Been wondering if you should try out new online, qualitative methods such as mobile ethnography? Perhaps you have been trying to find time for a pilot project but have been too busy. It’s hard: as a market research and insights professional you are expected to juggle projects, suppliers, clients—and have time to test new methods. Don’t we all envy the insights team at Unilever, which reports piloting more than 175 new insights-related tools in a 2-year period? Yes, 175 and that is not a typo.
Well, I feel fortunate that I got to do one pilot recently. I had the opportunity to conduct a mobile ethnography case study using the Indeemo platform. First, I want to thank the nice folks at Indeemo for providing access and support for the case study. Second, I’d like to share a few quick lessons about mobile ethnography from this experience:
- Scalability. Discovery at “scale” is very feasible. If I want qualitative research with somewhere between 20 and perhaps over 100 participants, mobile ethnography delivers.
- Suitability. What a great way to reach populations that are unlikely to be effectively engaged via interviews or focus groups. In my case study, which was with college students, this app-based approach was a great fit. Surprising? No. But great to experience participant engagement firsthand.
- Manageability. The Indeemo platform had some great features to streamline moderation and nurture participants along a multi-day exercise. As with any form of qual research, moderation is part of the mobile ethnography equation—so “at scale”, features that support moderation are key.
- Availability. There are several mobile ethnography platforms available. The case study was done using Indeemo. Previously I had been familiar with platforms from 20|20 Research, Dscout, Mindswarms, and Over the Shoulder.
Interested in more details from the case study and review? Mobile Ethnography: Blurring Lines, Scaling Qual is a case study-based review of the methodology. Please download and enjoy the 4-page review.
I hope you find it useful!
Kathryn
