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THE NEWETHNOGRAPHERS
Using Observational Research to InformNew Product Design and Development
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About Me
Almost 20 years as a marketing manager
B.A. in Cultural Anthropology
M.B.A. in Marketing
Working on Ph.D. in Marketing (minor in design) research focuses on how institutional, functional
(subcultural) and/or microcultural discourses,
practices and experiences influence firm innovation
particular interest in the use of ethnography in new
product development and design
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The Studys Context
The marketing concept says that to achieve
competitive advantage and strong performance,firms should identify and satisfy customer needs and
wants better than their competitors (cf. Kotler,
1999; Kirca et al. 2005). Of course, accurately identifying those needs and
wants in the course of new product design and
development (NPDD) is easier said than done.
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The Studys Context Traditional market research methods to gather
information about consumers: self-report surveys,focus groups, analysis of historic purchase data, etc.
These methods have benefits in identifying some
consumption habits or patterns, but are less useful foruncovering unrecognized, unarticulated or futuredesires
Deshpand (1983) offers a useful distinction between
research methods that are appropriate forverification versus those that are more useful fordiscovery.
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Ethnography Ethnography, from the Greek, ethnos = people;
graph= writing is a discovery-based research methodborrowed from cultural anthropology utilized by bothmarketing scholars (cf. Belk, ed. 1991) as well aspractitioners (cf. Jordan, 2003; Ante 2006,
Khermouch 2001, Mariampolski 2006).
Ethnography is generally understood as a descriptiveaccount (usually written) of a society or culture. This
account is produced after the researcher has spenttime among the group of interest (naturalistic context),engaged in an activity known as fieldwork.
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Ethnography
Traditionally, ethnographies covered a natural
cycle (usually a year) to see how societies andtheir activities changed throughout the period
Engaging with informants (participant-observation)
was considered at the heart of ethnography,complemented by interviews of informants
Researcher-as-instrument
Interpretive perspective
What people do vs. what they say they do
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Many Types of EthnographyAccording to Mariampolsky (2006) these include:
Observed product usage in private settings Structured usage
Contextual usability
Cultural studies
Day-in-the-life
Accompanied purchase
Guerrilla/blitzkrieg ethnography
Observed purchase or mystery shopping
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Types of EthnographyThese types vary along multiple dimensions, including:
Context: private vs. public
Specific product vs. category vs. use constellation
How structured the interaction is Amount of interaction (participation) with consumers
How evident the presence of the researcher is
Duration of study Number (and types) of informants
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Types of EthnographyOther variables:
Use of informant interviews
Use of auto-driving (elicitation techniques)
Informant checks Triangulation with other researchers, methods
Composition of research team
OutputsWritten Report? Video? Recommendations? Designs?
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For Example Grab a pen and paper and pair up with someone
beside you. Take turns describing the experience ofusing a laundromat
If you have used a laundromat, when was it?
Why did you need to wash there? Did you go with anyone?
How often did you go?
What were the challenges?
What would have made the experience easier?
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Now Lets Observehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jydtrbk55U
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For example Now, work with your partner again and consider:
What did you see?What didnt you see?
How is it different than you remembered?
What you add to your list of challenges?
What would you add to your recommendations?
What is doing laundry in a laundromat?
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Cultural KnowledgeCost: Each washer in a laundromat generally takes $15 in quarters, depending on its size, and
each dryer typically takes one quarter per 68 minutes. Some laundromats now have washers
and
dryers that accept prepaid laundry cards instead of quarters.Cost of drop-off laundry\
service: usually, laundromats charge by the pound... A typical load of laundry weighs 1025
pounds, costing anywhere from $7.50 to $25.00. Supplies: Take the following items with you:
Yourlaundry in a basket or laundry bag; detergent ; fabric softener; A roll of quarters The washers
and dryers at laundromats are similar to machines designed for homes..but laundromat facilities
are also different in several ways. Washers and dryers require quarters (or prepaid cards) to
operate. Many washers and dryers have larger capacities than at home machines. Machines may
not be as well-maintained or cleaned as youd like. Compartments for detergents and fabric
softeners are located atop the washer. Washers typically tumble rather than agitateRemember
that youre sharing washers and dryersleaving your laundry in the machine too long is not only
harmful to your clothes but also inconsiderate to others. Never leave laundry unattended.
Because most laundromat washers are front-load models, remember that they dont require as
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The Role of the Senses
This is simply the freshest, cleanestScent imaginable. We dont knowIf anyone can tell us why, but thisMay be the most comforting,
comfortable scent in the [DemeterFragrance] Library.
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Fun and SocialityAt a music festival [in the Netherlands]jeans brand Wrangler
offered festival goers a much needed service: laundry. And at 18meters wide and 9 meters high, the Wrangler Laundromat was
hard to miss. People dropped off their mud-encrusted laundry
and were sent a text message the moment it was ready. Nospare
change of clothes? Wrangler came up with a generous solution to
that problem, too: they handed out black overalls to anyone whoused the laundromat. [This is] an exercise in experiential
marketing, aimed at surprising and delighting consumers in a way
that magazine ads or TV spots usually cant.Wilner 2008
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Doing Laundry as Clean SlateDeclaring laundry bankruptcy If youre someone with a mountain of laundry
who is having a problem getting your laundry situation under control, I thinkthat the laundromat bankruptcy plan is a good plan to follow. Go once to the
laundromat, get all of your clothes washed, and then get started on your new
laundry routine at home with a clean slate you can do your laundry
yourself, or you can use the Fluff-N Fold service that most laundromats offer...
There is something simple and wonderful about using the laundromat as
your
first step in getting on track with a home laundry routine. Also, if you dont
have a washer and dryer in your home and dont already use it, you may
want
To consider using the services of your local Fluff-N-Fold. You may find that the
expense of the service is less than the amount you value the time you coulds end doin somethin else.
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Reflections on Exercise Everyday processes are complex
They have both material and social meaning
Missing out on part of the story might mean missing
out on an NPD opportunity
Looking for one thing, you might find another
A priori assumptions can get in the way
Lived experience is powerful Ethnography is only as good a tool as the people
who use it.
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Ethnography and NPD Product design has long been consumer-centered
Human factors analysis Ergonomics Participative Design
Although instances of corporate ethnography date
back more than 70 years, the method wasnt usedextensively in commercial applications until thedevelopment of interactive software in the 1980s(Wasson 2000).
Ethnography has become popular in product designbecause it fills a void in the research data (Jordan2003 p. 77).
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Ethnography and NPD The few marketing articles that mention both
product development and ethnographic methodsdo so only indirectly (cf. Arnould and Wallendorf1994, Agafonoff 2006; Elliott and Jankel-Elliot2003); design is rarely explicitly addressed.
There is literature on the use of observationalresearch for NPDD in the management literatureand NPD literature, but very little theorizing about
design and ethnography (for exceptions, see.Rappaport and Rayport, 1997; Rosenthal andCapper 2006)
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Ethnography and NPD Globalization, market fragmentation and increased
competition have increased pressure on firms toinnovate faster, with products that resonate withboth existing and prospective customers
Ethnography has consequently been embraced as aresearch method by firms marketing, R&D, anddesign units. The hope is that its techniques willbring an understanding of consumers lived
experiences, and therefore enable the creation ofmore relevant, marketable and successful products
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Research Questions1. Why do firms engage in ethnographic inquiry,
particularly in the context of new productdevelopment and design?
2. What strategic value do they believe the
methodology brings to NPDD?3. What roles do marketers, designers, engineers
and/or qualitative researchers play and how tothey intersect/interact?
4. Who in the firm manages and/or interprets thefindings?
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Ethnography and NPD Ethnography, then, is seen as a unique lens for
seeing the consumer Hundreds of major firms purport to you it as one
research method for NP (or service) D
Is it a fad?
Does it work?
Under what conditions? Do you need to hire anthropologists? Design
ethnographers? Marketing consultants?
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Research ProgramPhase One: reviewing the rhetoric surrounding the
use of ethnography in NPDD (i.e.: looking at what
Proponents of the method say about it)
Phase Two: conducting on-site observation to see what
transpires and how it compares to assumptions
Phase Three: Gleaning best practices for NPDD
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Phase One Data Sources
Books on ethnography written for marketing managers;
Media reports on firm use of the method Blogs on design, innovation, and applied anthropology
that discuss the ethnographic method in NPD
Ethnographic consultants marketing materials (often justone of a suite of market research methods offered)
Design associations materials
Conference proceedings (e.g. EPIC (Ethnographic Praxisin Industry Conference), DUX (Designing for UserExperience)
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Preliminary Findings
Ethnography = X-Ray Vision can uncover current design flaws
e.g. the smell of clean laundry(Abrams 2000)
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Preliminary Findings
Ethnography = Horse Whispering can get into consumers minds; figure
out what theyre not saying
e.g. seniors at Best Western hotels(Khermouch 2001)
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Preliminary Findings
Ethnography = Dream Interpretation can reveal brand or product
associations that consumers arent
consciously aware of
e.g. technology use in the home
(Elliott and Jankel-Elliot 2003)
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Preliminary Findings
Ethnography = Muse
Will stimulate ideation for breakthrough
products
e.g. Herman Millers Resolve OfficeSystem (Deasy et al. 2001)
find new consumer markets or categoriesfor existing products (Jordan 2003)
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Next Phase Interviewing corporate stakeholders about the role
of ethnography in new product design anddevelopment (including marketers, designers,
ethnographers, consultants)
Observing firms qualitative research efforts andconsidering how the product design and
development process is impacted
I would welcome your feedback and appreciateyour participation in the study
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Thank You!
Contact information:
Sarah Wilner
Schulich School of Business
York University, Toronto
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