"User research can be roughly broken down into two types: usability testing and ethnographic field research. Many people are already familiar with usability testing, and many companies make use of it during development. However, ethnographic field research can yield valuable results for improving products that can't be easily measured by usability testing......"
"Beginning a product development cycle with ethnographic research helps generate ideas for the product offering. It also helps product developers understand users' "mental model" of what they want to achieve so that the software can better reflect how people actually work."
The portion that resonated most with me - we have been following just this practice on a couple of ethnographic studies recently.
"Ethnographic research can point out opportunities to serve user needs that are currently unmet, which can help you keep or create a competitive edge. Observing real customers using an actual product can provide information about the overall product offering and how it can be extended. These observations will not only reveal problem areas to product designers, but will often provide clues about how problems can be addressed. Things that are especially effective to observe:
- Blind spots: Are features going unused? Why? Are people unaware of the tool, or do they just not need it?
- Toolboxes: What tools do people use frequently? How do people think about them? How are they being used? What frequent or repetitive activities are people performing that might be better served by creating a special tool?
- Software crutches: People in the real world will develop ways to make up for shortcomings in software in order to achieve their goals. Look for places where people leave your product and turn to Post-Its, printouts, or other solutions to get the job done.
- Missteps: Users who perform tasks "incorrectly" are a great source of constructive data. Look for where people go when they make mistakes and whyóit may be a good hint at how to better organize the application.
- Audio cues: Many people, especially while being observed, will provide a running soundtrack of what they are thinking while using software. This is invaluable when trying to understand how a person relates to the product. Listen for frustration, mnemonic chants ("F4, shift, then enter. . . "), and indecision ("Do I want to revert to temp.bak?").
- Goals: Operating software is not the end goal for any user. Pay attention to what users are trying to achieve. Is it an object (creating a file)? Or a process (telling Mr. Smith the status of his account)?"
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