Generally, an ethnographic study involves a researcher observing behaviour either in person or via cameras pre-installed in participant homes, work places, etc. Think of the show Gogglebox where viewers observe the reaction to other people watching TV – that’s ethnography.

The Right Questions: Ethnographic Questions. Ethnographic interviews employ descriptive and structural questions. Descriptive questions are broad and general and allow people to describe their experiences, their daily activities, and objects and people in their lives.

Define what your study is and where it will happen. Explain your logic (i.e., why you will conduct your study this way and not that way) and include descriptions of how you will collect your data. Discuss the benefits of your proposed study and why it is important to you.

Could you tell me about what you did on holidays/vacations? Could you tell me about what you did on weekends/in your free time? Could you describe one of your most interesting experiences? Could you describe one of your most challenging experiences and explain how you dealt with it?

How to Do Ethnography Research

1. Identify Research Question. Determine what problem you are seeking to better understand.
2. Determine Location(s) for Research.
3. Formulate Presentation Method.
4. Acquire Permissions and Access.
5. Observe and Participate.
6. Interview.
7. Collect Archival Data.
8. Code and Analyze Data.

In general, however, a good research question should be:

1. Clear and focused. In other words, the question should clearly state what the writer needs to do.
2. Not too broad and not too narrow.
3. Not too easy to answer.
4. Not too difficult to answer.
5. Researchable.
6. Analytical rather than descriptive.

A well-formed research question should include three parts: 1) the problem that you are investigating, 2) your thesis or argument, and 3) the limits of your project. Research questions should be focused enough to guide your project.

Here are six common examples of how ethnographic research is collected:

• Social Media Analytics. Social media is used by 2.3 billion people and any one Internet user has on average 5.54 social media accounts.
• Eye Tracking.
• Scrapbooks.
• Discovery Forums.
• Vox Pops.
• Online Diaries.

There are different forms of ethnography: confessional ethnography; life history; feminist ethnography etc. Two popular forms of ethnography are realist ethnography and critical ethnography. (Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design, 93) Realist ethnography is a traditional approach used by cultural anthropologists.

Cyber-ethnography, also known as virtual ethnography, and most commonly online ethnography, is an online research method that adapts ethnographic methods to the study of the communities and cultures created through computer-mediated social interaction.

Some examples of ethnography include traditional anthropologic texts, but also work being done in marketing and user experience, such as conducting interviews to understand how the user relates to products or services.

The word “ Ethnography ” literally means the study of people and cultures. Thus, Ethnographic research helps you study people in their natural surroundings and thereby find out the actual application of your own product, or the improvements / innovation that can be brought in a product for people.