This is the second part of my two-part blog on ethnography and its relation to usability engineering and user interface design.
How to conduct an ethnographical usability test
Ethnographic studies tend to be relatively costly to conduct, as an observer needs to care for planning and logistical costs. Other associated costs include the resources needed to create, design and publish results (usually in a comprehensive report with artifacts). The participant fee and refreshments (for both observer and subject) for the duration of the observation also add to the costs. However when done well, ethnographic studies are appropriate for qualitative endeavors, aimed at understanding the circumstances and environment users and customers are engaged in when making decisions. They’re also very important for understanding the localization factors with products and services with an international reach. James Hom’s Usability Methods Toolbox (usability.jameshom.com) provides a good example of how to carry out a usability test using the ethnographic method of inquiry.
1. Choose your participants
The first step is finding a wide but representative sample of various users of the product your interface design intends to address. This means selecting participants from “different workplaces, industries, and backgrounds”. Once the participants have been identified, proceed to schedule the observations, in their native environment of course.
2. Interview participants
A vital part of field observation is inquiry. You should interview the respondents regarding the interface design in question. Why do they use the interface design? How do they use the interface design? How does the interface design relate to their personal life and/or professional life? How do they think their environment and personality influence the way they use the interface design. Getting answers to questions like these allows the observer to gain valuable user experience feedback right from within the context of the users’ native environments.
Identify artifacts and outcroppings
The observations and remarks of the subjects sometimes do not fully paint the complete picture needed for a comprehensive understanding of the context of use. To ensure adequate data collection, you can identify as many artifacts and outcroppings as possible. Artifacts and outcroppings are the little observations that help complete the puzzle, as it where. What exactly are artifacts and outcroppings? Artifacts are physical objects used at the site (notebooks, forms, walls, desks, chairs, pens, computers, etc). Outcroppings are the noticeable unique physical traits of the site (size of cubicle or desk, notes that are written on forms, etc). Understanding the artifacts and outcroppings contribute to a better overall understanding of the user’s native environment and what tools are at the user’s disposal. However, do not go crazy collecting this information. Collect and observe only what you think really affects the user’s interaction with the interface design.
Use tools to collect data
The data that make up the interviews, artifacts and outcroppings are collected and catalogued using various tools. The most rudimentary of these is the anthropologically tried and tested paper and pen combination. Advances in technology have inevitably increased the arsenal of recording tools that now includes audio recorders, photo and video cameras or specialized software. Each of these tools has its pros and cons and often a combination of these is used during a field study. Some tools are more appropriate for recording particular aspects, for example, the use of photo cameras being well suited for recording artifacts. Video cameras can help overcome observer’s bias and so on. Using these tools will help you amass empirical data that can be easily utilized during the data analysis phase of your ethnographical usability test.
Data analysis
Once you have collected your empirical data from interviews, artifacts, and outcroppings you can then make an analysis of your findings. Explore the ways in which each different user group used the user interface design differently. See to what degree their unique native environment influenced this. As always, compare and contrast the users but also look for similarities and a unifying pattern, something that embraces the user’s differences. This will be what helps you find a strategy for creating an interface design that provides optimal usability to the target users.