User Research: Retail Ecologies

Overview

1 Introduction

Design Ethnography

Retail “Ecologies” & Ecommerce

Why?

Intersection of IA & Ethnography

Key tenets of Ethnography
(M Ackerman)

Definition of Ethnography

2 The Retail Ecology Matrix

Retail “Ecologies” & Ecommerce

Definition of Retail Ecology

Two Dimensions

Object Meaning

Social Relationship

The Four Ecologies

Maintenance

Provisional

Consumption

Pilgrimage

3 IA for E-Commerce Ecology

IA for e-commerce ecology

IA for each cell of the matrix

Maintenance

Amazon.com One Click Ordering (streamlined feature)

Northwest Airlines “Make a Reservation Now” (high-level shortcut)

Provisional

Etoys product description (basic detail with reviews from others)

A wish list from Amazon.com

Consumption

REI product description (rich detail)

Gaiam.com splash page (evocative labels)

Pilgrimage

Wine.com white wine home page (evocative labels)

Cooking.com Community Kitchen (relationship features)

Land’s End Shop with a Friend (relationship features) the on-line equivalent to a store with aisles wide enough to walk along with a friend

4 Business value of matching appropriate IA with appropriate ecology

Gap Analysis

What happens when ecologies clash?

Multiple Ecologies

Amazon.com

Northwest Airlines

5 Conclusion & Discussion