what is {ethnography} ???

This article breaks down the true meaning of ethnography to all readers. Ethnography, in short, is an approach to understanding. It is the seeking to make sense of the human condition, and a search for meaning. Ethnography looks to uncover people’s “norms” and gives insight to what makes sense of different cultural practices. It also uncovers the meaning people assign to the world and how that meaning comes about. Ethnography helps designers create more compelling solutions to our everyday arising problems in the design field.

Ethnography is discovered by what people say, versus what they do. It is also discovered by how people solve problems, how they organize things, what roles they assume in society, and what “necessities” people are always carrying with them, as this shows what they assume to be important.

Uncovering ethnography is done through a process that begins with defining the problem, rethinking the problem as a designer, defining the context of the problem, defining the sample (what group of people to study), making a game plan to tackle this process, entering the field (the heart of the process), analyzing and interpreting, sharing the insights, and defining the opportunities. This study is very important for all designers to use because it helps designers understand the relationship between what they produce and the meaning their product has for others.