Field observation

They aren't really comparable, but you can draw a parallel between them. Ethnography draws on several data collection methods. Field observation is one of the foundations of ethnography, which consists in immersing yourself in a context to study the practices of a certain category of users.

Before going out to observe, you start by defining what you are going to look at in particular, and how you are going to capture the information. Depending on the project, observation slots are sometimes fairly open (one particular theme, but few preconceptions about what matters) or more tightly framed (e.g. an observation plan for a sequence of actions by a user carrying out an action, several predefined metrics to record, and so on).

The data collected during an observation phase can vary. You can note down what you see on blank paper or fill in an observation sheet. You can count, measure times or occurrences of an action. You can also trace movements, represent flows within a space.

When the contexts of use are very specific, as in an analysis of an operator's activity, going straight into the field is a real plus. You always make sure you can put the feedback you get from users into context. However, there are also plenty of weaker signals that will struggle to emerge spontaneously in an interview over the phone, for example.