To gain insights into users' behaviour and experiences, you must understand their environment and interactions. But how do you do that? Ethnographic field research is the key.
Ethnographic field research involves observing and interacting with users in their natural environments. This method helps UX researchers understand how people interact with products or services in real-life contexts. It's focused on uncovering users' needs, behaviors, and challenges to inform user-centered design. Also, the research provides insights that go beyond what users can say in interviews or surveys.
Ethnographic Field Research is your great ally in understanding user behavior and experiences. Here, we outline the major advantages of this approach, showcasing its impact on gathering deep, contextual insights:
Deep user insights
This method provides a profound understanding of user behavior, preferences, and needs. It captures nuances and details that surveys or interviews might miss.
Contextual understanding
Ethnographic research reveals how users interact with products in their actual environment. It highlights the influence of environmental, social, and cultural factors on user experiences.
Identification of unarticulated needs
By observing users in their natural settings, it uncovers needs and frustrations that users might not be able to articulate. This leads to a more comprehensive understanding of the user experience.
Empathy building
Immersion in the user's environment allows researchers to develop a deeper empathy for the users. This empathy is crucial for designing solutions that truly resonate with user needs.
Innovation and creativity
Real-world insights can inspire innovative design solutions that are closely aligned with actual user behaviors and needs. It fosters creativity by exposing designers to user experiences they might not have considered.
Assumption validation
Ethnographic research helps in validating or challenging the assumptions made during the design process. Ensuring that the product or service aligns with real user habits and needs enhances its relevance and effectiveness.
While doing ethnographic field research for our clients, we prioritise a nuanced understanding of group dynamics and individual behaviors. Our methodology is specifically designed to align with each project's unique context and client objectives. We leverage a combination of observational and interview techniques to provide comprehensive insights.
Take a look at the key pillars of our approach:
We give priority to the context in our ethnographic research, understanding its critical role in shaping group experiences. This approach helps us gain in-depth insights into the specific settings and situations of the groups studied.
We tailor our methods to each client's needs. Our research is uniquely designed for precision and relevance. This customization ensures that the insights we provide are directly aligned with client objectives and will help them reach their business goals.
By combining passive observation with diverse interview methods, including IDI and freeform interviews, we capture a well-rounded view. This blend allows us to observe actual behaviors and gather articulated user insights.
Our focus on observing consumer behaviors helps us delve into how different contexts influence their actions and choices. Through this analysis, we uncover the subtle nuances that drive consumer decisions and experiences.
“The research capacity is impressive. The quality of the research carried out is very high.”
Marcin Wcisło
Head of E-commerce Experience Design, Eobuwie
[ Methods & Tools ]
Choosing the right user research methods is crucial to keeping your customers satisfied. We'll help you translate your deep understanding of market demand into products and services your users will love.
Desk Research
Ethnographic Field Research
Quantitative Research
Trends Analysis
Personas
Tree Testing
Concept Testing
Hypothesis Validation
UX Audit
Competitor Analysis
Benchmarking
Stakeholder Interviews
Focus Groups
Market Analysis
Product Surveys
UX Audit and Heuristic Evaluation
[ Clients ]
“We’ll keep them hiring for every project in the future.”
Kornel Kulisiewicz
Business development director, PWC
“Our customer acquisition cost went down by about 50%. Our sales skyrocketed.”
David Winter
Co-FOUNDER, MUSCAT
“We were surprised how quickly they delivered everything we asked for.”
Bernard Golko
Chief Digital officer, onnibus
[ Process ]
[ work with us ]
Klaudia Doerffer
Head of RESEARCH
Prefer e-mail? [email protected]
Prefer e-mail? [email protected]
Your message has been sent successfully.
