This chapter establishes the conceptual foundations of the research across three areas. It traces the evolution from goods-dominant to service-dominant logic, and positions service design as a strategic, user-centered discipline for managing customer experience (CX) across touchpoints and journeys. It then reviews CX research, covering satisfaction models, the role of emotional dimensions, and the limitations of retrospective data collection methods. Finally, it examines ethnography as a research approach in information systems, outlining its schools of thought, research design considerations, known limitations, and five core quality criteria that guide the methodological development in subsequent chapters.