112: 4 Ethnographic Research Methods

Looking Chapter in Innovating for People: Handbook of Human-centered Design Methods.  Pittsburgh, PA: LUMA Institute, LLC 2012.  Print

1. Interviewing:
   • Gathering information through direct dialogue
   • Purpose:
     • Gain info directly.
     • Deepen empathy.
     • Build credibility with stakeholders.
     • Challenge preconceptions.
   • Preparation steps:
     • Identify interview topic.
     • Prepare questions and recording equipment.
     • Set interviewee selection criteria.
     • Recruit interviewees.
     • Set times and dates for interviews.
   • Implementation steps:
     • Introduce yourself and interview purpose.
     • Obtain consent.
     • Start with easy steps, then draw out specifics.
     • Listen and take good notes.
     • Thank interviewee.
   • Tips:
     • Choose a location with few distractions.
     • Don’t put words into interviewee’s mouth.
     • Resist urge to analyze interview info at this phase.
   • Sample Process:
     • Purpose: Conducting field research, finding data patterns, and conveying insights in a relatable form.
     • Steps:
       • Stakeholder mapping (Understanding).
       • Interviewing (Looking).
       • Affinity Clustering (Understanding).
       • Persona Profile (Understanding).
   • Classroom applications
     • Can interview students who represent interesting patterns in student needs in order to plan interventions
     • Can interview students who seem uncomfortable or unfocused in the classroom and try to learn how to refine classroom culture to suit their needs
     • Can interview successful students to identify what strategies they are using to be successful
     • Can interview unsuccessful students to identify their stuck points and possible ways to support them
2. Fly-on the-Wall Observations:
   • Conducting unobtrusive field research.
   • Purposes:
     • Reveal what people actually do.
     • Deepen empathy.
     • Challenge assumptions.
     • Build credibility with stakeholders.
   • Preparing steps:
     • Identify research topic.
     • Develop research plan.
     • Consider which people and activities to watch.
     • Choose location.
     • Obtain access and permission(s).
     • Prep materials for capturing what you see.
   • Implementation steps:
     • Observe.
     • Record findings in videos, photos and notes
   • Tips:
     • Blend in with background.
     • Take role of objective bystander
     • Change vantage points.
   • Sample Process:
     • Purpose: Using observations to inform ways of framing problems and to recruit right people for subsequent design activities.
     • Steps:
       • Fly on the Wall Observation (Looking)
       • Abstraction Laddering (Understanding)
       • Stakeholder Mapping (Understanding)
       • Round Robin (Making)
   • Classroom applications:
     • Can observe how struggling student interacts in your class and another class where they are more (or less) successful in order to identify stuck points, successful strategies and possible support
     • Can observe how a struggle team interactions in order to identify what warm and cool interactions they are having and to identify possible solutions that can improve their collaboration.
3. Contextual Inquiry
   • Interviewing and observing people in their own environment.
   • Purposes:
     • Reveal what people actually do
     • Deepen empathy
     • Challenge assumptions
     • Build credibility with stakeholders
   • Preparation steps:
     • Identify location and people involved
     • Prepare questions and recording equipment
   • Implementation steps:
     • Introduce yourself and purpose.
     • Obtain consent.
     • Ask participants to perform tasks in a normal way.
     • Observe.
     • Ask questions at opportune moments.
     • Record findings in videos, photos, etc.
     • Thank each participant.
   • Sample Process:
     • Purpose: Conducting field research, visualizing discoveries and determining direction for ideation.
     • Steps:
       • Contextual Inquiry (Looking)
       • Experience Diagraming (Understanding)
       • Rose, Thorn, Bud (Understanding)
   • Classroom applications:
     • Can investigate how students solve content problems in order to learn about what strategies they are using (and not using) to be successful
     • Can investigate how teams set and implement goals in order to learn what collaboration strategies they are using and need to learn to be more successful
4. Walk-a-Mile Immersion:
   • Building empathy through firsthand experience
   • Purposes:
     • Gain firsthand knowledge
     • Foster humility
     • Deepen empathy
     • Inform subsequent research
   • Preparation Steps:
     • Identify experience to replicate.
     • Choose performance tasks and activities.
     • Assemble materials for simulation.
     • Determine best location.
     • Obtain necessary access and permission.
   • Implementation Steps:
     • Conduct target tasks.
     • Do each activity as realistically as possible.
     • Note findings.
   • Sample Process:
     • Purpose: Conducting an immersion experience and using insights to set direction for problem solving
     • Steps:
       • Personal Profile (Understanding)
       • Walk-a-Mile Immersion (Looking)
       • Statement Starters (Understanding)
   • Classroom Applications:
     • Could use this method to try out upcoming classroom activities and search for possible stuck points and areas in need of revision
     • Could use a version of this method to understand the workload that students accumulate across a day and brainstorm strategies to help them manage that workload

 

• For teacher use (researching students):
  • Decide research topics (examples: how do students conduct research, how do they study, how do they set team goals)
  • Select method(s) that will help gather most useful information related to research topics
• For student use (researching stakeholders for project):
  • Brainstorm research topics in projects that lend themselves to ethnographic research methods
  • Design resources that help students prepare and implement methods.  See above.

• For teacher use (researching students):
  • Implement ethnographic research methods
  • Follow-up with understanding steps.  See hyperlinks above for ideas.
• For student use (researching stakeholders for project):
  • Scaffold ethnographic research activities (preparation and implementation)
  • Follow-up with understanding activities.  See hyperlinks above for ideas.

• For teacher use (researching students):
  • Share findings with students and have them reflect on whether or not the findings have any validity.
  • Develop interventions that address verified findings.
• For student use (researching stakeholders for project):
  • Have students reflect on ethnographic research methods – how did it work?  what assumptions were challenged? what new things were learned? what new ideas were inspired? how can this approach be used in other settings?

 

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