Daily life, not markets: customer-centered design

Purpose – As companies try to gain a deeper understanding of consumers, they are increasingly turning to user-observation and ethnographic processes. However, because of this work is normally done in an informal manner, it tends to only have value for the small number of team members working on a particular project. This paper seeks to describe a method that is much more structured than normal processes, allowing companies to conduct observational research that is able to be large scale and reused. Design/methodology/approach – Ethnographic studies are not only heuristic in nature, usually requiring the research team to develop frameworks and descriptions that are idiosyncratic to a particular project. This makes comparing data from different studies and doing large-scale projects impractical. This paper describes a set of common frameworks and a research protocol that provides standards that are relevant across projects and teams. Findings – Descriptions of projects using this process show that it leads to the identification of new concepts for fulfilling user needs even before users ask for them. Furthermore, the concepts often point to surprising opportunities, not just incremental improvements on current offerings. Practical implications – For companies who conduct observational research, this method enables them to go beyond small-scale ad hoc projects and develop standards that enable the research to be reused and conducted at a large scale. Originality and value – Prior to this work, attempts at developing standard frameworks for ethnography have used concepts from anthropology. Family structure, belief systems, and the nature of work are examples of terms used to categorize data. This new method uses terms that are more relevant to companies trying to create innovations. Examples include items that companies can make to create new value for their customers: objects, environments, messages and services. By creating a more structured protocol with more practical dimensions to describe patterns of daily life, this work provides a basis for innovation in companies.