The New Ethnographers2 [Somente Leitura]

7/30/2019 The New Ethnographers2 [Somente Leitura]

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THE NEWETHNOGRAPHERS

Using Observational Research to InformNew Product Design and Development


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About Me

Almost 20 years as a marketing manager

B.A. in Cultural Anthropology

M.B.A. in Marketing

Working on Ph.D. in Marketing (minor in design) research focuses on how institutional, functional

(subcultural) and/or microcultural discourses,

practices and experiences influence firm innovation

particular interest in the use of ethnography in new

product development and design

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The Studys Context

The marketing concept says that to achieve

competitive advantage and strong performance,firms should identify and satisfy customer needs and

wants better than their competitors (cf. Kotler,

1999; Kirca et al. 2005). Of course, accurately identifying those needs and

wants in the course of new product design and

development (NPDD) is easier said than done.

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The Studys Context Traditional market research methods to gather

information about consumers: self-report surveys,focus groups, analysis of historic purchase data, etc.

These methods have benefits in identifying some

consumption habits or patterns, but are less useful foruncovering unrecognized, unarticulated or futuredesires

Deshpand (1983) offers a useful distinction between

research methods that are appropriate forverification versus those that are more useful fordiscovery.

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Ethnography Ethnography, from the Greek, ethnos = people;

graph= writing is a discovery-based research methodborrowed from cultural anthropology utilized by bothmarketing scholars (cf. Belk, ed. 1991) as well aspractitioners (cf. Jordan, 2003; Ante 2006,

Khermouch 2001, Mariampolski 2006).

Ethnography is generally understood as a descriptiveaccount (usually written) of a society or culture. This

account is produced after the researcher has spenttime among the group of interest (naturalistic context),engaged in an activity known as fieldwork.

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Ethnography

Traditionally, ethnographies covered a natural

cycle (usually a year) to see how societies andtheir activities changed throughout the period

Engaging with informants (participant-observation)

was considered at the heart of ethnography,complemented by interviews of informants

Researcher-as-instrument

Interpretive perspective

What people do vs. what they say they do

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Many Types of EthnographyAccording to Mariampolsky (2006) these include:

Observed product usage in private settings Structured usage

Contextual usability

Cultural studies

Day-in-the-life

Accompanied purchase

Guerrilla/blitzkrieg ethnography

Observed purchase or mystery shopping

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Types of EthnographyThese types vary along multiple dimensions, including:

Context: private vs. public

Specific product vs. category vs. use constellation

How structured the interaction is Amount of interaction (participation) with consumers

How evident the presence of the researcher is

Duration of study Number (and types) of informants

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Types of EthnographyOther variables:

Use of informant interviews

Use of auto-driving (elicitation techniques)

Informant checks Triangulation with other researchers, methods

Composition of research team

OutputsWritten Report? Video? Recommendations? Designs?

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For Example Grab a pen and paper and pair up with someone

beside you. Take turns describing the experience ofusing a laundromat

If you have used a laundromat, when was it?

Why did you need to wash there? Did you go with anyone?

How often did you go?

What were the challenges?

What would have made the experience easier?

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Now Lets Observehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jydtrbk55U

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For example Now, work with your partner again and consider:

What did you see?What didnt you see?

How is it different than you remembered?

What you add to your list of challenges?

What would you add to your recommendations?

What is doing laundry in a laundromat?

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Cultural KnowledgeCost: Each washer in a laundromat generally takes $15 in quarters, depending on its size, and

each dryer typically takes one quarter per 68 minutes. Some laundromats now have washers

and

dryers that accept prepaid laundry cards instead of quarters.Cost of drop-off laundry\

service: usually, laundromats charge by the pound... A typical load of laundry weighs 1025

pounds, costing anywhere from $7.50 to $25.00. Supplies: Take the following items with you:

Yourlaundry in a basket or laundry bag; detergent ; fabric softener; A roll of quarters The washers

and dryers at laundromats are similar to machines designed for homes..but laundromat facilities

are also different in several ways. Washers and dryers require quarters (or prepaid cards) to

operate. Many washers and dryers have larger capacities than at home machines. Machines may

not be as well-maintained or cleaned as youd like. Compartments for detergents and fabric

softeners are located atop the washer. Washers typically tumble rather than agitateRemember

that youre sharing washers and dryersleaving your laundry in the machine too long is not only

harmful to your clothes but also inconsiderate to others. Never leave laundry unattended.

Because most laundromat washers are front-load models, remember that they dont require as

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The Role of the Senses

This is simply the freshest, cleanestScent imaginable. We dont knowIf anyone can tell us why, but thisMay be the most comforting,

comfortable scent in the [DemeterFragrance] Library.

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Fun and SocialityAt a music festival [in the Netherlands]jeans brand Wrangler

offered festival goers a much needed service: laundry. And at 18meters wide and 9 meters high, the Wrangler Laundromat was

hard to miss. People dropped off their mud-encrusted laundry

and were sent a text message the moment it was ready. Nospare

change of clothes? Wrangler came up with a generous solution to

that problem, too: they handed out black overalls to anyone whoused the laundromat. [This is] an exercise in experiential

marketing, aimed at surprising and delighting consumers in a way

that magazine ads or TV spots usually cant.Wilner 2008

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Doing Laundry as Clean SlateDeclaring laundry bankruptcy If youre someone with a mountain of laundry

who is having a problem getting your laundry situation under control, I thinkthat the laundromat bankruptcy plan is a good plan to follow. Go once to the

laundromat, get all of your clothes washed, and then get started on your new

laundry routine at home with a clean slate you can do your laundry

yourself, or you can use the Fluff-N Fold service that most laundromats offer...

There is something simple and wonderful about using the laundromat as

your

first step in getting on track with a home laundry routine. Also, if you dont

have a washer and dryer in your home and dont already use it, you may

want

To consider using the services of your local Fluff-N-Fold. You may find that the

expense of the service is less than the amount you value the time you coulds end doin somethin else.

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Reflections on Exercise Everyday processes are complex

They have both material and social meaning

Missing out on part of the story might mean missing

out on an NPD opportunity

Looking for one thing, you might find another

A priori assumptions can get in the way

Lived experience is powerful Ethnography is only as good a tool as the people

who use it.

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Ethnography and NPD Product design has long been consumer-centered

Human factors analysis Ergonomics Participative Design

Although instances of corporate ethnography date

back more than 70 years, the method wasnt usedextensively in commercial applications until thedevelopment of interactive software in the 1980s(Wasson 2000).

Ethnography has become popular in product designbecause it fills a void in the research data (Jordan2003 p. 77).

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Ethnography and NPD The few marketing articles that mention both

product development and ethnographic methodsdo so only indirectly (cf. Arnould and Wallendorf1994, Agafonoff 2006; Elliott and Jankel-Elliot2003); design is rarely explicitly addressed.

There is literature on the use of observationalresearch for NPDD in the management literatureand NPD literature, but very little theorizing about

design and ethnography (for exceptions, see.Rappaport and Rayport, 1997; Rosenthal andCapper 2006)

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Ethnography and NPD Globalization, market fragmentation and increased

competition have increased pressure on firms toinnovate faster, with products that resonate withboth existing and prospective customers

Ethnography has consequently been embraced as aresearch method by firms marketing, R&D, anddesign units. The hope is that its techniques willbring an understanding of consumers lived

experiences, and therefore enable the creation ofmore relevant, marketable and successful products

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Research Questions1. Why do firms engage in ethnographic inquiry,

particularly in the context of new productdevelopment and design?

2. What strategic value do they believe the

methodology brings to NPDD?3. What roles do marketers, designers, engineers

and/or qualitative researchers play and how tothey intersect/interact?

4. Who in the firm manages and/or interprets thefindings?

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Ethnography and NPD Ethnography, then, is seen as a unique lens for

seeing the consumer Hundreds of major firms purport to you it as one

research method for NP (or service) D

Is it a fad?

Does it work?

Under what conditions? Do you need to hire anthropologists? Design

ethnographers? Marketing consultants?

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Research ProgramPhase One: reviewing the rhetoric surrounding the

use of ethnography in NPDD (i.e.: looking at what

Proponents of the method say about it)

Phase Two: conducting on-site observation to see what

transpires and how it compares to assumptions

Phase Three: Gleaning best practices for NPDD

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Phase One Data Sources

Books on ethnography written for marketing managers;

Media reports on firm use of the method Blogs on design, innovation, and applied anthropology

that discuss the ethnographic method in NPD

Ethnographic consultants marketing materials (often justone of a suite of market research methods offered)

Design associations materials

Conference proceedings (e.g. EPIC (Ethnographic Praxisin Industry Conference), DUX (Designing for UserExperience)

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Preliminary Findings

Ethnography = X-Ray Vision can uncover current design flaws

e.g. the smell of clean laundry(Abrams 2000)

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Ethnography = Horse Whispering can get into consumers minds; figure

out what theyre not saying

e.g. seniors at Best Western hotels(Khermouch 2001)

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Ethnography = Dream Interpretation can reveal brand or product

associations that consumers arent

consciously aware of

e.g. technology use in the home

(Elliott and Jankel-Elliot 2003)

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Ethnography = Muse

Will stimulate ideation for breakthrough

products

e.g. Herman Millers Resolve OfficeSystem (Deasy et al. 2001)

find new consumer markets or categoriesfor existing products (Jordan 2003)

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Next Phase Interviewing corporate stakeholders about the role

of ethnography in new product design anddevelopment (including marketers, designers,

ethnographers, consultants)

Observing firms qualitative research efforts andconsidering how the product design and

development process is impacted

I would welcome your feedback and appreciateyour participation in the study

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Thank You!

Contact information:

Sarah Wilner

Schulich School of Business

York University, Toronto

[email protected]

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