1. 1
An Ethnographic Primer
@laura_yarrow

2. “ehipassiko”
An invitation to “come and see” in the
ancient Pali language
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3. 3
You are not a researcher.
You are an explorer of the world.

4. Today’s Itinerary 1. Introduction
2. Some concepts/lenses
3. Observation activity
4. Reporting back
5. Analysis and mapping
6. Wrap up
4

5. 5
Are your observation skills as
good as your listening and driving
skills?

6. Ethnography
ἔθνος : ethnos
"folk, people, nation“
and
γράφω : grapho
"I write"
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7. Anthropology
“The systematic study of people and cultures”
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8. What is it? ▪ Offshoot of anthropology (“What does it mean to be human?”)
▪ Complete and realistic view of natural behaviours, preferences
and day to day activities
▪ Studying users in their own natural environment
▪ A qualitative method
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Science Art
Ethnography

9. Why?
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▪ To support a designer’s deeper understanding of the design
problem
▪ Immersion is key – connections and empathy flow from it
▪ To learn more about:
- Audience(s) and people
- Culture and beliefs (“there is a god called Ganesh” / “we
believe the customer comes first”)
- Language and terminology used (“Cinema” or “Pictures”)
- Processes and information flows
- Goals
- Context(s) of use
- In other words, as much as you can possibly learn!

10. When?
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▪ Early stages of a project, to develop understanding of the design problem
▪ This helps to support future design decisions
@bradee from the
Photoshop design team

11. The good,
the bad and
the ugly...
ADVANTAGES
▪ When you are in situ, different
and unexpected issues will be
found to those in user testing.
▪ Less assumptions during
design/development
▪ Quicker to find the right
solutions
▪ Increased Customer Experience
– a relationship is built during
research
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DISADVANTAGES
▪ Time Consuming
- Planning
- Travel time
- Time in the field
- Lengthy analysis
- Extensive reporting
▪ Expensive - All of the above
costs money

12. Some
observation
concepts OBSERVE WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
Strip away preconceived perceptions,
nostalgia and judgements (“Exciting
vibrant street”)
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“ZERO’S”
What isn’t said? What is missing? Where
are the “negative” spaces?
USE DIFFERENT LENSES
Uses by different people, times of day,
lighting, seasons, smells, abilities,
sounds...
OXYMORONICALLY ASK QUESTIONS
How can something so ordinary be so
interesting?

13. Oxymoron
ὀξύς : oksús
“sharp, keen, pointed“
and
μωρός : mōros
“dull, stupid, foolish"
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14. Framing your
observations
INFORMATION FLOWS
People and systems,
hierarchies, roles,
responsibilities,
interactions
TASKS
Primary, secondary and
tertiary, task intent,
steps, possible errors
CULTURE
Beliefs, values,
frustrations, pressures,
differences, rituals or
patterns, language
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ARTEFACTS
What is found in the
space (calculators,
diaries, calendars…),
limitations, work
arounds and efficiencies
SENSORY DATA
Tangible and intangible,
music and sounds,
smells, decor, artwork,
PHYSICAL
Floor plan, list and locate
elements in a space
(printers, desks,

15. Framing your
observations
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16. Let’s explore
“Map the street” activity
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17. Map the Street
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“Find an interesting street.
Describe the street
building by building, object
by object, don’t neglect the
alley or disused building.
Pay attention to detail and
explain why the details you
choose are worth noting”.

18. Map the Room
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“Find an interesting room.
Describe the room area by
area, object by object, don’t
neglect the ‘boring’ bits.
Pay attention to detail and
explain why the details you
choose are worth noting”.

19. The intended outcome of “Mapping the street” is not to
learn about the street, but to improve our observational
skills and learn how fieldwork is located in time and place.
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Learn how to ask oxymoronically about the street.
Learn how to see the familiar as if it were unfamiliar.
To inspire us to strip away our preconceived perceptions about the place.

20. 20
The research question to guide your observations is:
How accessible is this space?

21. Research debrief
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Exploring your findings
# Where did you go?
# Did you answer the research question?
# What zeros did you find?
# Which bits were so ordinary they were
interesting?
# What surprised you?
# What cultural aspects did you observe?
# What was the most interesting sensory data?
# Any unusual artefacts?
# Did you observe any rituals?

22. Mapping
exercise
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• Using the resources on the table, map out the physical space and
overlay your findings
• Explore the relation between sociocultural behaviour and physical
environment

23. Summary • Always be looking
• Everything is interesting - especially if you
look close enough
• Alter your course
• Observe for both long and short durations
• Notice the stories that happen around you
• Notice the patterns and make connections
• Document everything - not just in words
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24. Summary
(continued)
• Observe movements of people, objects and
information
• Trace things back to their origins
• Open a dialog with the environment
• Use all of your senses when your in the
field
• All of your most important tools exist in
your body already!
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25. 25
T.S Eliot, “The four quartets”
“We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time”

26. 26
“ehipassiko”

27. Thank you for your time!
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If you have any questions please contact
me here:
▪ www.laurayarrow.net
▪ laurayarrow@gmail.com
▪ @laura_yarrow