Mobile Ethnographies

At its core, ethnography is human experience research.

It goes beyond what we say and begins to reveal what we actually do. While Sally tells us in an interview that she’d buy the premium brand with that cool new feature, there’s no telling what she’d really do at the shelf with a baby in one arm and a shopping list in the other trying to tally her bill and stay on budget.

Here’s where consumer mobile technology comes in.

We get excited when technology and research meet to solve a real business need. The stars align, so to speak, because the power of the smart phone in ethnographic research is truly game changing. It empowers the shopper with all the needed tools to chronicle and evaluate their own life.

With Field Agent we’re getting to go places we may have never been invited otherwise. We’re getting to see pictures of people’s refrigerators before they organize them, their DIY construction projects and the contents of their bathroom medicine cabinets.

Where does Field Agent fit?

Think about ethnographies when:

Creating Something New Understand how humans interact with your product and learn how to communicate to them more effectively before going to market.

Revitalizing a Current Product Seeing stagnant numbers or just needing some fresh ideas? Ethnographic research uncovers hidden, unexpected insights.

Conducting Private Projects Get customer feedback on something that may be uncomfortable to share in a focus group.

Understanding Habits Explore usage of products over time like how people cook their frozen chicken or how often they switch out their razor.

Supplementing Current Research Mobile technology allows you to reach out instantly across 3 continents to supplement your findings or to add perspective to a hypothesis from a traditional ethnography project

“Being able to see the actual time and place the participant took the photo was very relevant. Along with the photos, we were able to understand how they were actually interacting with our products versus how they said they were.”

- Lead Researcher, Mass Merchandising Company

Advantages of the Abridged Mobile Ethnography

Speed & Cost Field Agent offers tools to make it faster and easier

Reliability GPS Marking & Time Stamping

Privacy Engage customers about issues that might typically be uncomfortable to discuss

Artifacts Moment-of-Truth Photos, Verbatim Customer Quotes and Insights

Geographic Reach Go inside homes and stores without needing to send a researcher

Scale Target a small group or hear from the crowd

You can start your mobile ethnography today by filling out a short project brief.