Ethnography
Ethnography
Delve into people's real-world contexts and gain rich insights. Unbundle social and cultural fabrications to understand people through their worldviews
Delve into people's real-world contexts and gain rich insights. Unbundle social and cultural fabrications to understand people through their worldviews
What is it?
What is it?
Ethnography is a research method that involves observing, conversing, engaging, and deeply understanding people in their everyday contexts. Ethnography, originated in Anthropology, centres around immersion, empathy, and interpretation not only as a form of data collection, but as a method to make sense of lived experiences.
In design, ethnography is used to uncover meanings, behaviours, beliefs, and needs that are shaped by the social and cultural systems. The method is especially useful to move beyond assumptions and understand what really matters for participants from their perspectives.
Ethnography can help designers understand systems from within, reveal contradictions, and challenge biases. It is especially effective for making sense of complex social phenomena with high ambiguity.
Ethnography is a research method that involves observing, conversing, engaging, and deeply understanding people in their everyday contexts. Ethnography, originated in Anthropology, centres around immersion, empathy, and interpretation not only as a form of data collection, but as a method to make sense of lived experiences.
In design, ethnography is used to uncover meanings, behaviours, beliefs, and needs that are shaped by the social and cultural systems. The method is especially useful to move beyond assumptions and understand what really matters for participants from their perspectives.
Ethnography can help designers understand systems from within, reveal contradictions, and challenge biases. It is especially effective for making sense of complex social phenomena with high ambiguity.
"What people say, what people do, and what people say they do are completely different things"
"What people say, what people do, and what people say they do are completely different things"
Margaret Mead, Anthropologist
Margaret Mead, Anthropologist
Why Ethnography?
Why Ethnography?
Much of design research tends to ask: What do users want? But ethnography digs deeper. It asks: What are they actually doing? What makes them or influence them to do the things they do? How do they understand what they do?
In the business-as-usual contexts, speed is perceived to be of the utmost importance. Doing research in such space often pushes designers to rely on what they have at hand, namely, the metrics, user tests, and surveys. While these methods have their strengths, they can miss the power dynamic and nuances that most likely influence the real behaviour of the people.
Ethnography as a method of contextual inquiry provides a lens to understand what people say or do, but why. It helps designers identify unarticulated needs and expose unintended consequences. For complex or sensitive challenges like designing for healthcare, public services, marginalised communities, or climate transitions, ethnography is invaluable.
Much of design research tends to ask: What do users want? But ethnography digs deeper. It asks: What are they actually doing? What makes them or influence them to do the things they do? How do they understand what they do?
In the business-as-usual contexts, speed is perceived to be of the utmost importance. Doing research in such space often pushes designers to rely on what they have at hand, namely, the metrics, user tests, and surveys. While these methods have their strengths, they can miss the power dynamic and nuances that most likely influence the real behaviour of the people.
Ethnography as a method of contextual inquiry provides a lens to understand what people say or do, but why. It helps designers identify unarticulated needs and expose unintended consequences. For complex or sensitive challenges like designing for healthcare, public services, marginalised communities, or climate transitions, ethnography is invaluable.
“Quantitative research will measure pervasiveness of things we already know, and qualitative research will uncover things we don’t know much about.”
“Quantitative research will measure pervasiveness of things we already know, and qualitative research will uncover things we don’t know much about.”
Core principles and mindset shifts*
Core principles and mindset shifts*
Nature of knowledge
Ethnography is an interpretive research paradigm, which emphasises that there is no single "objective" truth. Human construct experiences based on their beliefs, values, and previous experience. For this reason, contexts are extremely relevant in ethnography.
Ethnography is an interpretive research paradigm, which emphasises that there is no single "objective" truth. Human construct experiences based on their beliefs, values, and previous experience. For this reason, contexts are extremely relevant in ethnography.
Investigating culture
Ethnography studies culture as a lived experience. It explores how people interact within cultural systems by revealing the underlying assumptions embedded in daily practices. In ethnography, researchers balances insider and outsider perspectives to understand how individual experiences shape and are shaped by broader social norms.
Ethnography studies culture as a lived experience. It explores how people interact within cultural systems by revealing the underlying assumptions embedded in daily practices. In ethnography, researchers balances insider and outsider perspectives to understand how individual experiences shape and are shaped by broader social norms.
Role of researcher
Ethnography questions the notion of researcher objectivity. It sees the researcher as a participant in the research process, whose background and perspective inevitably influence the study. This encourages researchers to actively reflect on and disclose their assumptions, beliefs, and positionality
Ethnography questions the notion of researcher objectivity. It sees the researcher as a participant in the research process, whose background and perspective inevitably influence the study. This encourages researchers to actively reflect on and disclose their assumptions, beliefs, and positionality
*Summarised from Draper J (2015) Ethnography: principles, practice and potential.
*Summarised from Draper J (2015) Ethnography: principles, practice and potential.
Ethnography & Design
Ethnography & Design
Ethnography is the key research method in social and cultural anthropology. In the past, researchers would conduct prolonged field study by immersing themselves in often indigenous or non-Western societies to understand their worldviews from the inside.
In Design, ethnographic methods started to gain influence in the 1980s through the subfields like Participatory Design and Human-Centred Design. Since then, we have seen pioneers like Lucy Suchman at XeroX PARC and Genevieve Bell at Intel who adopted ethnographic methods to uncover workplace interactions and influence the early stages of technology design.
Today, design ethnography shows up in many disciplines such as service design, user experience, product strategy, architecture, and speculative design. It is often used in combination with other methods like interviews, visual mapping, or co-design.
Ethnography is the key research method in social and cultural anthropology. In the past, researchers would conduct prolonged field study by immersing themselves in often indigenous or non-Western societies to understand their worldviews from the inside.
In Design, ethnographic methods started to gain influence in the 1980s through the subfields like Participatory Design and Human-Centred Design. Since then, we have seen pioneers like Lucy Suchman at XeroX PARC and Genevieve Bell at Intel who adopted ethnographic methods to uncover workplace interactions and influence the early stages of technology design.
Today, design ethnography shows up in many disciplines such as service design, user experience, product strategy, architecture, and speculative design. It is often used in combination with other methods like interviews, visual mapping, or co-design.
How to get started?
How to get started?
Shadow participants in their context
Instead of bringing people into a lab or interview room, go to their world. For example, observe them through their workday, morning routine, or a key tasks and ask document your observations. Pay attention to not just what they do, but how they do it, where they hesitate, and notice what they ignore.
Instead of bringing people into a lab or interview room, go to their world. For example, observe them through their workday, morning routine, or a key tasks and ask document your observations. Pay attention to not just what they do, but how they do it, where they hesitate, and notice what they ignore.
Participant observation
Choose a person or role relevant to your design challenge and spend a day in their shoes. You can ask to follow them along throughout their day and whenever possible participate in their activities they do. Use what anthropologists call participant observation: be with them, do what they do, and absorb the context.
Choose a person or role relevant to your design challenge and spend a day in their shoes. You can ask to follow them along throughout their day and whenever possible participate in their activities they do. Use what anthropologists call participant observation: be with them, do what they do, and absorb the context.
Share stories, not insights
The uniqueness of ethnography as a method is its pathway to richness of behaviour, context, and emotions. When presenting your research, use rich descriptions to move beyond static bullet points of insights. Tell stories and share photos, audio clips, sketches, or journeys if the participants have given consent. Storytelling is an ethical and emotional bridge to real human insight.
The uniqueness of ethnography as a method is its pathway to richness of behaviour, context, and emotions. When presenting your research, use rich descriptions to move beyond static bullet points of insights. Tell stories and share photos, audio clips, sketches, or journeys if the participants have given consent. Storytelling is an ethical and emotional bridge to real human insight.
Visualise the system
Try creating a visual relationship map, activity flow, or spatial diagram based on your observations. These help you see connections, hierarchies, and patterns that might not show up in interview transcripts. Workshop tools or hand-drawn sketches are great for this.
Try creating a visual relationship map, activity flow, or spatial diagram based on your observations. These help you see connections, hierarchies, and patterns that might not show up in interview transcripts. Workshop tools or hand-drawn sketches are great for this.
Practice cultural interpretation
When analysing your notes or recordings, don’t jump straight to “insights.” Instead, try writing a narrative that captures the scene, emotions, relationships, and contradictions you observed. Reflect on your own biases, and ask what might be invisible to you.
When analysing your notes or recordings, don’t jump straight to “insights.” Instead, try writing a narrative that captures the scene, emotions, relationships, and contradictions you observed. Reflect on your own biases, and ask what might be invisible to you.
Practice cultural interpretation
When analysing your notes or recordings, don’t jump straight to “insights.” Instead, try writing a narrative that captures the scene, emotions, relationships, and contradictions you observed. Reflect on your own biases, and ask what might be invisible to you.
Further reading
Further reading
HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHNOGRAPHY?
HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHNOGRAPHY?
HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHNOGRAPHY?
Have experience with this method?
Have experience with this method?
We welcome contributions from practitioners, researchers, and educators who’ve worked with this method in practice. Help expand our collective knowledge by sharing your perspective.
We welcome contributions from practitioners, researchers, and educators who’ve worked with this method in practice. Help expand our collective knowledge by sharing your perspective.
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