A talk as part of the 'Lifting the lid on ethnographic research' event for The Research Thing. http://www.meetup.com/researchthing/events/150350262/ What’s it like to conduct ethnography for an e-commerce website? Among practical tips and tricks for conducting your ethnography project, this presentation will answer questions such as: • What can an organisation gain from ethnography? • How does ethnography fit into a holistic UX research approach? • How can we get execs to say “Yes” to ethnography (and fund it!) • How do I avoid common pitfalls?

1. Ethnography for
e-Commerce
Annette Priest
The Research Thing
Lifting the Lid on Ethnographic Research
London - December 2013

2. What can we learn from
ethnography?

3. Source: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/

4. Goals
Show what real life is like for customers
Share the participant stories and show
what a real purchase is like
Give the sponsor things to think about

5. Support Call
Center
Sales Call
Center
A/B
Testing
Usability
Testing
A/B
Testing
Usability
Testing
Usability
Testing

6. Support Call
Center
Sales Call
Center
A/B
Testing
Usability
Testing
A/B
Testing
Usability
Testing
Ethnography
Usability
Testing

7. Photo credit: Matt Gibson, Flickr: gothick_matt

8. Reasons to fund ethnography
Your competition is eating your lunch

9. Reasons to fund ethnography
Your competition is eating your lunch
Your leaders actually *are* leaders

10. Reasons to fund ethnography
Your competition is eating your lunch
Your leaders actually *are* leaders
Organizational maturity

11. Reasons to fund ethnography
Your competition is eating your lunch
Your leaders actually *are* leaders
Organizational maturity
Open to or seeking innovation and change

12. Reasons to fund ethnography
Your competition is eating your lunch
Your leaders actually *are* leaders
Organizational maturity
Open to or seeking innovation and change
Desire to understand real world experience

13. Reasons to fund ethnography
Your competition is eating your lunch
Your leaders actually *are* leaders
Organizational maturity
Open to or seeking innovation and change
Desire to understand real world experience
...and ecosystem of competitors

14. Empathy for executives

16. “All service, therefore, which a
man can perform for humanity
must serve to promote truth.”
- Franz Boaz

17. WARNING!

18. Avoid ethnography if...
The site is in “crisis” or fire fighting mode.
Your budget is so limited that you can’t answer basic
UX questions with quicker, lower cost tools.
Your UX team does not have political capital with the
organization.
Your execs do not value UX.
Your execs are more interested in promoting their
own agenda that than getting at the truth.

20. Cross Cultural Universals

21. 3 Phases to Buying
Research
Consideration
Purchase

22. Compelling

23. http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2012/07/10/
measuring-money-left-on-the-table-movingbeyond-conversion-rates-part-5/

25. Business Needs
vs.
User Needs

27. Goals
Show what real life is like for customers
Share the participant stories and show
what a real purchase is like
Give the sponsor things to think about

28. Learn
Buy
Use

29. Coordination with other
departments and
functions is critical

30. Prepare to negotiate

31. Recruiting Consumers
Currently own a personal computer
Have purchased any electronics or computer related item online in the past
year
Shared or primary decision makers for computer purchase
Must purchase a system (notebook or desktop) in the next 2 months
Must make this purchase online
Plan to spend $1000+
Security (cannot work in computers), past participation (six months)
Likelihood of 60/40 sponsor/Non-sponsor (Non-sponsor split among top 3
competitors)
½ persona profile for self service users & ½ persona profile for people who
need assistance

32. Recruiting Consumers
A good mix of gender (relatively even split)
Income: minimum HHI $50-60K
Ethnicity: representative mix for local market
Marital status: recruit a good mix.
Presence of children: recruit a good mix (with at least ½ having kids.)
Education: must have at least some college—preferably a four year
degree
Employment status: mix of full- and part-time employees, full/part-time
students, homemakers

33. Recruiting Small Biz
Primary decision making authority or high degree of influence for computer
purchases within the organization
Security (cannot work in advertising, market research, software/hardware
development, web design, e-commerce, computer manufacturer/retailer), past
participation (six months)
Purchased a personal computer with the past 24 months
Will purchase a system (notebook or desktop) in the next 2 months
Must make this purchase online
Likelihood of 60/40 Sponsor/Non-Sponsor(Non-Sponsor split among top 4
competitors)
½ Very Small Business (less than 10 employees) & ½ Larger Small Business
(10-200 employees)
Must have used the internet to have made at least one product purchase in the
past year (must be a computer, software, peripheral or electronic device)
Aged 25 - 60
Must not be negatively pre-disposed towards purchasing from sponsor
Strive for a 50/50 mix of men and women

34. Recruiting Small Biz
Attributes common to all Small Business respondents
Company size less than 25 employees
Technology purchases are a responsibility, but not the primary/only role
Can be any title within the organization, as long as primary decision
maker
Attributes common to all Medium Business respondents
Company size 25- 200 pp
Must have an IT-related title, or be consistently responsible for
recommending technology products for purchase.

35. MARKETING PERSONA Assistance Seeker
Demographic profiles represented; Mix of M & F
Representation from married females, with kids under 18 in HH, works at least part-time, college educated
Representation from married females, 25-44, single, no kids in HH, works full-time, college educated
Representation from married male, empty nester, 50-64
Representation from married male, with kids under 18 in HH, works at least part-time, college educated
Purchase behavior
Consider talking to rep on the phone or at a kiosk
Would consider purchasing at retail
Purchase (plan to purchase) extended warranty for computer
Must visit retail store as part of the learn/research phase of buying new computer
PC Usage / Technology Attitudes
Primary user of computer purchased or plan to purchase
Use computer at home for 7+ hours per week
Use computer for a variety of purposes, beyond email and Internet surfing. Must select 2 uses from list in
addition to email and Internet surfing
Consider themselves at least an advanced user
Purchase Attitudes - How much do you value the following when choosing a computer or other technology
products to purchase (top 2 box on 7-point scale):
Face-to-face sales interaction
The recommendations of friends and family
Offers the highest quality computers
Offers the best service and support

36. MARKETING PERSONA Self Service Techie
Demographic profiles represented
Majority male
Younger 25-44
75% married, 25% not married
Half with kids in household
Higher income, $100K+
Learn / Purchase behavior (plan to purchase behavior)
Likely to research computer product online
Likely to visit computer manufacturer’s website
Others tend to come to me for technology advice
PC Usage / Technology Attitudes
Primary user of computer purchased or plan to purchase
Use computer at home for 10+ hours per week
Use computer for a variety of purposes, beyond email and Internet surfing. Must select 2 uses from
list in addition to email and Internet surfing
Consider themselves at least an advanced/expert user
Purchase Attitudes - How much do you value the following when choosing a computer or other technology
products to purchase (top 2 box on 7-point scale):
Offers flexibility in picking the features I want

38. Documenting for digestion

39. Summary of Participants

42. Summary of Findings

43. Purchase Findings
Too many model and specification choices in the browse path
...confused by the number of choices available, cannot easily determine
what they need.
Help Me Choose content needs to be clear and accurate
Although willing to upgrade components, many do not because the
justification to upgrade is not available in the HMC content.
Warranty options before Configuration cause problems
Most default just to proceed to Config quickly, with one even aborting the
purchase process in frustration.
The language used throughout manufacturer’s sites is “too technical”
Even IT-savvy SMB participants appreciate layman’s terms where possible,
versus internal nomenclature or industry jargon.

44. Out of Box Findings
Most are surprised with the form factor of the system upon receipt
Most respondents are pleasantly surprised by the size and aesthetics of
their system, claiming they were unprepared for this from the online
experience
Respondents do not appreciate pre-installed software
Many respondents (particularly those in the business segment) are unhappy
with having pre-installed software on their system.
Overall network connectivity is a key point of success in the OOB experience.
Many stop the out-of-box experience at the point of connecting to the
internet and take a break before installing software & transferring files.
Instructions, manuals and tutorials are largely ignored.
Respondents almost always throw away printed promotional materials.

45. Background and
motivation

46. SMB Participant Stories: Chris – “The Hands-On Technologist”
! The Story – Chris is a lawyer at a small law firm. He is extremely busy and
makes his technology purchases when he gets time between client visits.
He is the de-facto “tech guy” for the firm, whereby other lawyers ask him for
his opinion on technology purchases. However, the firm does have an
outsourced IT company for networking and technology setup. Chris makes
his own business technology purchases and decisions.
! Driver of Purchase – He is purchasing this computer for a secretary in the
office. In total, he expects the purchase will take him approximately 5
minutes. He is buying a desktop for the office that is as “straightforward” as
possible. The computer will be used primarily for database, calendar and
word processing applications, and does not need to be “high end.”

47. Snapshots

48. SMB Respondents: Very Small Business (1-9)
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Name: Peter
Age: 50 s
Location: Irondequoit, NY
Profession: Senior Financial Consultant
Purchases: Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook
Spends: $1615.42
Driver of Purchase: His current Dell notebook
computer is overheating and he is under
pressure to buy a new computer, so as not to
slow down his productivity. While Dell has
offered to fix it for free, he is still going to
update his setup with a new computer. He still
plans on getting his old computer fixed.
Upgrades
! Upgrades to high resolution
glossy screen
! Upgrades wireless card to 11
a/g
! Upgrades to 85Whr 9 cell
Lithium battery
! Upgrades Microsoft Office
Small Business 2007

49. Snapshots
+
Milestones

50. Consumer Respondents: Self Service Techies
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Name: Shelly
Age: 40 s
Location: Leroy, NY
Computer Expertise: Very advanced PC user,
can solve most of own PC issues and other
people come for help with their own PC
problems.
Profession: Telecom Analyst
Purchases: Dell Inspiron 1521 Notebook with
AMD Turion 64x2 1.8 GHz
Spends: $916.92
Driver of Purchase: Shelly needs a new laptop
computer for a new part-time real estate job.
She has a Dell desktop currently, and is happy
overall with the Dell brand. She wants mobility
with a lot of hard drive space for high resolution
images she will take of houses with her high
end Kodak camera. Price and color (pink) were
primary drivers of her decision.
Upgrades
! Free 2 GB RAM Upgrade
! Free 160 GB HD Upgrade
! Buys Belkin Messenger bag
for $50

51. Milestones - Service Techie
Participant - Shelly
1: Starts at digitaldeals.net
2: Goes to newegg.com to look for prices and featured items.
3: Goes to Google and types in “Inspiron 1521 review”, goes to Cnet which
is the first returned search result.
4: Reads review on Cnet.
5: Hits browser back button, reviews prior Google search results, and clicks
lower link in the list for another review at uk.shopping.com (Shopping
Compare), scans briefly.
6: Types in www.dell.com
7: Selects model and pricing on series page.
8: Configures and selects pink color, and buys a pink bag.
9: Adds to Cart and signs in with preexisting Dell account.
10: Enters credit card info and reviews thank you confirmation screen to
complete purchase.

52. Snapshots
+
Video
+
Detailed Perspective
in Context

53. Consumer Respondents: Self Service Techies
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Name: Fred & Cathy
Age: 30 s
Location: Pittsford, NY
Computer Expertise: Very advanced PC and
internet user, can solve most complex
problems that arise
Professions: President Of Small Company/
Homemaker
Purchases: Mac Mini with 1.66 GHz Intel Core
Duo, 80 GB GD and 1 GB RAM.
Spends: $1059.48
Driver of Purchase: Their old desktop
computer is outdated and they are
considering a new computer for their
daughter. However, they are considering
options for themselves as well (should they
come across viable options during the
research and purchase process).
Upgrades
! Adds a wireless keyboard and
mouse

54. Consumer Stories: Fred & Cathy – “The Mac Switchers”
! Purchase Context – Although Fred is the primary interviewee, Cathy
becomes part of the 3+ hour interview and has a significant influence in the
final decision. The purchase is made in their home office, where they have
two desktop computers (one for the family and one for the children), as well
as a notebook computer. They have two desks that are shared by the
family. Throughout the interview, there are many interruptions, including
their daughter needing attention and the phone ringing multiple times. The
interview moves late into the night, and fatigue plays a factor in the process.

56. Frustration
“The thing is interesting to
me…I’m a pretty darn
sophisticated user. I have
an electrical engineering
degree…and I have no
clue how to do this. How
does the average person
do this?” – Fred (SST)
“I so am willing to pay to not
be frustrated…That is why I
buy things online. I don’t
browse. I don’t like
shopping. I like to go. I like
to find what I want. And I’m
willing to pay for it…I’m
willing to pay more to get
what I want…There is totally
the convenience factor for
me…The goal is to
complete this tonight and
I’m tired and we’ve gotten
nowhere on the Dell site.
And I’m pissed off.” – Cathy
(AS)

57. The Purchase Process
Narrowing
Competitive
Choices
Browsing
Comparing
Systems &
Specs
Configuring
Cart
& Checkout
Confirm
Customer Experience
! Perceived website ease of use has a direct impact on the
brand customers purchase from.
Customers believe that how easy it is to use the website
has a direct correlation with how easy the purchased
product will be to use.
! Comparing models across brands is difficult due to an
overemphasis on models and internal nomenclature across
manufacturers.
Opportunities
! Differentiate from the competition by using layman s
terminology whenever possible, and de-emphasize the role of
model names.

58. Goals
Show what real life is like for customers
Buying and setup is an in-depth, interruption- driven, often family or groupdriven affair that can range anywhere from a simple (in 10 minutes or less)
to complex (3+ hours) process. All interviews were conducted in the houses
and workplaces of the respondents.
Share the participant stories and show what a real purchase is
like
During the interviews, we acted as the “fly on the wall.” We let participants
set the timelines and the pace, and observed them as they made their way
through the entire computer purchase process.
Give the sponsor company things to think about
Our reports highlight the individual barriers to purchase and setup and how
these barriers impact the process. We hope these will spark internal
strategic discussions around how to resolve these issues and better meet the
needs of customers.

59. Bring it on home

60. To Review
What can an organization gain from ethnography?
How does ethnography fit into a UX research approach?
How can we get execs to say “Yes” to ethnography?
How do I avoid common pitfalls?

61. Do ethnography if...
You’ve answered the easy questions and are ready
to go deep and broad.
You’re already using a variety of tools for user
research.
Your UX team has political capital within the
organization... and you’re ready to play with other
teams.
Your execs care about UX.
Your execs can handle the truth.

62. Thanks!
Annette Priest
annette@revelinsight.com
http://revelinsight.com