Ethnography

Ethnography
Is a descriptive study of a particular human society or the process of making such a study. Contemporary ethnography is based almost entirely on fieldwork and requires the complete immersion of the anthropologist in the culture and everyday life of the people who are the subject of his/her study. This includes both qualitative and quantitative descriptions. Ethnography is distinct from ethnology due to its intersubjective nature. The anthropologist in the field retains their own cultural biases, so his/her observation must be comparative to a certain extent. Ethnographies usually connect to a community, rather than individuals, and concentrate on the description of current circumstances rather than historical events.

Ethnography is a way of studying the way products and systems are used in everyday life in order to ensure that the product will be able to better meet customer goals and desires and to develop new products (USC). Rather than listening to what the audience say they do, they are 'observed' with minimal intervention (Fi). This way, requirements can be established, sometimes even ones the subject isn't immediately aware of (Fi). Techniques include shadowing (spend time with people), diary studies (ask people to keep a diary over a period of time), or activity sessions (help people recall their experiences and habits using games, sketching etc.). Below is an example of a photo diary from which information such as lifestyle, diet, habits and other aspects can be derived. For example, the man is most likely in his 20s, lives in a southern area and/or spends a lot of time under the sun, and lives and eats home cooking with his partner. References 1. "Ethnography." The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1985 ed. 2. "Ethnography". Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 17 September 2007. 11 September 2007. 3. [|"Field Studies / Ethnography." Usability Sciences Corporation. 2007.] 4. [|"Ethnography." Flow Interactive. 2007.]