Ethnographic Research

Brand

Overview

Uber commissioned a multi-city ethnographic study to better understand how driving fit into participants’ lives, how they experienced the platform, and how those experiences differed across markets.

The work combined in-home interviews, contextual observation, in-car research, and group panels, to then translate the findings into an executive research deck, printed photo journal, and a qualitative video summary.

My Role

As the sole designer and visual documentarian, I worked alongside a market researcher in the field to record participants, environments, and moments surrounding the research. I then shaped the material into a cohesive visual narrative, designing the presentation, editorial photo journal, illustrations, and video summary used to communicate the findings to the client.

Research Synthesis

I worked to translate hours of interviews and observation into a clear narrative around motivations, tradeoffs, behaviors, and market-specific differences.

Participant quotes, photography, and concise analysis were brought together to keep the findings grounded in lived experience rather than reduced to generalized user types.

Field Documentation

The research extended beyond what participants said. I documented their homes, vehicles, neighborhoods, routines, and interactions with the platform to preserve the context surrounding each interview.

The photography was approached as research material rather than decorative imagery, capturing details that could deepen or complicate the verbal findings.

Photo Journal

I designed a printed photo journal as a more immersive companion to the findings. Its pacing, scale, and editorial treatment gave the photography room to hold details and emotional cues that would have been lost in an executive presentation.

The result was a tangible record of the fieldwork that complemented the analytical report without duplicating it.