ABSTRACT
Field research methods are useful in the many aspects of Human-Computer Interaction research, including gathering user requirements, understanding and developing user models, and new product evaluation and iterative design. Due to increasingly short product realization cycles, there has been growing interestth in more time efficient methods, including rapid prototyping methods and various usability inspection techniques. This paper will introduce "rapid ethnography," which is a collection of field methods intended to provide a reasonable understanding of users and their activities given significant time pressures and limited time in the field.. The core elements include limiting or constraining the research focus and scope, using key informants, capturing rich field data by using multiple observers and interactive observation techniques, and collaborative qualitative data analysis. A short case study illustrating the important characteristics of rapid ethnography will also be presented.
- 1.Anderson, R. J., Representations and Requirements: The Value of Ethnography in System Design. Human-Computer Interaction, 9, 1992, pp. 152-182.Google Scholar
- 2.Bauersfeld, K. & Halgren, S. "You've got three Days!" Case Studies in Field techniques for the Time-Challenged. In D. Wixon & J. Ramey, Eds. Field Methods Casebookfor Software Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 3.Bentley, R., Hughes, J. A., Randall, D., Rodden, T., Sawyer, P., Shapiro, D., & Sommerville, I. Ethnographicallyinformed systems design for air traffic control. Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. (Toronto, November, 1992), 123-129. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 4.Beard, D. V., Smith, D. K. & Denelsbeck, K. M. (1996). Quick and Dirty GOMS: A Case Study of Computed Tomography Interpretation. Human-Computer Interaction, 11,157-180. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 5.Beebe, J. Basic Concepts and Techniques of Rapid Appraisal. Human Organization. Vol 54, No. 1, 1995.Google Scholar
- 6.Blomberg, J., Giacomi, J., Mosher, A., & Swenton-Wall, P. Ethnographic Field Methods and Their Relation to Design. In D. Dchuler and A. Namioka (Eds.) Participatory Design: Principles and Practices. Erlbaum: New Jersey, 1993.Google Scholar
- 7.Bly, S. Field Work: Is It Product work? interactions. January/February, 1997 Google ScholarDigital Library
- 8.Boy, G. A. (1997) The Group Elicitation Method for participatory Design and Usability Testing. interactions. Vo14(3), 27-33. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 9.Carroll, J. (ed.) Scenario-Based Design: Envisioning Work and Technology in system Development. Wiley: New York, 1995. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 10.Dray, S. & Mrazek, D. A day in the life of a family: An international ethnographic study. In D. Wixon & J. Ramey, Eds. Field Methods Casebook for Software Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 11.Harris, K., Jerome, N., Fawcett, S. Rapid Assessment Procedures: A Review and Critique. Human Organization. Vol. 56, No. 3, 1997.Google Scholar
- 12.Hughes, J., King, V., Rodden, T. & Anderson, H. The Role of Ethnography in Interactive Systems Design. interactions, April, 1995.57-65. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 13.Hughes, J. A., Randall, D., & Shapiro, D. Faltering From Ethnography to Design. Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. (Toronto, November, 1992), 115-122. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 14.Juhl, D. Using Field-Oriented Design Techniques to Develop Consumer Software Products. In D. Wixon & J. Ramey, Eds. Field Methods Casebook for Software Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 15.Lafreniere, D., CUTA: A Simple Practical, Low-Cost Approach to Task Analysis. interactions, September- October. 35-39. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 16.Lewis, C., Polson, P., Wharton, C., and Rieman, J. (1990). Testing a walkthrough methodology for theory-based design of walk-up-and-use interfaces. Proceedings of ACM CHI'90 Conference (Seattle, WA, April 1-5): 235-242. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 17.Mateas, M. Salvador, T., Scholtz, J., & Sorenson, D. Engineering Ethnography in the Home. Proceedings of the Conference on Human factors in Computing Systems, 1996, pages 283-284 Google ScholarDigital Library
- 18.Millen, D. & Dray, S. (1997) Job Transformation in the age of the Net. interactions. March-April 1997, pp. 13-18. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 19.Millen, D. R., & Dray, S. (1999). Information sharing in an online community of journalists. In Proceedings of Ethnographic studies in Real and Virtual Environments: Inhabited Information Spaces and Connected Communities. Edinburgh, ScotlandGoogle Scholar
- 20.Millen, D., Schriefer, A., Lehder, D., & Dray, S., Mind Maps and Causal Models: Using graphical Representations of Field Research Data. Extended Abstracts. CHI '97 - Human Factors in Computing Systems. March, 1997. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 21.Miles, M. & Huberman, A. Qualitative Data Analysis. Sage: California, 1994.Google Scholar
- 22.Miles, M., & Weitzman, E. A., Choosing Computer Programs for Qualitative Data Analysis. In Miles, M. & Huberman, A. Qualitative Data Analysis. Sage: California, 1994.Google Scholar
- 23.Muller, M. J., & Carr, R. Using the CARD and PICTIVE Participatory Design Methods for Collaborative Analysis. In D. Wixon & J. Ramey, Eds. Field Methods Casebookfor Software Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 24.Nielson, J., and Molich, R. (1990). Heuristic Evaluation of User Interfaces. Proceedings of ACM CHI'90 Conference (Seattle, WA, April 1-5): 249-256 Google ScholarDigital Library
- 25.Ramey, J., Rowberg, A. H., & Robinson, C. (1997) Adaptation of an Ethnographic Method for investigation of the Task Domain in Diagnostic Radiology. In D. Wixon & J. Ramey, Eds. Field Methods Casebook for Software Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 26.Robinson, J. P., & Godbey, G. Time for Life: Surprising Ways Americans Use Their Time. University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997.Google Scholar
- 27.Sanderson, P. M., & Fisher, C., Exploratory Sequential Data Analysis: Foundations. Human-Computer Interaction, 9, 1994, 251-317.Google ScholarDigital Library
- 28.Scull, C., Milewski, A., Millen, D. Envisioning the Web: User Expectations about the Cyber-Experience. Proceedings of 1999 ASIS Annual Conference. November 1-4, 1999.Google Scholar
- 29.Scrimshaw, S. & Hurtado, E. Rapid Assessment Procedures for Nutrition and Primary Health Care - Anthropological Approaches to Improving Programme Effectiveness. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1987.Google Scholar
- 30.Suchman (1987) Plans and Situated Action. The problem of human-machine communication. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. 1987 Google ScholarDigital Library
- 31.Wixon, D. R., Pietras, C. M., Huntwork, P. K., & Muzzy, D. W. (1997). Changing the Rules: A Pragmatic Approach to Product Development. In D. Wixon & J. Ramey, Eds. Field Methods Casebook for Software Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1996 Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- Rapid ethnography: time deepening strategies for HCI field research
Recommendations
’’It‘s Just a Matter of Common Sense‘‘: Ethnography as Invisible Work
Special issue: a web on the wind: the structure of invisible workAnthropologists have been using ethnographic methods since the 1970s to support the design and evaluation of software. While early use of such skills in the design world was viewed as experimental, at least by computer scientists and engineers, ethnography ...
Ethnography, CSCW and Ethnomethodology
AbstractThis paper documents some details and some examples of the influence of ethnomethodological work in the fieldwork tradition associated with European CSCW; in particular what has been termed ‘ethnomethodologically informed ethnography’. In so doing,...
Reciprocity in Rapid Ethnography
Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015AbstractThis paper responds to the discussion of a possible lack of reciprocity in applying ethnography in HCI research, sometimes referred to as ‘rapid ethnography’. It contributes to the discussion by describing examples of how reciprocity can be ...
Comments