how ethnography helps product design
DESCRIPTION
Slides from my lecture to an MBA marketing class at the Schulich School of Business, York UniversityTRANSCRIPT
Open to New Worlds: Product Development, Ethnography, and
Creativity
Guest Lecture MKT6440Schulich School of Business
Copernicus Consulting is a social research company that specializes in uncovering social insights, creating design and marketing strategies, and aligning organizations to realize those strategies.
Understanding Social Context
What is ethnography?
• A method, a product• Immersive• Extended period of
time• Often focused on a
particular culture
Ethnography is observing
Toronto, Ontario: Intentional manipulation of corporate logo: symbolizes resistance.
Denver, CO: Scooters in local supermarket: represents shoppers’ need to avoid walking while shopping
Ethnography is interviewing
Photo Courtesy of Underwhelmer, Flickr
Can happen in a workplace “culture”
Or in a “foreign” culture
Or in a domestic “culture”
Case studiesCorporate Ethnography
Researched how consumers in developing countries deal with diabetes. Uncovered unmet needs in diabetes treatment.
Employs 24 full-time ethnographers who helped design a computer with a dust filter and runs off a car battery for use in India
Ethnography in Asia and Africa lead to “image only” cell phone design, multiple address books, and long battery life
Case Study: Prada shoppingCorporate Ethnography
Mirrors have a 5-second delay allowing shoppers to see the view from behind
Embedded RFID tags in clothes so shoppers can easily find complete outfits
Created frosted glass doors for changing rooms that turn to windows at the touch of a button
Why does ethnography help companies innovate?
“Ethnography may start by exploring the experience of those directly involved in the institutional setting, but they are not the object of investigation. It is the aspects of the institutions relevant to the people's experience, not the people themselves, that constitute the inquiry.”
Smith, Dorothy. 2005. Institutional Ethnography: A Sociology for People. New York: Altamira.
We learn how people interact with our business, our brand, and our bureaucracy, from their point of view.
Corporate Ethnography Step-by-Step
Developing a better service
What new product would you develop?
Overall customer satisfaction rose
Yet loyalty did not increase…why?
What you learn from ethnography
What you can learn from ethnography
