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Ethnography

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your visits, observations, impressions, feelings, hunches, emerging questions, etc. ... Report findings frequently with designers. Speak their language. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Ethnography


1
Ethnography
  • A How to Guide
  • By
  • Carl Hudson

2
Outline
  • Introduction
  • What is Ethnography?
  • Who invented it?
  • Why would we use it?
  • When/where is it used in the design cycle?
  • Methodology
  • How to conduct it.
  • How to collect and analyze data.
  • How to write a report.
  • Dos Donts
  • Advantages Disadvantages
  • Example

3
What is Ethnography?
  • Defined as
  • a method of observing human interactions in
    social settings and activities (Burke Kirk,
    2001)
  • as the observation of people in their cultural
    context
  • the study and systematic recording of human
    cultures also a descriptive work produced from
    such research (Merriam-Webster Online)
  • Rather than studying people from the outside, you
    learn from people from the inside

4
Who Invented Ethnography?
  • Invented by Bronislaw Malinowski in 1915
  • Spent three years on the Trobriand Islands (New
    Guinea)
  • Invented the modern form of fieldwork and
    ethnography as its analytic component

5
Who Invented Ethnography?
  • Documented three types of data
  • Detailed description of day to day life and
    activities
  • All stories, narratives, myths, etc.
  • Synoptic Charts

6
Traditional VS Design Ethnography
  • Traditional
  • Describes cultures
  • Uses local language
  • Objective
  • Compare general principles of society
  • Non-interference
  • Duration Several Years
  • Design
  • Describes domains
  • Uses local language
  • Subjective
  • Compare general principles of design
  • Intervention
  • Duration Several Weeks/Months

7
Why do an Ethnographic Study?
  • Things arent always what they seem
  • Practitioners/ Natives are not always the best
    people
  • Lack insight
  • Discovery
  • N.B. ethnographer should guide design team, not
    vice versa.

8
When Where is it used in the Design Process?
  • Pre-design
  • During design
  • Evaluation Stage
  • Depends on time constraints and when it was first
    implemented.
  • The sooner, the better.
  • Ethnographer should be seen as a key member of
    the design team.
  • Design
  • Evaluation
  • Implementation

9
Methodology
  • Step 1 Preparation
  • Step 2 Field Study
  • Step 3 Analysis
  • Step 4 Reporting

10
Step 1 Preparation
  • Familiarize yourself with
  • Organization policies
  • Work culture
  • Current System its history
  • Identify the Focus of the Study
  • Set initial goals and prepare questions.
  • Can be guided by designer goals
  • Gain access and permission
  • Gate-keepers vs. Sponsors

11
Step 2 Field Study
  • Establish rapport with managers and users.
  • Record everything
  • your visits, observations, impressions, feelings,
    hunches, emerging questions, etc.
  • ASAP for accuracy
  • Be Meticulous!!!
  • Field notes, audio, or video recording.
  • Follow any leads

12
Step 3 Analysis
  • Compile data into databases
  • Numerical
  • Textual
  • Multimedia
  • Quantify data and compile statistics.
  • Reduce and Interpret Data.
  • Review and Redevelop Ideas.

13
Step 4 Reporting
  • Consider multiple audiences and respective goals.
  • Prepare a report and present the findings.
  • Have debriefing meetings

14
Ethnographic Report
  • Purpose Statement
  • Executive Summary
  • Main Body
  • Future Research
  • Appendix
  • Debriefing

15
Dos Donts
  • Dont
  • Ask simple Yes/No questions
  • Ask leading questions
  • Use unfamiliar jargon
  • Lead/guide the user
  • Do
  • Ask open-ended questions
  • Phrase questions properly to avoid bias
  • Speak their language
  • Let user notice things on his/her own

16
Advantages
  • Real-world data
  • Provides in-depth understanding of people in an
    organization.
  • Discovery
  • Can be economical (if you do it yourself).

17
Disadvantages
  • Context too specific
  • Going native
  • Must negotiate access
  • Time Money
  • Data is messy and often unstructured.
  • How do you assess significance?

18
Potential Problems
  • Communication
  • Ethnographers VS Software Engineers
  • Solved via Iterative approach.
  • Multiple Roles
  • Time Money
  • Generalizability

19
Example Taxi Cab Dispatch System
  • The design team wishes to implement a new
    computerized cab-dispatch system. The company
    has hired ethnographers to determine what
    problems exist with the current system.
    Specifically - what problems arise when using the
    device while driving?

20
Step 1 Preparation
  • Familiarity
  • Focus of the study.
  • Who are the Gatekeepers? Sponsors?
  • How much time do you have?
  • Resources available?
  • How will we record data?

21
Step 2 Study
  • Establish rapport with drivers and dispatchers
  • Emerging Issues (Leads)
  • How does the interface perform at different times
    of day? Rush-hour, Day/Night?
  • What features should be added/subtracted from
    current system? Weather, traffic reports?
  • What info given by the dispatch system is most
    important? Least important?
  • Daily Flow-of-Work (not workflow)
  • Ask exploratory/probing questions

22
Step 3 Analysis
  • Look for emerging patterns in the data
  • Create data charts.
  • Glare/ Contrast issues?
  • Vision Acuity? Color perception?
  • Clutter Issues
  • Group Dynamics

23
Step 4 Reporting
  • Report findings frequently with designers
  • Speak their language.
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