Ethnography is the study of people, and ethnographic research comes from anthropology. It’s about trying to understand someone from their own point of view. It’s an opportunity to both hear their own perspective and to put yourself in their shoes. It’s also a great way to get ideas about how best to shape your business for your target customer.
What you think people need is not always what they need – it’s not always obvious, because people are multidimensional. Talking to people and listening to their stories can help you figure out what’s missing for them and how your product or service might meet that need.
People can also only talk about what they know exists today, so it’s your responsibility to dig deeper and try to understand what’s behind what they say.
What’s Missing? Look for Unmet Needs
SOCIAL
PHYSICAL
EMOTIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Conducting an Interview
So how do you conduct an ethnographic interview? How do you gain empathy to understand different people? Try to think of it as a conversation more than an interview.
Do
Ask open questions like:
- “tell me more about…”
- “tell me your stories about…”
- “why…”
Avoid
Avoid asking “directed” questions like:
- “Was your father important in your life?” Rather say: “Tell me about your father.”
- Instead of “Was the sauce too spicy?”, ask “Why do you say you didn’t like the sauce?”.
So for the Grow-Well business case we started to examine in Lesson 3, Jennifer (the Grow-Well business owner) would be looking for stories around baby food and nutrition and also possibly cooking and shopping. Some potential questions she could ask might be:
- Tell me more about how you plan your meals.
- What’s a typical visit to the grocery store like for you?
- Tell me the best and the worst stories about feeding your baby.
- What’s your tidying up and washing up routine?
- Have you ever interacted with a company about their baby products? What was that like?
Remember, you’re interested in the whole activity.
Now, click on the people below for more tips on ethnographic interviews.
Go over your notes as soon as possible after the interview and highlight the important notes. Start to look for patterns and ideas that might help you as you develop your business.
Remember, the goal of ethnographic research is to understand people’s behaviours from their point of view, not your own. It helps you see the context that your target customers might be using or engaging with your product or service or what needs they might have that your product or service could meet.
It can feel intimidating to think of interviewing someone. However, it can be really useful to think about it as if, right now, you’re like a cute little baby seal – a new, fresh-faced entrepreneur – and people love that. You can use this to your advantage to find interviewees, as people actually want to talk to you! Don’t be afraid, and make sure you use your “baby seal appeal” while you can.
Approach each interview with empathy. Keep an open mind, listen carefully, and remember that it’s often as much about what people say as what they don’t say.
Let’s Give it a Try!
Take a look at the questions June has prepared below. Right away, you can see that her questions are too specific and will only get a yes or no answer from Tony. Asking questions that aren’t open ended won’t help her gather enough detail or encourage Tony to tell her stories.
Help June get the kind of information that will be most helpful for her by selecting the best version of the question she should ask Tony. Select the best answer, and then click CHECK to see the correct answer. Click NEXT to move to the next question.