Ethnographic Success Stories
Here are some stories of insights gained through ethnographic studies:
Heated delivery bags used by a pizza chain kept malufunctioning. To determine why, we interviewed store managers, observed workers and went on pizza deliveries with drivers. Watching drivers return from their deliveries we observed them plugging their delivery bags into a large metal rack in whatever space was available. Drivers were supposed to take the next bag available working from the top of the rack to the bottom. Most drivers, who were always in a rush, simply grabbed the next bag at eye level. The rack itself provided no visual cues regarding which bag to take next. Because some bags sat on the rack for hours their heating cores were continually heating and cooling causing key plastic components to crack. Only through observation did we learn that the problem was not the bags themselves, but poor design of the charging and storage rack.
A hearing aid battery manufacturer wanted to better understand the challenges faced by users of hearing aids, to assist in discovering meaningful product enhancements. We interviewed hearing aid users in their homes, observing where they stored their hearing aids and batteries and how they changed these batteries. We saw that users struggled to replace the tiny batteries and older eyes often had difficulty determining positive and negative sides of batteries. In addition, we learned that many users did not change their batteries on a regular schedule, but on as "as needed" basis - meaning fresh batteries must be carried at all times. Many users had developed their own battery-carrying devices such as prescripton medicine bottles, small pill boxes and other adaptations. These observations provided great insight to product designers at they developed new packaging for hearing aid batteries.
A discount retailer desired a better understanding of the perceptions and opinions of urban store customers, as the stores suffered defections to a major competitor. We interviewed recruited respondents at the stores, including using a projective exercise to understand their opinions of the retailer. We then shopped with the consumer in various store sections. We learned some key differences between urban and suburban customers and how subtle aspects of store layout created negative impressions of the retailer. For example, urban consumers especially desired a calm, ordered shopping experience as an "oasis" from the crowds, noise and often disorder of their urban environment. Boxes blocking aisles, clothing racks too close together and lack of in-aisle signage all created a crowded, hectic shopping environment - exactly what these consumers were trying to escape. This study produced many ideas for action steps to help the retailer create a better shopping experience.
Surgical nurses using a multi-head surgical cutting tool had difficulty changing the various drillling, cutting and shaping tools during surgeries. We visited a hospital and interviewed surgical nurses and watched them in surgery. We also visited the sterilzation area of the hospital where instruments were cleaned and sterilized. We immediately observed post-it notes on the instrument console (a sure sign of design problems) directing users to frequently-used menu items that were "buried" within the software. We also observed that multiple attachment systems were used for the various heads (e.g., twist-on, quick connect, push-on) making it challenging for surgical nurses to remember how each tool attached. A sterilization technician explained that some of the alignment cues on the instruments (red lines or dots)were difficult to distinguish from blood - making the instrument hard to clean. This study provided input on software and hardware changes required to make the system more user-friendly.
