---

1. YOU’RE NOT DOING ETHNOGRAPHY

Many companies rely on focus groups and surveys to figure out their consumers. And hey, they seem to work, so, as the saying goes, “why fix what ain’t broken?”

Well, because what people say they do and what they really do are vastly different.

A consumer’s perception of themselves, their routine, how they use products, etc. is so different from what they do that interviewing them is more of a discovery of how they want to be perceived than what they do day-to-day. A library of research has been written on this kind of self-deception, yet when it comes to consumer research, many companies seem to have their own form of denial. What they say is close enough. How they perceive products is really more important anyway…

Unfortunately without being able to contrast what consumers say with what they do, you really don’t have a grasp on the complete experience.

 

2. YOU’RE NOT OBSERVING BEHAVIOR

Okay, so you’re doing ethnography, but it’s really just an interview with their kitchen in the background. You need to see what they do. There is a lot you can learn by watching a consumer in their home. They are in their environment and all of the rituals, obstacles, and quirks they perform after they buy a product and take it home are going to inform you on their experience.

3. YOU ONLY GET A SNAPSHOT

Mobile Ethnography has become a popular method to gain new insights on consumers, and it is useful. It’s a great way to observe consumers without much cost, and in some respects it’s easier for consumers to participate in a mobile study than a study at a facility. However this is a bit like figuring out who someone is by looking at their Facebook profile. You get to see what they do, but on their terms. We have a natural desire to please and show our best self to other people. So when a consumer is asked to show, for example, how they brush their teeth, they may not show the part where they drink right from the faucet, or that they typically have two or three other family members fighting over sink space. This informs you on their product experience.

 

 

4. YOU DON’T SEE BEHAVIOR OVER TIME

There is a lot more you can learn about consumers, particularly while introducing a new product, when you observe them over time. Longitudinally. Their methods change. They learn new behaviors. Their weekend behavior is totally different than what they do rushing out the door Monday morning. There is a rhythm to their lives, and thus, there is a rhythm to how they use products.

5. THE QUALITY OF FOOTAGE IS UNUSABLE

This is a common problem with mobile ethnography. You give consumers a task to record, but when you get the footage back you start to feel dizzy. The camera is shaking violently as they try to record their behavior. What a waste of time and money.

6. YOU DON’T QUANTIFY BEHAVIOR

Numbers keep us honest. They tell us something we often don’t see and validate the things we do.

And you need to have some hard numbers to be taken seriously. Better get to work!

7. YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

You’ve done everything right. You’ve created the perfect study and the insights are going to blow everyone’s minds at the next meeting. But you don’t have enough hours in the day to analyze the footage, grab key moments, and maybe, make it look cool. Your inbox is full, you have 2 other studies to tend to, and you’re still playing catch up from the vacation you took 2 months ago. You don’t even have enough time to organize all of these darn video files that keep showing up in your Dropbox. Sound familiar?

 

---

THE SOLUTION(S)

Emerse R&D has been doing ethnography work for over 20 years. And we’ve learned, optimized, and innovated every step of the way.

Much of the innovation comes from listening to and working with our clients. We customize studies to fit your needs and your budget. You get to pick and choose what kind of solutions are going to be right for you and your team.

Visit emerse-rd.com/what-we-do/

You’ll find out about services like Longitudinal Ethnography, Quantifying Qualitative, Co-Emersion, and Storytelling. Our services overcome each of the major missteps of ethnography research.

And perhaps most importantly, these are services, not just tools. We do the heavy lifting. We analyze the videos, create dynamic videos on the findings, and visit consumers’ homes. You can leave the office and rest easy because Emerse is taking care of the time-intensive work.

What we provide can be a standalone study for your team or can be supplementary to an existing study. Reach out and we’ll let you know how we can help.

 

 

By John Kangas 7/12/17

Director of Observational Research

Emerse Research & Development