Ethnographers must be prepared to conduct research in varied and challenging environments. They should bring portable gear, dress comfortably, and plan for unexpected interruptions, conditions, and changes to their planned observations. Above all, ethnographers need to be flexible, open-minded, and able to adapt to what they encounter in order to gather useful insights from their research.
4. Knowledge is Power
âą Who you are meeting
âą What gear to bring
âą Where - logistics to get there
âą Logistics to next location â allow time
âą Do a walk/map through
âą Plan for bio breaks
5. Gear To Bring
âą Pockets
âą Pens and notepad
âą Recording Equipment
âą Water, Clif Bar (crushable)
âą Wallet (with cash)
âą Extension cords, extra batteries, etc.
6. Pockets
âą Breathable travel vest
âą Easy access to:
â Small gear
â Two pens
â Small notepad
â Water bottle, snack
âą Ability to be hands free
â Climbing
â Gear protection
ScottVest - www.scottevest.com/
12. Kids, Pets, Chaos
âą Prepare for the
unexpected
âą Allergic reactions
âą Kids
âą Clutter and cleanliness
13. Physically Active Participants
âą Keep up!
â Be prepared for the length of the study
âą Sound considerations
â Stay mobile with small technology
â Get close to participant without being too close
14. Public Spaces
âą Everyone may feel
compromised
âą Be aware
â Create/find smaller
spaces
â Speak quietly if possible
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justaslice/6254973009/sizes/m/in/photolist-awJnye-cbSp23-bopgBH-9qKgT3-a2QHaG-85eBDv-ddmwdC-aWZKQp-ddmvTP-
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Some rights reserved by Slices of Light: http://www.flickr.com/photos/justaslice/
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
17. Interruptions
âą Allow reasonable ones (phone, bio, etc.)
âą Incessant external or nearby noises
âą Pets, kids, etc.
âą Case Study: Help desk and noise level
âą Consider rescheduling/cancelling
18. The Show Must Go On
âą Loss of power, or no
power
â Paper printouts
â Battery power (limited)
â back-up power generator
âą No connectivity
â Phone tether
â Offline solution
19. Prepare for the Unexpected
âą A virus attack. Whoops! Plans change
âą Observations mobile instead of in an office
20. Non-Observations
âą Work has been planned out âjust for youâ
âą Case Study 1:
â Planned: a site visit and observation of workers.
â Actual: a meeting room with execs âexplaining
thingsâ.
âą Case Study 2: Multi-day installation
23. When It Doesnât Go as PlannedâŠ
âą Case Study 1:
â Planned: European conference with small
participatory sessions
â Actual: âAudience participationâ not typical.
âą Case Study 2:
â Planned: Ethnographic research with users
â Actual: Not allowed to speak with users or even
observe them
25. Summary
âą Be flexible and adapt
â People
â Conditions
âą Be open to opportunities
â Unexpected situations
âą Go light and portable
âą Never miss an opportunity for
â Food
â Water
â Bio-break
26. Contact Us
âą Thyra Rauch
âą IBM
âą trauch@us.ibm.com
âą +1 (408) 463-2465
âą Carol Smith
âą Goodyear
âą CarolJ_Smith@goodyear.com
âą +1 (773) 218-6568
Notas do Editor
Be a Girl Scout â always prepared!
It was a very cold (and early) morning.I had not experienced racingpreviously. Before heading to the race track there was a lot of physical preparation. I needed to determine what to wear to keep warm for a full day of outdoor observations while being able to carry what Ineeded (recording equipment, note taking equipment, phone, etc.), keep it accessible and dry.Upon arriving, it became clear that recording would be another challenge during races because the noise was deafening at points. Most of the work that needed to be conducted would be in the infield area, but there was no obvious organization and the area was large. Luckily, the racers were very friendly and I was able to take my time observing various individuals and most of the recordings turned out well.
Gear â protection from head to toeHard hat (construction sites, mines, some manufacturing)Ear protection â throw it in your bag â always helpfulEye protection (construction sites, mines, manufacturing, warehouses, etc.)Foot protection â fiberglass toes are best. These can be helpful even when just mowing the yard
Alignment in the field
Temperatures can changeMicro-climates are common (snow in AZ, cold in San Francisco)Precipitation can weak havoc on equipment and your state of mindResults can be messy â dress accordingly
Donât make yourself at homeNo bio breaks in the homeResist offers of food/drinkCan lead to expectations of reciprocity
Allergic reactions (yours and theirs)Kids â showing you all manner of thingsBe PoliteDonât be alone with children (ever!)Clutter â hoarders are more common than you might think. Some are âcleanâ and some are nasty. Do what you can to document without overly embarrassing the participant (e.g. donât ask âwhat are you going to do with all this stuff?â
Two hour tours of facilities, walking on cement in new boots is exhausting
AirplanesHospitals - HIPPA
--> Was at a customer site to observe some help desk operations and was just amazed how they heard or communicated anything with each other as the noise level was just incredible (needless to say, recording that session was out)
Carolâs Story (to be printed in Moderation Book)Contracting to a large company in a big suburban office park. Driving in, everything had seemed ok despite the bad weather, But as I came into the building I noticed that the lights seemed dimmer than normal. I hurried to the testing lab and when I got there found that the lights were not working. Luckily there was a lot of natural light from large windows across one side of the room. It was too late to contact participants as this was a relatively large city and participants were most likely in route and were to arrive fairly soon.Luckily all of the consent forms and other supporting documentation were ready to go. The study was to test a clickable prototype on a desktop computer running Morae. Someone had either planned for such an instance or we got very lucky as the testing machines were all plugged into outlets connected to the back-up power generator. As participants arrived, I explained the situation to them and told them that if it made them uncomfortable we could try to reschedule. I was especially concerned because I needed to walk them down a very dark hallway prior to entering the testing room. I cannot think of a more stressful way to enter a study if the dark makes you nervous.This situation only affected a few participants and they were very understanding. I was careful to make sure the participants felt safe before beginning each session. By the third participant that day the power came back on and I continued the study without further issues. Having the necessary documents prepared ahead of time was a lifesaver. As much as possible I try to continue to plan for each dayâs testing the day before. Regardless, it was pleasantly surprising how much we could do without electricity!
Arrived at a customer site to observe an install just after a major virus had hit and things were in chaos  (whoops!  plans change) --> Was at a customer site to do some observations and ended up following the key person from building to building all over the "campus" and trying to record things as I went and interactions were happening along the way (supposed to be sitting in an office)
The two international "incidents" I've had was one with a European customer -- was supposed to do a site visit and observe, and ended up in a meeting room with the execs telling me how things should be done. Themulti-day installation story : went to see a customer install a piece of software. Not only did it take days, but NOTHING was happening during the install time while the machine churned away with no feedback nor progress indication. Needless to say, I had a LOT of time to do other things while we âwaitedâ.
Two researchers were doing a ride-along with a retired woman on a dreary early spring morning. It was chilly but the rain had stopped and the conditions were improving.Regardless of that, the participant kept her windshield wipers on for the entire time and put the heat on.There came a point where I literally was concerned for my health. I assumed my colleague in the back seat was slightly better off, but I didnât realize that she was beyond car-sick at this point and suffered silently.I stopped the interview and asked the driver if she minded if I closed the vents (hoping she would take the hint). Luckily she did and shut off the heat.We were very happy when we arrived at the next stop.I generally try to never concern others with my personal comfort when Iâm interviewing them, but this was one of those situations where I needed to act outside of the concerns of the study.
Taco holder driving stick shift
And, also in Europe while doing small sessions in conjunction with a customer conference, I was naively pressing the European and Asian audience to "get up and participate" to give feedback on personas, critical tasks and needed functions, and they kept looking at me like I had 3 holes in my head. (Didn't think to find out that "audience participation" was not exactly expected there.) Even worse, English was 2nd language at best. Amazingly enough, they did participate finally after I demonstrated what I wanted them to do, and got really good feedback. But, I learned that boning up on the different cultures and expectations is important.
People change. Even if you had planned to meet with one person, a personnel change may have occurred. That new person may give you a different opportunity to observe and interview someone in the process of learning.Conditions change: e.g, may be way noisier than expected and recordings may not work wellOpportunities: eg. Virus attack and being able to observe an unplanned situationYou should always be prepared for your own comfort and needs. I have had expected âLunch hoursâ run up to 2 hours later than planned or people that never seemed to stop for a break. Speak up nicely.