Ethnography is aimed at observing a participant’s lifestyle firsthand (ie, in context, as it occurs) and in detail. This type of research is extremely useful when one needs to understand and observe how a client’s product or service fits in with daily life. This type of extended research allows us to probe a person’s thoughts, frustrations, needs and desires in real time. The technique also allows us to record firsthand how people truly interact with a given product or service, without having to rely on memory.

Smith & Company has designed and conducted a number of ethnographic studies over the years with a wide variety of targets. We’ve followed students, homemakers, consumers and business people through their weekdays to observe how technology impacts lives and how lifestyle impacts technology needs. We’ve hung out with teenagers in coffee shops and college dorms to discuss music and fashion fusion; spent time with first-time pregnant moms in their nurseries to understand how a given brand influences their décor choice; and, watched workers go about their work-a-day schedules. Ethnographic studies can uncover a wealth of useful learning, leading to insights difficult to elicit using traditional research.

In-situ research has helped Smith & Company clients study behavior firsthand. For example, we’ve conducted focus groups at a car dealership to put the customer buying process into a more relevant perspective. Similarly, we’ve gone into home kitchens to understand how people use and consume a food product. And, we’ve interviewed assembly-line laborers in industrial settings to learn how the workplace shapes perceptions and attitudes relative to an employer.