PBS Services Methods&Techs Qualitative methods Etnography

Etnography

The most important for ethnographic approach is the place of the research- research is done in natural life environment of research participants. The biggest advantage of ethnographic research is direct access to real action, places and situations. The researcher can see people? s conduct in real life environment, homes, shops, bars.

During ethnographic research it is important to get to know the language used by the group of consumers, their life philosophy and possibility to observe the participants? real life. And still more, the advantage is the use of additional research methods like observation and sociology photos.

Ethnographic research examples

1. Household visit

• Home visit ? In depth interview, observation and taking pictures, for example, clothes, cosmetics and room design and hardware, CDs or DVDs etc., behavior observation, respondents? language analysis.
• ?Party? ? Participation in specially arranged meeting, for example new mothers talking about children ?cosmetics, group of girls discuss clothes - meeting with food and drinks and discussion about product.

2. Exploration field visit

• Going out to the club with the group of young people or students, etc.

Those visits can be registered additionally on camera, so the client can come back many times to materials, not only to the researcher?s report.

3. Focus groups with ethnographic research elements

It is based on usual group interview with elements of respondents? natural environment. All respondents bring items, which then become subjects of the discussion, like pictures of the clothes, pictures of themselves wearing clothes, favorite magazines, favorite things, etc. this kind of interview scenario provides situation naturalness and brings deeper conclusions than usual group interview.