Kelly Goto
@go2girl
#emotioneconomy
EMOTION ECONOMY:
ETHNOGRAPHY AS CORPORATE STRATEGY

EMOTION ECONOMY
Courtesy of Bespoke Innovations

theintentionalmind.com

“I believe that ethnography is so beneficial
that it will spread widely, helping firms in
every industry truly understand customers
and adapt to fast-changing markets.”
Ken Anderson, Anthropologist, Intel Research
theintentionalmind.com

Opportunity Space
TIME
COMPLEXITY Quantity & complexity
of information
Ability to deal with
quantity & complexity
of information
Zap Think LLC
COMPLEXITY vs. COPING

traditional market
research can
predict trends and
anticipate change
TIME
COMPLEXITY
stable
flux
Modified from: EPIC 2013 Proceedings: 2013 American Anthropological Association
state of market
simple complex
staticdynamic
COMPLEXITY vs. COPING

TIME
COMPLEXITY
Highly complex
market & dynamic
factors create a
cultural flux
because all areas
are moving
simultaneously.
Modified from: EPIC 2013 Proceedings: 2013 American Anthropological Association
stable
flux
state of market
simple complex
staticdynamic
COMPLEXITY vs. COPING

TIME
COMPLEXITY
Due to Cultural Flux,
probing into ‘Areas
of Interest’ reveals
opportunities for
Innovation.
Modified from: EPIC 2013 Proceedings: 2013 American Anthropological Association
stable
flux
simple complex
staticdynamic
CULTURAL / CORPORATE FLUX

Every aspect of the experience
including competition for time and
attention is in flux.
New perspectives using ethnography
are needed to establish a baseline
for strategy in today’s larger
organizations.
CULTURAL / CORPORATE FLUX
Atlas of Economic Prosperity: Atlas Research Foundation

EMOTIONAL EQUITY

Mapping Building Trigger
Affection
Feeling
Emotion
Logics
Recognition
Understanding
EMOTIONAL
LOGICAL
EMOTIONAL EQUITY
INPUT
Engineering Emotional Values in Product Design by Simon Shutte
VALUE=

VIA
EMOTIONAL EQUITY
ASPIRATION
CONNECTION
IDENTITY
TRUST
EASE-OF-USE

MEETS MY
NEEDS
IT WORKS
EMOTIONAL
LOGICAL
I LOVE IT
AWARE
(explicit)
UNAWARE
(implicit)

AWARE
(explicit)
UNAWARE
(implicit)
MEETS MY
NEEDS
EMOTIONAL
RATIONAL
easy to use
simple
efficient
personalized
sharing
intuitive
comfortable
familiar
customizable
inspiring
meaningful
portable
cool
connected
reliable
I LOVE IT
IT WORKS

AWARE
(explicit)
UNAWARE
(implicit)
EMOTIONAL
RATIONAL
simple
MEETS MY
NEEDS
ASPIRATION
EASE-OF-USE
IDENTITY
CONNECTION
TRUST

why
they do
it
what
people
do
unaware|implicit|EMOTIONAL
a w a r e | e x p l i c i t | LOGICAL
FOCUS GROUPS
FIELD STUDIES
1:1 INTERVIEWS
ONLINE SURVEYS
BIG DATA
ETHNOGRAPHY

FOCUS GROUPS
FIELD STUDIES
1:1 INTERVIEWS
ONLINE SURVEYS
BIG DATA
behavioral|attitude
e v a l u a t i v e
ETHNOGRAPHYreporting|assumptions
g e n e r a t i v e
*
data
stories
“thick data”

“Big Data reveals insights with a
particular range of data points, while
Thick Data reveals the social context of
and connections between data points. Big
Data delivers numbers; thick data
delivers stories.”
!
- Tricia Wang, EthnographyMatters.net

RAPID ETHNOGRAPHY

WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS”
I believe if they had invested a handful
of weeks in rapid ethnography, they
would have saved themselves years of
misdirected work.
- Ellen Isaacs, PARC Ethnographer

RAPID ETHNOGRAPHY
Rapid ethnography is
characterized by a short
cycle of in-depth interviews
and observation at key
contextual times. Goals are
to tell stories and reveal
insights.
!
!
!

RAPID ETHNOGRAPHY
!
• Targeted hypothesis initiated by
market research (surveys, analytics,
etc.)
• Representative sample used to
observe & create context-focused
journey maps and behavioral
personas.
• Collection methods include video
ethnography, digital diaries, micro-
surveys.
!
!
!
!

INTEGRATE
INTO CYCLES
OF INNOVATION
ETHNO PROBING: Utilize rapid
ethnography to establish areas of
priority and needs.
STORYTELLING: Tell stories via
video, audio and journey mapping
Utilize methods
alongside existing
data & research,
for both evaluative
and generative
results.
INSIGHT STUDIES: Diary Studies
over time monitor real-time,
ongoing use and retention
RAPID ETHNOGRAPHY

ETHNO-PROBING

Image from Pearson Education | gotoresearch
ETHNO-PROBING
Ethno-probing allows for a
representative sample to be
explored in depth to reveal insights
and new perspectives.
!
• N=24; N=36 Remote & In Person In
Depth Interviews (IDI’s) used for
initial data collection
• Behavioral segmentation &
emotional drivers are created.
• Insights can be further probed
using quantitative methods to
validate patterns.

ETHNO-PROBING
Ethno-probing allows for a
representative sample to be
explored in depth to reveal insights
and new perspectives.
!
• N=24; N=36 Remote & In Person In
Depth Interviews (IDI’s) used for
initial data collection
• Behavioral segmentation &
emotional drivers are created.
• Insights can be further probed
using quantitative methods to
validate patterns.

Image from Fabien Girardin
ETHNO-MINING
Ethno-mining is a combination
of ethnographic methods
blended with big data. One
method informs the other,
using initial probing to provide
insights, while using data to
probe deeper into patterns
and behavior.

Image from Social Interest Group | gotoresearch
ETHNO-MINING
!
!
• ‘Enterprise Listening’ tools provide
large scale patterns based on
sentiment on public and social
platforms
!
• ‘Sentiment Analysis’ gives hints to
reaction, attitude and behavior on
a large scale.
!
• Tools only go so far to reveal the
“what” while ethnography digs
deeper to reveal the “why.”
!

STORYTELLING

VIDEO STORYTELLING

VIDEO ETHNOGRAPHY
v
v

AUDIO STORYTELLING

BEHAVIORAL JOURNEY MAPPING
BoardingPreparing
Emotion
Behavior Journey
Pain
point
Needs
···
Place
Activity
Context
Garage at HouseHome
upsetannoyedhappy dozy embarrassed worriedboring
Purchasing
New Car Dealership
With girlfriend Driving from home to meet a customer
Product sales, in a relationship with one child (9 yrs), lives with his girlfriend and daughter in a house in the suburbs.
Reyes, Nick (30 yrs).
“Frugal Tech”
Prepares to leave home
Checks Google Maps for
arrival time and traffic
Finds a car to lease with his
partner. They will both share this
car
Needing to make compromises to
stay in budget
Likes that leasing allows him to not
be too committed to this car
Confident that he won’t have any
unexpected expenses because of
the warranty with the lease
An inexpensive and all-in-one car
Checks GasBuddy on his
phone
Brings work samples from
the trunk to the back seat
of the car
Puts personal phone in
holder on windshield
and his work phone in
cup holder
Needs one phone at
eye level to see GPS
A way to check his phones
while keeping his eyes on the
road and hands on the wheel
Retrieves keys, personal
phone and work phone
from night stand
Checks emails and texts
on his phone one last time
before leaving home
Wants to find the cheapest
gas station to stop at on
the way He wants to have these
samples handy when he
meets the client
Connects personal Android to
radio through AUX and starts
playing his favorite podcast.
He can change the volume
using the remote control for
his after-market radio that he
attached to his steering wheel.
Worried about meeting
his client on time
because he’s running
late
Needing his car to be versatile so
that it looks nice for customers but
is also a practical car for his family
Needs his car to know
where to find the cheapest
gas along his route
Finding the samples he
wants in his trunk
A better organization
system for his trunk
Behavioral Journey Mapping
allows for key segment
journeys to be documented,
allowing it to scale across
multiple demographic and
psychographic profiles.

INSIGHT STUDIES

Much of consumer behavior involves
everyday routines and practices that
consumers do not actively think about.
!
And when asked, they do not necessarily
come to talk about — or do not even
know how to talk about— these routines
and patterns.
Interpretive Marketing Research: Using Ethnography In Strategic Market Development
Johanna Moisander

INSIGHT STUDIES
Mixed methods of research are used to
gain a variety of perspectives with
studies lasting from 3-wks to 3-mos.
!
• In-Depth Contextual or Remote
Interviews are conducted at the start
and finish of the study.
!
• Ongoing Diary Studies gather self-
reported activities and moderated
prompts.
!
• Weekly remote interviews follow up
on self-reporting.
!
Insight Reviews every few weeks bring
the product or marketing team in real-
time.

Ongoing usage is mapped
back to experience,
highlighting issues, behavior
and a quantitative view of the
overall experience.
!
• These methods are scalable
and applicable to multiple
development cycles.
!
• An ongoing panel can be
created to track more than
on boarding and customer
service on a quant level.
INSIGHT STUDIES

PRODUCT MENTALITYSTRATEGY & CULTURE

TRADITIONAL
silo’d organzation

PROGRESSIVE
experience driven
UXUX
UX
UX

FROM
!
Siloed Thinking
!
Engineering / Spec-Driven
!
Marketing Mindset
!
Error Correction (i.e. blame)
!
Set Timeframe & Launch Date
Marketing Knows the Customer
Data-Driven
MATCH STRATEGY & CULTURE
TO
!
Collaborative Cross-Functional Teams
!
Experience | Ease-of-Use-Driven
!
Product Mindset
!
Iterative Cycles Naturally Improve
!
“Lean” » Adaptable Process
!
Continuous Real-Time Feedback
!
Story-Driven

“At its core, all business is
about making bets on
human behavior.”
- Wall Street Journal, March 2014
Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen

Emotion is the new brand value. It
cannot be bought, it is earned
through trust over time. If you are
not meeting actual needs, your
product will fail.
!
- Emotion Economy, Kelly Goto

Ethos, or the ethical
appeal, means to
convince an audience
of the author’s
credibility or
character. [TRUST]
Pathos, or the
emotional appeal,
means to persuade
an audience by
appealing to their
emotions. [EMOTION]
Logos, or the appeal
to logic, means to
convince an audience
by use of logic or
reason. [LOGIC]
www.phlegyas.com aristotle circa

BEYOND USABLE

BEYOND USABLE

THANK YOU!
Kelly Goto
@go2girl
kelly@gotomedia.com
kelly@gotoresearch.com