Getting to know your real users - Mastering practical ethnographic research
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The document discusses the importance of ethnographic research for understanding end users and their interaction with products in real-world settings. It outlines practical techniques such as contextual inquiries and usability testing, as well as the planning and artifact collection involved in the research process. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity of expanding beyond lab studies to gain a comprehensive understanding of user experiences.
Getting to know your real users - Mastering practical ethnographic research
- 1. Getting to know your real users: Mastering practical ethnographic research Photo via Flickr user Ma2hew Fern @dgcooley 1
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- 5. Photo courtesy of Tom Tullis 5
- 6. Photo courtesy of Monica Ferraro 6
- 8. Let’s get real for a moment. 8
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- 17. “I practice guitar while waiting for data to finish crunching.” 17
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- 31. Photo via Flickr user C.P.Storm It’s definitely time to get out of the building. 31
- 32. Ethnography is researching your end users and product in the real world. 32
- 34. When to use it Photo via Flickr user Christopher Sessums 34
- 35. Ethnography vs. other techniques Qualita've Quan'ta've Inexpensive Easy to Implement Observa'onal Contextual Focus Groups ? Surveys Lab Testing Journaling ? Ethnographic Studies 35
- 36. How-to 1. Plan your study – What do you want to learn? 2. Identify representative end users. 3. GO TO WHERE THEY ARE. 4. Learn all the things. 36
- 38. Artifacts! Take photos. Make copies. Record videos. 38
- 39. Sample Artifacts: Cheat Sheets 39 “cheat sheet” of BETA codes. The FAs “rarely use” BETA and need a reference when dealing with the home office. (B22) One FC kept an extensive list of home office personnel he had spoken to about various matters. Each folder includes people’s names, their extension, and comments about how helpful or unhelpful they were when the FC spoke with them. (B8)
- 40. Sample Artifact: Homemade Checklists 40 3 different teams showed us their homemade instructions or checklists for setting up fee- based accounts.
- 41. Sample Artifact: Strategic Seating of Clients 41 The advisors care about projecting an image of absolute excellence. Clients visiting one office (B25) are seated in a specific location so they can see… …that, no matter what, the market goes up. … the advisor’s many diplomas, certifications, and honors. … an organized set of files containing the necessary forms for various products. … any hustle and bustle in the office to convey that we’re busily working on earning people money.
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- 43. 43 YAY! A book! Loved it!
- 44. Practical Challenges • Scheduling issues • Productivity concerns from management • Site security • Rules about photos and videos • Getting there • Considerable additional pre-planning required 44
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- 47. 2 things 1. If you’re only doing lab-based studies, you’re not getting the whole picture. 2. When you do get out of the building, be very prepared. 47
Editor's Notes
- #4: The participant room at Mediabarn in Arlington, VA, USA.
- #5: Participant room at Mediabarn in Arlington, VA, USA.
- #6: Participant room in the recently decommissioned usability lab at Fidelity Investments in Boston, MA, USA.
- #7: Participant room in the usability lab at Webcredible, a UX agency in London, UK.
- #9: People’s real workspaces don’t look like usability labs.
- #10: Ok. *Some* real workspaces kindof look like usability labs.
- #14: My own home office, circa 2009.
- #15: My home office today.
- #17: Others, not so much.
- #22: How many of you have feather boas in your labs? Moreover – what’s *not* in this photo? That’s right. The computer. When I asked people for photos of their “workspace,” this person (an elementary school administrator) didn’t even think to include their computer in the photo – a reflection of just how much their work *isn’t* about its digital components.
- #23: The computer is almost entirely out of frame, on the right.
- #27: After the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
- #29: “This is me and Verena, one of our nurses, with a bonked out diabetic hiker waiting for a litter to arrive.”
- #30: “Me, shortly after witnessing the guy at my feet pitch 40’ off a cliff sustaining multiple injuries in a remote wilderness climbing area, trying to coordinate what would eventually become a massive rescue effort culminating in a helicopter hoist.”
- #31: “Me, shortly after witnessing the guy at my feet pitch 40’ off a cliff sustaining multiple injuries in a remote wilderness climbing area, trying to coordinate what would eventually become a massive rescue effort culminating in a helicopter hoist.”
- #32: And now let’s look at some REAL workspaces.
- #39: Don't be afraid to collect a lot of artifacts. (Always with permission, of course.) Take photos – of the person's workspace, of important environmental factors, of the distance from the desk to the fax machine or printer, etc. When feasible, record short videos. Make copies of job aids people have created to help themselves with their work. Don't be afraid to ask for screen shots or to take actual physical measurements if necessary.
- #44: When you’re gathering artifacts, think about how you will use them to tell the story.
- #45: Scheduling issues When people come to you, they've set aside time to spend with you, focused on your shared goals. When you go to them, you sometimes need to work around a lot of other people's schedules as well, particularly if you're spending a whole day working with a series of people. You also need to account for your own travel time, which usually means fewer participants per day. Productivity and morale concerns from management If you're observing in a call center, they don't stop gathering statistics for that day. In that and other situations, management might be overly concerned that your presence will have a negative effect on their metrics for the day. Since politics are everywhere, there may be some issues with who does/doesn't get to participate, particularly if participant compensation is involved. Site security issues Always find out ahead of time what you need to do to enter the site/parking lot, where to park, what to tell any security personnel when you enter the building, and what documentation (driver's license, plate number, etc.) to have ready. If you need to be preregistered, make sure your on-site contact does so. Follow ALL applicable site safety rules (e.g., hard hats, eye/ear protection, etc.) - sometimes this can make data collection challenging. Rules about photos & videos Not surprisingly, companies are careful about protecting their intellectual property from competitors. You may not be allowed to collect the artifacts you'd like to. Pre-planning Organization is critical. Have all questionnaires and any other paperwork/artifacts grouped, packaged, and labeled ahead of time.
- #46: There are no copy machines in the field!
- #47: Get ALL of your paperwork together ahead of time – there will be no chances to make extra copies! I highly recommend a single manila envelope per participant, plus extra copies of all necessary paperwork.