Benchmark White Paper Templage

www.benchmarkrs.com | info@benchmarkrs.com PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR A COMPLEX WORLD Ethnographic Capabilites & Expertise January 2009 What is Ethnography? Ethnography is a research methodology aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of humans as they interact in their social environments. This holistic research method has also been used to study the interactions of people with technology. Ethnographers observe people within their homes, work places and communities to gain an understanding of the socio-cultural context in which they act. Ethnography can involve qualitative and quantitative methods and data sources, maintaining culture as the lens for all interpretation. Capabilities One of Benchmark’s strengths is in our ability to blend technology, psychology and anthropology. We combine our knowledge of socio-cultural systems and human capabilities and limitations so we can offer solutions that are more acceptable, less costly and require less training and support. Our philosophy is to learn about the target audience to anticipate how new technology will be adopted, whether in the home, office, or field, and to carefully design the technology to create a safe and ideal user experience. Our core skills include knowledge of user testing methods, cognitive psychology and human factors design principles; research techniques such as user modeling, design ethnography, interviewing, and participant-observation; and ...