Rapid ethnography compresses the depth and contextual richness of traditional ethnographic research into a timeframe that fits the pace of most design projects. Rather than months of immersion, rapid ethnography delivers meaningful fieldwork in days, using focused observation, structured fieldnotes, and team-based analysis to generate insights that are both grounded and timely. It is a practical response to the real constraints that design teams face without abandoning the contextual rigour that makes ethnography so valuable.