The direct observation of the activity of members of a social group, and the description and evaluation of such activity.
A detailed study of the life and activities of a group of people by researchers who may live with that group over a period of years.
the scientific study of human races and cultures
the systematic description of a culture, done through fieldwork.
A branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures.
Detailed and extensive observation and analysis of users or systems. An ethnographer tries to look at a situation holistically and in its natural frame. This is an alternative to an experimental design which is generally more structured, and often takes place in a usability lab. Focus Group A gathering of representative users of a system in a single room with a moderator who leads a discussion about the system. It is often thought that having multiple users discussing a system together will generate more useful information than merely speaking to users individually.
A qualitative technique used to study and describe the functioning of cultures through a study of social interactions and expressions between people and groups.
A method of studying and learning about a person or group of people. Typically, ethnography involves the study of a small group of people in their own environment. Rather than looking at a small set of variables and a large number of subjects ('the big picture'), the ethnographer attempts to get a detailed understanding of the circumstances of the relatively few people being studied, which can be from any race or culture throughout the world.
an approach to analyzing users' needs involving in-depth study of users, their practices, and their artifacts, in the context of their existing work environment
an approach to research which involves in-depth study through observation, interviews, and artifact analysis in an attempt to gain a thorough understanding from many perspectives.
Description of living peoples usually through observations or interviews.
the branch of anthropology that provides scientific description of individual human societies
a book that describes and seeks to examine and explain the life of a particular group of people
a descriptive account of social life and culture in a particular social system based on detailed observations of what people actually do"
an anthropological study and report of a community or culture
a participant observation of people in their natural settings
a social, political, and/or historical portrait of a particular group of people or a particular situation or practice, at a particular period in time, and within a particular context or space
a written description of a particular culture - the customs, beliefs, and behavior - based on information collected through fieldwork
Description of a culture based on observation of and interaction with living people
Ethnographies study groups and/or cultures over a period of time. The goal of this type of research is to comprehend the particular group/culture through observer immersion into the culture or group. Research is completed through various methods, which are similar to those of case studies, but since the researcher is immersed within the group for an extended period of time more detailed information is usually collected during the research.
first hand, detailed account of a particular culture as a result of fieldwork.
a study of culture and cultural processes that uses multiple ways to research, observe, and document people, events, or artifacts. See fieldwork.
The scientific description of living cultures.
A description of a society's customary behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes, usually written by an anthropologist. Most of the eHRAF documents are ethnographies or ethnographic articles. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, "ethnography" is the:"descriptive study of a particular human society or the process of making such a study; based almost entirely on fieldwork; requires the complete immersion of the anthropologist in the culture and everyday life of the people who are the subject of study; uses method called participant-observation, which emphasizes objectivity; focuses on formulating generalizations about culture and on drawing comparisons." Reference from: "Ethnography" Britannica Student Encyclopedia, http://search.eb.com/ebi/article?eu=347529&query=ethnography, [Accessed September 15, 2002].
'The study of people in their natural settings; a descriptive account of social life and culture in a defined social system, based on qualitative methods (eg detailed observations, unstructured interviews, analysis of documents)' - Bowling (1997).
that aspect of cultural anthropology concerned with the descriptive documentation of living cultures.
The systematic study of a culture in a way that is inductive (without hypotheses or controls). By viewing an unfiltered stream of behaviour, the researcher aims to define the goals and values behind them. Ethnographic research methods (eg video observation, contextual inquiry) have proved extremely useful in the ‘requirements capture processÂ' (see below) and ethnographic research is used heavily by many new product development teams.
the process of documenting a group's cultural traditions
the study and recording of human cultures.
The study of a culture to obtain information on past and present life ways.
the scientific classification and description of living cultural groups of people.
Observing users in real life situations, and interacting with products, is highly revealing. Small video cameras and desktop editing software make this a fertile and expanding form of research in social sciences and among the design community.
A description of the society and culture of a particular group of people.
the discipline which studies and describes earth's different populations. (from Greek ètnos: population)
The process of gathering information about users and tasks directly from users in their normal work, home or leisure environment. Traditional ethnography focuses on long-term studies spanning weeks, months, or even years. Information may be collected through observation, interviews, audio or video recording, observer logs, artifact collection, diaries and photographs. Ethnography is a valuable source of data for creating personas, scenarios and storyboards. SEE PERSONA, SCENARIO AND STORYBOARD
Ethnography ethnos = people and graphein = writing) is the genre of writing that presents varying degrees of qualitative and quantitative descriptions of human social phenomena, based on fieldwork. Ethnography presents the results of a holistic research method founded on the idea that a system's properties cannot necessarily be accurately understood independently of each other. The genre has both formal and historical connections to travel writing and colonial office reports.