Ethnographic Research

What is Ethnography Research?

Ethnographies are detailed, in-depth studies of people and their interaction with products or services through observation and participation.  

Key Features of Ethnographies: 

• Participant Observation: The researcher often engages with Individuals within a group being studied to observe their daily life, social interactions, and interactions with the products being researched. 

• Interviews & Conversations: Ethnographers conduct informal and formal interviews to understand people's perspectives. 

• Contextual Understanding: Ethnographies aim to understand how people interact with a specific product or service.  From purchasing at retail, to unboxing and use and storage the product.  This can all take place in one day or be extended to several days.  The information gathered can help with retail presentation, issues with unboxing, work arounds that the consumer adds, product ergonomics and how and where a product is stored.  This can help identify issues with competitive products and feed the development of design criteria.  Ethnographies can also be helpful in evaluating new products before they go to market. 

  
  

  

Why Use Ethnography in Product Design?

Traditional surveys or focus groups might miss: 

• Workarounds users create 

• Environmental or cultural factors influencing behavior 

• Unarticulated needs or frustrations 

Ethnography fills those gaps by immersing researchers in users' actual lives, enabling designs that are empathetic, intuitive, and practical. 

How It’s Applied in Product Design

Contextual Observation 

• Designers observe users in their natural setting (e.g., kitchen, hospital, factory). 

• They notice things users don’t say: gestures, tool placement, awkward workarounds. 

User Interviews and Shadowing 

• Deep interviews + “shadowing” people during tasks. 

Insight Generation 

• Patterns and themes are extracted: What problems do users repeatedly face? What are their goals and constraints?  How do they solve user-related problems? 

Design Requirements 

• Findings become concrete input for product specs. 

• Rather than guessing what users want, teams design based on real-world behaviors and constraints. 

  
  

  

  
  

  Participant Recruitment 

  
  

  Before you include participants in your study, you will need to identify who is a typical user of the product or one who is thinking about possibly purchasing the product and has done some preliminary research to reach your participants or more formal methods such as advertisements, flyers, emails, and phone. When you describe your procedures in your protocol, it is important to include information about how you will navigate the community you will study and access eligible participants.  To find participants market researchers can provide a list of people and screen them for relevance to the product.

  Participants should know early in the process that you are a researcher, and you are asking them to participate in a study, and that they will be compensated for their time.

  
  

  

  
  

  What are the study procedures

  
  

  The study procedures for ethnographic research typically follow a flexible but structured process. Here's a breakdown of the main steps:

  Define the Research Question or Focus

  • What do you want to understand?

  Conduct a Literature Review

  • Review existing research to understand what's already known.

   Select the Field Site or Community

  • Choose where and with whom you'll conduct the study.

  Gain Access and Build Trust

  • Get permission if needed (e.g., from a company, school, or retailer).

  Begin Participant Observation

  • Immerse yourself in the setting.

  • Observe behaviors, interactions, routines, and use of product.

  • Take field notes — detailed, descriptive, and highlights.

  Conduct Informal and Formal Interviews

  • Talk with participants casually and through structured questionnaires.

  Document Everything

  • Keep field journals, audio and visual recordings, transcripts, photos (if appropriate), and memos.

  Analyze the Data

  • Look for patterns, themes, contradictions, and work arounds.

  Write the Ethnography

  • Include:

    • Detailed descriptions

    • Direct quotes

    • Contextual analysis

    • Reflections on your own position as a researcher

How Gyre9 Can Help with Ethnographic Research:

Gyre9 incorporates ethnographic insights into the design thinking process.

·       Observe users in real-life settings

• Identify pain points, workarounds, and unspoken needs

• Translate these findings into actionable product design criteria

Gyre9 has Field Research Capabilities

• Conduct on-site observations (homes, clinics, factories, retail environments)

• Record behavioral data and environmental context

• Interview users to understand motivations and frustrations

Gyre9 brings together designers, engineers, and researchers to analyze findings and ideate solutions from multiple angles. This is especially helpful when:

• You're dealing with technical products or complex systems

• You need to move from raw data to usable prototypes quickly

Gyre9 can do Prototyping Based on Ethnographic Insights

• Rapidly prototype and iterate solutions

• Test these prototypes with real users in context

• Refine based on further feedback, ensuring cultural and functional fit

Gyre9 doesn't just give you designs—we provide:

• Rich user personas

• Journey maps based on real user behaviors

• Visualized insights from ethnographic observation

Want to learn more about how Gyre9 can support your next project? Visit Gyre9.com to explore our capabilities, meet the team, and see why companies across industries choose us as their product development partner.

Let’s create something amazing together! Contact us today 203-702-4010