Practical Ethnography:

A method for product and service innovationSam Ladner, PhDSenior User Researcher, Microsoft Office EnvisioningGuest LectureUW School of BusinessFebruary 20 2013

Office Envisioning creates prototype technologies based on contextual inferences on current use patterns.

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

Can happen in a workplace “culture”

Or in a “foreign” culture

Or in a domestic “culture”

Case studies

Corporate 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 shopping

Corporate 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

Understanding Social Context

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

Sam Ladner, PhDsladner@microsoft.comhttp://practicalethnography.com @sladner