powerful technique! -->

4. Talking to People!
You could ask,
"How easy is it to use...your new phone, a web site,
tablet, watch, washing machine?"

5. Talking to People!
How easy is it to use...[your new phone, a
web site, table, watch, washing machine]?
"How do you communicate with friends, family,
acquaintances, and colleagues?"
● Open ended to begin
"How many text
● Then probe, if necessary, & ask about messages a day do
you send."
○ Face-to-face
"About 50"
○ Phone calls (landline & mobile)
○ Video calls "Most days, none.
Maybe once a week."
○ Email, text messages, IM, etc.

6. Triangulation/Converging Operations
How do you communicate with friends, family,
acquaintances, and colleagues?
● Interviews
● Surveys
● Observation
● Diary studies
● Actual usage: log analysis, counting messages, etc.

7. Talking Provides Lots of Information
...just be careful that it's valid
Usability Ethnography
● Think-aloud protocol ● Participant observation
● Participants provide ● Collecting oral histories
running commentary ● Listening to what people
while doing tasks say, but observing also
● Observing what people
do, but listening also
"What people say, what people do, and what they say
they do are entirely different things" (Margaret Mead )

8. Anthropology
Biological or Physical Anthropology: The non-cultural aspects of humans and
near humans
Archeology: The study of human societies based on materials left behind
Cultural Anthropology: The cultural aspects of society -- social and political
organization, marriage patterns and kinship systems, religious beliefs, etc.
Ethnography is the study and systematic recording of human cultures
● Originally focused on non-Western cultures
● Examples of current ethnography in the US: Doing Anthropology: Thoughts on
Fieldwork from Three Research Sites (MIT Anthropology Program, 2008) [video]
● Examples of recent ethnography in third world countries: Shared Phone Use, by a
team from Nokia in Uganda

9. Two of the Founders
● Bronislaw Malinowski (1922), Argonauts Of The Western Pacific (Studies
in Economics and Political Science)
○ Tales from the Jungle: Malinowski (6 part BBC series; video)
● Margaret Mead (1928), Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of
Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation
○ Tales from the Jungle: Margaret Mead (6 part BBC series; video)

10. Traditional Ethnography
Ethnography is “grounded in a commitment to the first-
hand experience and exploration of a particular social
or cultural setting on the basis of … participant
observation.” It includes the study of values, beliefs,
social attachments, and goals.
(Handbook of Ethnography, p. 5)
Initiation rite of the Yao people of Malawi
(New World Encyclopedia)

11. Traditional Ethnography (cont.)
“The ethnographer may find herself or himself drawing on a very
diverse repertoire of research techniques – analysing spoken discourse
and narratives, collecting and interpreting visual materials (including
photography, film and video), collecting oral history and life history
material and so on” (Handbook of Ethnography, p. 5).
Also
● Village censuses, surveys, and maps
● Attending public events
● Examining documents
Malinowski among
Trobriand tribe

12. Different Perspectives/Paradigms
There are several different approaches to ethnography,
and social science research in general.
Is "reality" empirically verifiable, a function of power
relationships, or a "social construction"?
The role of the researcher and the researched, the
focus, procedures, process, and goals all depend on
the approach.
See Lecompte & Schensul (2010) for an introductory overview in their
Chapter 3: Paradigms for Framing the Conduct of Ethnographic Research

13. Data: Produced, not Gathered
"From an epistemological perspective, data are not understood as 'gathered'
as much as they are produced; which is to say, our questions, our presence,
our assumptions, our views of the situation provide never-ending filters for the
questions we ask, what we observe, and what we conclude. In a constant
effort to rid ourselves of ingoing assumptions, we ground ourselves in the
details of what we see, what we ask, what we hear, and what we experience.
Everything counts as data. Anything can be a prop for understanding. We
must interrogate our assumptions and our observational filters whatever,
whomever, and wherever we are researching. Theory and point of view are
central at every stage of the research process. Researcher stance, theoretical
perspectives, technologies, and techniques of recording all affect what is found.
We find the answers to the questions that we ask, and it matters how we ask
them, explicitly and implicitly. Data and analyses are real, and based on real
phenomena, but they are produced, not gathered" (Sunderland & Denny, 2007,
page 51).

14. Commercial Ethnography
... uses the tools of traditional ethnography, but focuses on consumers:
“Commercial ethnography is performed in relation to a
product or service... It can also be used to identify the
culture of a particular group of consumers.”
“Ethnography is usually conducted in [consumers'] everyday environments
– watching and recording while consumers live with, shop for, and use a
product or service, observing how they conduct their everyday lives, seeing
and hearing who they are and what they value.” (GreenBook White Paper:
Conducting Commercial Ethnography:
Particularly useful in uncovering implicit behaviors that people may not be
aware of and exploring latent needs.
"What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are
entirely different things" (Margaret Mead )

15. Parc Case Study: NEC Display Solutions
Problem: Projector industry has matured; need new product concepts
Insight: "Projectors changed the social dynamics between audience and
presenter."
Process/Methods: "Based on ethnographic observation in schools, coupled
with semi-structured interviews, PARC social scientists identified important
differences around projector use in the classroom. Their findings identified new
opportunities for differentiating projectors in this market – ranging from core
design and advanced features to training and market segmentation."
Parc case studies: http://www.parc.com/services/case-
studies/competency/ethnography/

16. Okay, but what would I actually do...
Refrigerators -- what features are important, do ideas for
displays on front, Internet connectivity, etc. make sense?
● Visit people at home
○ Examine their refrigerator
○ Interview
■ Several people in the family
○ Hang out near the refrigerator for a few hours
■ Working at your laptop...but also taking notes
● Surveys
● Examine complaints, calls to the manufacturer, etc.
● What else?

17. Discussion
How might an ethnographic approach help you
in understanding the product or service that
you're now working on?

18. Photography & Video
Photos and video are now essential in ethnographic
consumer research.
1980s: videos only occasionally requested from corporate
clients
2000 on: "Video ethnography" is now an assumed
requirement*
● Potentially dangerous
Go to Slideshare.net & search for "Nokia phone" for many presentations filled
with photos of various aspects of mobile phone use in different cultures
* Sunderland & Denny (2007), page 36 and Chapter 9: Ethnographic Video in
Consumer Research: Fulfilling the Promise?

19. "Looking through the observer's lens"
A helpful mnemonic: AEIOU
● Activities
○ What behaviors are taking place? What are people
doing?
● Environment
○ Where is the activity taking place?
● Interactions
○ What is the nature of the communication taking
place?
● Objects
○ What items and technology are being used?
● Users
○ Who are they? * Adapted from IDEO

20. Table
Repurpose

21. Seat
Repurpose

22. Support for lunch ...or work
Looking through the observer's lens

24. Unfazed by changes in environment

25. Preparation
"What you do before you get to the field will dictate
your success once you arrive."
Handwerker, Quick Ethnography, 2001 (page 26), notes that this is
the reason why there are seven chapters in his book about steps to
take before you get to the field and only two chapters on the steps to
take once you're there.

26. Observer Effects
Could the presence of an observer influence the
behavior of the person and artifacts being studied?
"On Thursday, January 11, 1973, the first broadcast of An American Family changed television
history forever. A 12-hour documentary series on PBS, An American Family chronicled seven
months in the day-to-day lives of the William C. Loud family of Santa Barbara, California. An
audience of ten million viewers watched in fascination the unfolding real-life drama of Bill and Pat
Loud, and their five children, Lance, Kevin, Grant, Delilah and Michele. The series challenged
conventional views of middle class American family life with its depiction of marital tensions that led
to divorce, an elder son's gay lifestyle and the changing values of American families."
http://www.pbs.org/lanceloud/american/
Video at http://www.pbs.org/programs/american-family/

27. After Observing
"Take notes about everything. Allow plenty of
time for write-up and analysis of interview and
observational data -- perhaps three to four
hours of write-up for every hour spent
talking and observing. Do initial write-ups
immediately." (Handwerker, Quick
Ethnography, 2001)

28. Exercise: What is Coffee?
Is the consumption and meaning of coffee a cultural
matter?
Interviewing task: Find out what people think about coffee, and the
circumstances of coffee consumption in their daily lives.
Challenge: The "focus, resolution, and fidelity" of what you perceive is
dependent on your own filtering processes.
● Understand the point of view of the person you're interviewing
● How? Imagine you have no preconceived notions about coffee, e.g.,
you're from another planet
From Sunderland & Denny (2007) Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research,
Chapter 3: Framing Cultural Questions: What is Coffee in Benton Harbor and
Bangkok?

29. Read these suggestions
Start with open-ended questions
"Tell me about coffee in your life"
From Sunderland & Denny (2007)
"We suggested they [the interviewers] encourage their respondents to tell them
about actual instances and specific examples and to elicit stories about coffee
events in their lives. We stressed that in the responses, the person's
categories of meaning, the conversational direction, the stories that were
chosen, the tones of voice that indicated what they thought was important (or
not) were all telling. We comforted them with the idea that everything counted
as data --what was talked about or what was not, the way something was
talked about (e.g., with pride, embarrassment, a sense of wonder). It did not
matter if people could not think of something to say, since this, too, was
considered data. We reminded them that in the real world of ethnographic
inquiry, it is also important to consider what people do and thus that one should
have an eye to the interaction with artifacts, the organization of the
environment, the activities, and the match as well as the mismatch of thought,
talk, and behavior" (p. 59).

30. Listen Actively During Interviews
From Handwerker (2001), Quick Ethnography, verbatim (p. 107):
● Intersperse silent probes with both verbal ("yes") and nonverbal (smiles,
questioning expressions) forms of encouragement and acknowledgment.
● Ask your informants to elaborate with examples from both past and present
circumstances.
● Ask for clarification.
● Summarize your understanding and ask if you got it right.
● Check regularly with your informant, and cross-check for variability
between informants.
● Communicate empathy
● * Share personal experiences when appropriate (If you want to see what it
looks like through another person's eyes, let that person see what it looks
like through your eyes)
* Not always appropriate, of course; e.g., during a structured interview

31. In Conclusion...
Go forth [i.e., out of the lab!] and
● observe
● listen
● ask questions

32. Appendix

33. Ethnography: How to Learn More
Online Course: Cultural Anthropology Tutorials and Lots of Links
Slide Presentation: Ethnography in a third world countries: Shared Phone Use,
by a team from Nokia in Uganda
Also, go to Slideshare.net & search for "Nokia phone" for many presentations
filled with photos of various aspects of mobile phone use in different cultures
Videos
Doing Anthropology: Thoughts on Fieldwork from Three Research Sites (MIT
Anthropology Program, 2008)
Tales from the Jungle: Malinowski (6 part BBC series)
Tales from the Jungle: Margaret Mead (6 part BBC series)

34. Books & Articles
Abrams, B. (2000). The Observational Research Handbook – Understanding How Consumers
Live with Your Product. McGraw-Hill.
Atkinson, P., Coffey, A., Delamont, S., Lofland, J., & Lofland, L. (2007). Handbook of
Ethnography. Sage Publications.
If you want an overview of academic ethnography, this edited volume with 33 chapters will give you
plenty to read and think about. Part 1 focuses on the intellectual contexts of ethnography, and the 11
chapters include one on The Chicago School of Ethnography, Currents of Cultural Fieldwork,
Ethnomethodology and Ethnography, Semiotics, Semantics, and Ethnography, and Grounded Theory
in Ethnography. Part 2 includes examples from health and illness, education, crime and deviance,
and other areas, while Part 3 includes chapters on the practice of ethnography and several other
topics.
Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. The
University of Chicago Press.
Handwerker, W. P. (2001). Quick Ethnography. AltaMira Press.
LeCompte, M. C., & Schensul, J. J. (2010). Designing & Conducting Ethnographic Research: An
Introduction. AltaMira Press.

35. Books & Articles (2)
Mariampolski, H. (2005). Ethnography for Marketers – A Guide to Consumer Immersion. Sage
Publications.
O’Reilly, K. (2011). Ethnographic Methods. Routledge (2nd edition).
Smith, C. M., & Davies, E. T. (2008). Anthropology for Dummies. Publisher: For Dummies.
Sunderland, P. L., & Denny, R. M. (2007). Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research. Left
Coast Press.
Although this book is full of examples from consumer research, the authors ground what they write
with plenty of notes and references to the academic literature. They can be somewhat pedantic at
times, but their examples and exercises are often excellent. My favorite is in Chapter 3, Framing
Cultural Questions: What is Coffee in Benton Harbor or Bangkok? This is not really a “how to” book,
but it is probably the best overall book in this list if you want to understand the different types of
questions “commercial” ethnographers try to answer, and how they go about it.
Van Maanen, J. (2011). Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography. The University of Chicago
Press, Second Edition.

36. Books & Articles (3)
Weiss, R. S. (1994). Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview
Studies. The Free Press.
This book focuses on how to interview people: choosing and recruiting respondents (Chapter 2),
preparing for the interview (Ch. 3), the interview itself, including guidelines, the relationship with the
respondent, and examples (Ch. 4), issues in interviewing (Ch. 5), analysis of data (Ch. 6), and writing
the report (Ch. 7). There are a number of transcript examples from interviews (both good and bad),
along with comments, and for those without any interviewing training, this is very helpful.
Zwillinger, M., Saurage-Altenloh, S, Fuller, H. G., Perez, R., Holcombe, J., & Abrams, B. (2009).
Some Suggestions for Conducting Commercial Ethnography, Available online: A GreenBook
White Paper
Case Studies
From Xerox PARC: http://www.parc.com/services/case-studies.html

37. Links
Doing Anthropology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhCruPBvSjQ
Shared Phone Use: http://www.slideshare.net/janchip/shared-phone-use
Tales from the Jungle: Malinowski: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=f22VsAlOwbc
Tales from the Jungle: Margaret Mead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cOa3ftAKnzo
Conducting Commercial Ethnography: http://www.greenbook.org/marketing-
research.cfm/conducting-commercial-ethnography
Cultural Anthropology Tutorials: http://anthro.palomar.edu/tutorials/cultural.
htm
Lots of Links: http://anthro.palomar.edu/intro2/links.htm