Observing users in their daily lives

For web and mobile-based services to flourish, people need to absorb them into their daily lives. new experience uses ethnographic research techniques to observe people in their natural surroundings.

We typically spend several hours with each user on their home ground, gathering stories about relevant experiences in their daily lives. We may accompany people on their shopping trips, observe them at home or work, ask them to keep diaries or interview them at home or in public places.

Alongside this careful observation, we ask questions that build a rich understanding of the world through your customers’ eyes. Our ethnographic research has helped clients understand:

• Customer types - how customers' needs differ according to attitudes and behaviours
• Likes and dislikes - customers'  favourite aspects and frustrations with current services.
• Gaps and opportunities - where current behaviours reveal unmet needs
• Novel services - how customers would use a web or mobile service that’s unlike anything else on the market.
• Fit with lifestyle  - whether or not such a new service would fit in with each customer’s daily life.

Our analysis picks up patterns in customers' needs, gaps in provision and opportunities for new products in future.

We often create experience models and opportunity maps to help clients understand the implications and innovate based on our findings.

See also:

• White paper: When to use ethnographic research
• FT article on ethnography in market research in which we are quoted