Ethnographic Thick Description
Understanding behaviour by documenting it with its full context and meaning — what a wink means, not just that an eyelid moved; online, the same discipline applied to communities and conversations.
An everyday example
Discovering why a feature is unused by watching people work, after three surveys said they wanted it.
What it can cost you
Deciding about people from thin data; surveys measuring what people say rather than what they do.
Warning signs
- My model of the customer comes from a survey.
- I know the what and not the why.
One thing to do
Before major decisions about customers or teams, observe in context; record the meaning, not just the act.
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