Web sites and other technology-based information systems satisfy needs related to a particular task, goal, or need. There is an activity context that is larger than the system’s role in customer satisfaction. That context is usually tied to a location, and that location is where the ethnographic study should take place. It is usually a simple matter to determine the best location.
For example, suppose you are responsible for a web site that sells women’s shoes. An ethnographic approach to researching the needs of women buying shoes online could be to visit the shoe closets of a sample of women in the target demographic, asking them about their current shoes, why and how they purchased the shoes they have, their total spend, their tendencies in terms of style, materials, cost, etc. If there are retail stores associated with the web site, you would probably want to conduct observation and shop-alongs in stores. This research could be conducted more easily in a lab or meeting room setting, but the data captured on site is likely to be much richer in terms of emotions, decision-making criteria, and purchase case histories, giving the work contextual authenticity that is difficult to generate from interview data alone.
It is usually a straightforward process to determine the best location for ethnographic research. Admittedly, it is not always easy or financially feasible to set up a study in that location.
Copyright 2010, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)
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Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (www.usography.com) design strategy, e-commerce, ethnography, methodology, qualitative research