A task that observes and records an individual or group behavior in context. The study of a user group that informs the design of a product or a service that will increase the probability of it being a success.

Ethnography uses photographs, handwritten notes, tape recordings etc. to observe a user in their place of work, home or wherever they are interacting with the product. It is important that the user is seen in context and should be used where a user’s environment is an important influence on the design.

The benefit of Ethnography over focus groups or other forms of usability tests are that it observes users in action. User’s actions often do not tally with their description of their actions, and that is where ethnography is so accurate and valuable.