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PARC solution

Drawing on PARC ethnographers’ deep expertise, our Rapid

thnographic Assessment and Communication Technique

REACT) compresses the ethnography process into a short

eriod o time: 5-8 weeks.

he observation phase involves several researchers who conduct

multiple short but iterative observation sessions that refne the

ocus o study, thus beneftting rom dierent expert viewpoints.

he resulting insights are then communicated through sel-

ontained and engaging video “podcasts” that can be watched

nywhere, any time by all stakeholders.

REACT is best used when:

• The client has a ocused area o inquiry

• The activity o interest can be easily observed and recorded

• The fndings are meant to inorm the design o a product

or service

the results 

Findings that are essentially sel-presenting – i.e., do not

require extensive time commitments or in-person immersion by

stakeholders to glean insights and relevant actions – are packag

into a compelling video that shows rather than tells the outcome

the observations, giving the viewer a direct eel or their potenti

customers’ current experience – and how it could be improved.

The videos:

• Extend insights beyond original stakeholders – leading to vir

change throughout an organization

• Highlight critical issues and requirements or product or ser

design – resulting in solutions that address people’s real nee

which are oten not those initially imagined

• Reveal unanticipated opportunities or new technologies or

solutions – acilitating new innovations

PARC ethnographers have demonstrated that REACT helps chan

stakeholders’ mindsets rom less technology-centered to more

customer-centered thinking – within just a short period o time.

REACTRapid Ethnographic Assessment and Communication Techniq

provides high-value insights throughout your organization

Ethnographic insights have the power to undamentally change

perceptions, oten leading to a shit in thinking - that in turn

acilitates innovation.

It is oten difcult to share observation-based insights out o

context, since ethnography is driven by the logic o discovery

in the feld. Many clients don’t have the time to participate in

traditional workshops to absorb insights, let alone discover

these insights themselves.

For more details, please see: “No More Circling Around the Block: Evolving a Rapid Ethnography and Podcasting Method to Guide nnovation in Parking Systems” EPIC 2011 proceedings.

he Business of Breakthroughs TM 

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how it works

ince pioneering the use o ethnography in innovation and R&D

n the 1970s, PARC continues to adapt, evolve, and develop

road and customized social science methods that providectionable insights or clients around the world today.

Here are just a ew highlights:

he use of video Back in 1979 PARC anthropologist

ucy Suchman, winner o ACM SIGCHI’s Lietime Research

Award (2010), made a video to study people using – or rather,

ailing to use – copy machines. The video revealed that

echnologists would have to change their assumptions about how

eople actually use such machines. Video became the standard

or recording and presenting corporate ethnographers’ fndings.

work practice study PARC involves social scientists

n designing better ways o working, resulting in successulocio-technical interventions, experimental workscapes, and

rganization and program changes. Key areas o specialty include:

•Phased Interactive Learning to help employees develop

new skills

•Expert knowledge-sharing systems to harness

communal expertise

• Improving engagements at the critical and valuable

“customer ront”

thnography-based work practice study is a powerul tool or

usiness practice transormation.

conversation analysis PARC ethnographers analyze

way talk is organized and produced. By identiying “intimacy ma

turns-at-talk, and other key patterns, conversation analysis reveahow people interact in various settings. PARC continues to use t

technique to make relationships visible, especially as technology

blurs the boundaries between ace-to-ace and remote interactio

hybrid methodologies As technologies and interact

change, it becomes imperative to adapt ethnography or massiv

data sets and distributed populations. Unlike the physical world,

virtual worlds and other online communities provide unique

aordances, such as high-precision sensors and auto-transcribe

conversations, as well as challenges, such as ambiguous identit

PARC has developed a number o technical-social methods – ro

server-side data mining and mixed levels o analytic scale, to

real-time data monitoring to identiy low incident events – thatcomplement qualitative research and enable ethnographers to

extract insights rom such datasets.

rapid ethnography The Rapid Ethnographic Assessm

and Communication Technique (REACT) compresses the observ

and analysis phases and packages fndings into engaging, sel-

contained videos so stakeholders can glean insights at their

convenience and easily share them with key collaborators over t

ocused

OBSERVATION

rapid

IMMERSION 

actionable

INSIGHT 

shareable

FINDINGS

~1 week ~1 week ~2 weeks ~2 weeks

o ensure useul results, we… To ensure grounded, nuanced

insights, we…

To translate fndings, we… To vividly convey insights, we

Plan and narrow scope:

What - activities o interest

Who - key potential customers

Where - best venues

Collect data through video,photographs, audio recordings,

plus audio and written notes by: 

Observing natural behavior

Engaging in the activity as users

Interviewing users in situ  

Conducting intercept surveys

Analyze massive data sets by:

Organizing collected data

Identifying key insightsRevealing innovation opportunities

Create compelling, short videos

Tell memorable stories

Show key video and audio cl

Make insights come aliveReveal the signifcance o fnd

evolving methods for ethnography at PARC for over three decad

© 2011 Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. PARC®, the PARC logo® and The Business o BreakthroughsTM are service marks o Palo Alto Research Centerncorporated. All other trademarks used herein are the property o their respective owners. Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated is a subsidiary o Xerox Corporation.

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