You will hear a lecture about the use of ethnography in business.
First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
Now, listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
Today, I'm going to discuss ethnography, a form of research that examines how human cultures function.
It originated in anthropology and has also been applied in sociology and communication studies.
You may wonder how this relates to business.
Companies have discovered that ethnography provides a deeper understanding of what current and future customers may need, while also revealing their attitudes towards products that already exist.
It can further assist businesses in designing products or services that customers genuinely want.
Consider some commercial examples.
A research team once worked for a manufacturer of kitchen equipment.
By watching cooks use measuring cups for ingredients such as flour and sugar, the researchers noticed repeated checking.
Although numbers were printed inside the cups, users found them difficult to see.
The company therefore developed a redesigned cup that solved the problem, and it became a best seller.
Another ethnographic study examined mobile phone use in Uganda.
People without phones of their own paid local entrepreneurs to make calls on their devices.
Because the calls were paid for in advance, customers wanted to know how much time they had already used.
In response, the manufacturer added this function to phones intended for international markets.
Ethnographic methods have also been employed by computer companies.
At one organization, researchers observed IT system administrators for several weeks.
Much of their work required communication with colleagues to resolve problems, yet they had no standard method for sharing information from spreadsheets and similar sources.
The research team proposed software that would make this exchange easier.
A separate team observed and interviewed hospital nurses.
It became clear that nurses needed access to information about their patients wherever they happened to be in the hospital.
This finding led to a portable tablet that allowed them to consult records throughout the building.
Sometimes the researchers cannot enter the environment being studied.
During one airline project, for instance, passengers used smartphones to record information throughout their journeys.
The study tracked their emotions during the flight.
How do these studies differ from conventional research?
Let's consider the main principles of commercial ethnography.
First, the researcher begins without a hypothesis to test and must remain entirely open-minded, allowing the participants to provide the direction.
Selecting those participants is fairly similar to ordinary research.
Criteria may include a particular age group, a certain income level or use of a specific product.
Recruiting suitable people is essential.
Beyond meeting the chosen criteria, participants must feel comfortable discussing themselves and being observed during their normal activities.
Researchers often find that people become open quite readily, perhaps because the study commonly occurs in their home or workplace.
A defining feature is that the method does not simply rely on questionnaires.
It usually involves direct first-hand observation of participants while they act.
Researchers may still talk with them, but unlike a traditional interview, the participant determines the direction of the conversation.
This reduces the chance that the researcher's assumptions will shape the responses.
The work continues long after the researchers leave the participants.
Many estimate that 70-80% of their time goes not into gathering material, but into its analysis.
Examining photographs, listening to recordings and producing transcripts.
They may accumulate hundreds of pages of notes.
To decide what matters, they avoid concentrating only on dramatic or unusual details.
Instead, they search across the data for a meaningful pattern and interpret what lies behind it.
The resulting insights can influence the entire design process.
That is the end of Part 4.
You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 4.
