[Ethnography]

(This post is based of the two articles, What is Ethography? and Ethnography: a Primer.)

Design is based in problem solving; we design in order to relieve, expedite, and avoid painful and uncomfortable situations. The act of making/creating has been apart of the human history since it's beginning; we made shoes so we could walk on rocks, we made saddles to ride horses, we made cars so we wouldn't get thrown off of horses, and we made seat belts to make crashing a less hazardous experience.

In this society, we pursue, perhaps with obsession, a painless life. We desire this so much that we have dedicated an entire group of people to fix our problems. Yes, I am talking about designers.

Now a rudimentary way of describing the purpose of design is ultimately to relieve pain and to bring pleasure (I don't think this is an exhaustive definition, seeing as it only focuses on the carnal, animalistic needs of humanity and completely ignores our spiritual longings, which I believe design does touch on; however, it will suffice for this article). Therefore as designers, we need to be very good at discerning what people like and dislike.

This may seem like an easy task; however, we must factor in the complications our world has to offer: Cultural/social/religious differences, political stability/instability, poverty/hyper wealth, etc. Once we've added in these difference between people, not to mention personality differences, we find that identifying the roots of problems may be trickier than we thought.

Enter Ethnography: the process of identifying problems at their root, and finding solutions that fit within the system. A process which all designers should familiarize themselves with. The purpose of Ethnography is best stated in six maxims:
1) To discover meaning.
2) To understand norms.
3) To make powerful connections.
4) To be worldly
5) To identify barriers.
6) To observe reality.
These are the six goals of Ethnography. If we can identify these, we will be able to properly understand the true problem in need of solving.

"So Cameron, how does one go about answering these questions?" you might ask, to which I would tell you to read an article on ethnography, because I'm no expert. However, I can give you a basic layout of the process.

The first step of ethnography is to prepare: identify the problem, it's location and context. This is the pre-production phase to use a film term. Before even stepping into the field, you should research context and have base knowledge of the culture and people you're going to be observing. Finalizing a game plan would be your last step: How are you going to observe? What steps will you take to get information? Who is bringing the snacks? Answer these important questions before moving on.

The next step of ethnography is observation. This is the heart of ethnography, where the magic happens. Go out into the field, observe, photograph, record. Be the fly on the wall and capture reality at its finest.

The last step is analyzation. Take your data and dig into the facts. Note patterns, flukes. See how people have adapted to the problem, and see where their adaptations have fallen short. Discuss with your team how to best solve these problems. Then finalize a plan of attack. An attack of good design in order to solve a problem and better the world that is.

Ethnography is a highly important first step in order to implement good design. It allows you to understand the human factor in the issue, and allows you to see how your product might actually help or possibly hurt a situation. And at the very least, you'll get to people watch, which is always fun.