Leveraging Ethnographic Research Methods to Help Our Client Understand What NYC Residents and Visitors Expect/Want/Need to Know About Construction
Background- Who is the DDC Anyway?
As the City’s primary capital construction project manager, DDC builds many of the civic facilities New Yorkers use every day. They provide communities with new or renovated structures such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, courthouses, senior centers, and more. DDC also delivers roadway, sewer, and water main construction projects in all five boroughs.
Team
This semester, I took on the role of an ethnographer. An ethnographer, specifically practical ethnography relates to a kind of observational research. Still, it usually takes place over a shorter period of time with the goal being to obtain a snapshot of specific characteristics of an individual, group, or setting.
Along with the rest of my fellow ethnographers, we set out to conduct observational fieldwork, conduct interviews, and diary studies, lead a workshop with participants and finally present everything we did to stakeholders.
Research Goals- Three Things We Kept in Mind
- Recognize the public’s expectations of the DDC, as well as its current problems and misunderstandings.
- Understand the culture, norms, or social environment of the people found interacting with NYC construction.
- Learn how the DDC can communicate with the people of NYC more successfully.
Methods- Four That We Used
Observational Fieldwork
Who?
Residents of the area, visitors, and people working in the area but not necessarily residing there.
What?
We observed people who interacted with the construction site.
Where?
Greenwich and Front Street construction sites.
When?
September 12th-19th, 2022
How?
We collected our data through pictures and videos.
Why?
To provide insights into the Greenwich and Front street construction site community life and practices and understand their interactions.
On-site interviews
Who?
- Resident physician + Wealth Manager
- 2 graduate students living near the site
- A driver and crossing guard working near the site
What?
We conducted on-site interviews with the people mentioned previously.
Where?
At the Greenwich and Front street construction sites.
When?
September 23rd-October 1st, 2022
How?
We walked around the Greenwich and Front street construction sites and asked if we could interview people.
Why?
To get to know the people and their needs as well as to gain insights into their behavior and experience with construction.
Diary Study
Who?
- A wealth manager
- Two graduate students
What?
We had the participants each do three activities which included creating a mood board of their feelings regarding construction, imagining they had a magic wand to change the site, and a time machine to visualize the finished construction.
Where?
Online via Miro
When?
October 32st- November 6th, 2022
How?
We used a collaborative tool called Miro to make it easier for everyone and allowed people to do the study on their own time and place, we also provide an instructional video teaching people how to use Miro.
Why?
We wanted to see how someone’s day is affected on a day-to-day basis and understand how they feel.
6-8-5 Brainstorming workshop
Who?
Pratt Institue Practical Ethnography class
What?
We had the participants take part in a gamestorming activity called 6-8-5 which is meant to combat underdeveloped ideas from happening by forcing participants into generating lots of ideas in a short period of time.
Where?
Online + in-person
When?
November 28th, 2022
How?
We used Miro in collaboration with some paper drawing activities.
Why?
To facilitate empathy and a collaborative understanding of the target audiences’ needs.
Findings- Let’s See What We Uncovered
first big idea
Residents of NYC want to be sure that their tax money is going towards bettering NYC.
“Contemporary infrastructure is vital to make an area desirable to live in. If I heard the place never has construction that would be a negative.”
Mark, Resident Physician
“As a native New Yorker, I learned to accept construction improvements happening in NYC because I know that my tax money is going towards making NYC more beautiful/ functional.”
Peter, Wealth Manager
Recommendation
Be transparent as possible when it comes to taxpayer money. This includes:
- Having a graph showing money spent on completed projects
- Having an interactive visual about the impact of people’s tax dollars
Second big idea
Residents of NYC want to see the results of the construction project, so they can be more supportive and positive about the construction.
“Because of the construction, it is taking forever for me to find a parking spot nearby. I want to know when the construction is completed, will there be more parking space? A mock-up picture of the site will be very helpful.”
Frank, Driver
“I wish they could put a picture on the signage showing the results of the construction. I will be more supportive if I can see the results.”
Kira, Graduate Student
Recommendation
Present the results of the construction.
- Digital products include some pictures showing what will look like when the construction is completed
- Or presenting the results by text, such as more parking space, wider sidewalk, etc. Maybe include this information in a digital product.
Third Big Idea
Residents of NYC want to know about construction but may not necessarily speak English.
“Workers are speaking in Spanish. I sometimes ask what they are doing. No one tells me when it’s ended.”
Digna, School Crossing Guard
“Most instructions are in English and it is difficult for me to understand it completely.”
Digna, School Crossing Guard
Recommendation
It will be helpful if the communication is provided in more than one language.
Since New York is a city that attracts a lot of diverse crowds. It is a known fact that a lot of people working, living, and residing here speak more than one language, in this case, Digna spoke Spanish.
Conclusion- Time for Our Wrap-Up
We consolidated our big ideas and recommendations from our research which included observational fieldwork, interviews, diary studies, and workshops. We can conclude that a few of the issues that are faced by the people of NYC are:
- Transparency: How is our tax money being utilized, spent, and benefits us?
- Vision: How will the city look once the construction is completed?
- Language & Accessibility: How can we communicate with the diversity of New York City if my first language is not English?
Next Steps- What Can We do Moving Forward?
- Communicating and achieving transparency
- Sharing the vision of the improved site
- Being able to make information accessible to all
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