As a set of methods, ethnography is not that far removed from the sort of approach that we all use in everyday life to make sense of our surroundings; we watch, we ask, we listen, and we do. There is no blueprint for how to conduct ethnographic fieldwork, but the aim is always to achieve a better understanding. The challenge becomes developing a comprehensive field strategy for each assignment that simultaneously combines interviewing, observation and participation so as to become capable of understanding the experience as an insider while describing the experience for outsiders. This is the task at hand each time we enter the field.

At Trend Influence we design a unique field strategy for each and every project, customized according to the needs of the client and our knowledge of the target. The first step is to select – or in some cases create - the methods that we feel will work best given the scope of the project. We strive to employ a variety of methods that will produce the rich data points we need to paint an insightful portrait of the customer group under investigation. Within the 2-3 hour window of time we have to spend with each participant/group, we generally choose to implement a combination that includes: unstructured interviewing, direct observation, participation, video documentation, digital photography, artifact collection, and participant homework assignments. Interviews provide a chance to learn how people reflect directly on behavior, circumstances, identity, products, and events, while observation and participation lend information about behavior in action. Snapping photos and shooting video ensures that we don’t lose any of the valuable information we’ve collected and allows for subsequent and extensive ongoing analysis of the data. The following briefly outlines the major components of a typical ethnographic interview and some of the general guidelines that we follow upon entering the field.

1. Setting expectations with the Participants:

§ Are we clearly explaining the interview process?

§ Are we clearly explaining Trend Influence’s role?

§ Are we clearly explaining our role as researcher and their role as participant?

§ Are we clearly explaining the purpose of our digital documentation tools?

2. Building Rapport with the Participants:

§ Are we reciprocating enough?

§ Are we listening well enough?

§ Are we showing empathy?

§ Are we being too intrusive?

3. Posing Questions to our Participants:

§ Are the questions thoughtful, open-ended, relevant, and simple to understand for the participant?

§ Are we being inductive, interactive and iterative in the process?

§ Are we moving at the appropriate pace?

§ Are we probing enough and at the appropriate times?

§ Are we leading/directing them too much?

4. Observing and Documenting the Behavior and Contextual Environment our Participants:

§ Are we allowing ample time for exploration of the surrounding environment?

§ Are we correctly identifying and then carving out time for direct observation of day-to-day activities significant to our investigation?

§ Are we correctly identifying and collecting relevant cultural artifacts by way of video capture and photography?