The Use Of Cognitive And Social Psychological Principles In Field Research: How It Furthers Our Understanding Of User Behaviors, Needs And Motivations, And Informs The Product Design Process

Field research methods (also known as Ethnography) are useful in gathering user requirements, informing product direction, and identifying user needs and barriers. This paper will focus on how we perform data analysis for the Horizontal Visits sub-area. Horizontal Visits help identify user patterns and behaviors that inform product strategies and inspire product innovations. This paper introduces how psychological principles and deep dive analysis are helpin- eBay build better products and more useful features for its customers. Specifically, this research tried to deeply understand how and why people buy products. The study investigates users' approach to buying, attitudes, mental models, and needs. We learned that after an initial analysis of the data is completed one should continue to drill down into the meaning of the data by applying Cognitive and Social Psychological Principles to help team members more deeply understand the overall behaviors and motivations behind users' actions.