Mobile ethnography research

Mobile ethnography research is a market research appproach which builds on traditional ethnographic research approaches, but utilising the technological developments and widespread uptake associated with mobile phones (specifically, smart phones).  

Ethnography market research describes the process of observing participants in a natural environment – although this can include specific elements, e.g. getting ready to go to a concert, or how they naturally behave in a pub or museum or sports event for instance.

Utilising a smart phone app, our mobile ethnography research provides a range of benefits to clients, including allowing you to:

• Experience the actual voice of the consumer: We can deliver rich, in-the moment insights, via user-generated video, audio, photos and text. This also allows us to hear and understand the exact tone of voice used – e.g. sarcasm or excitement.
• Prompt and probe for additional feedback: For example, our app can leverage ‘push notifications’ to send messages to participants (individuals or large groups) to ask them follow-up questions, or prompt them to take a specific action (e.g. send us a picture of your next meal).
• See and hear results immediately: Stay up to date on how projects are progressing via an easy to access dashboard which you can view from your own laptop or PC, as well as on smartphone or tablet.
• Be iterative in the approach to research: As an agency, our approach is to be flexible and iterate as projects progress – if insights emerge early in the process, we can delve deeper in to those aspects and explore them in more detail.
• Record the screens of users: For instance, understand exactly how users navigate your e-commerce website, both through in-app screen-recording and having them voice their journey out loud. Once activated in the app, everything undertaken on the phone is recorded, so we can set participants a range of tasks, from finding a new tote bag for that summer trip, to ordering a Chinese takeaway or registering their business for an event.
• Multiple language integration: Including right to left and non-latin scripts.
• Gather insight in a timely and cost-effective manner.

This type of approach is perfect for a range of projects across both consumer and B2B settings.