La Etnografia En El Campo Del Diseño

Human Organization, Vol. 59, No. 4, 2WO Copyright 0 2000 by the Society for Applied Anthropology 0018-72591001040377-12$1.7011

Ethnography in the Fiekl of Design
Christina Wasson
Members of the design profession help develop new products and services of many kinds, and they are centrally concerned with satisfying the needs of users of their products. Ethnography appeals to designers becauseit provides a window onto the ways consumers interact with products in their everyday lives. The paper provides an overview of this extension of applied anthropology to a new domain. It traces how ethnography became known to designers and the transmission of particular research traditions that have shaped the practice of "ethnography" in the design field. Ethnomethodology, conversation analysis,and activity theory have been prominent theoretical influences. Most data-gathering methods are characterized by the use of videotape. As an example. I describe the research practices of one design firm, formerly known as E-Lab LLC, now part of Sapient Corporation.
Key words: design, consumption, video ethnography, conversation analysis, activity theory, research methods

he application ofanthropological methods has recently become strikingly popular in the field of industrial design. In this article, I trace how "ethnography" (as it is always called) came to be adopted by design firms. In part, this is a story of personal contacts and social networks. More importantly, however, it is a genealogy of the transmission of particular kinds of anthropological theories and methods. The designworld's adoption of "ethnography" has received considerable attention in the popular business and design presses (see Hafner 1999; Heath 1997; Nussbaum 1997; Posner 1996; Robinson 1994a; Robinson and Nims 1996; Smith 1997; Weise 1999; Wells 1999). But the first major volume on this topic written by and (in part) for anthropologists is appearing only now (Squires and Byme n.d.1. One goal of thisarticle is therefore to inform applied anthropologists of a new trend. Among other things, the development offers employment possibilities for students considering an applied career. As a service to readers who want to educate themselves further, I have included a comprehensive list of references. "Design" is the field whose members envision and give shape to new, or modified, products and services(Industrial Designers Society of America 1996). Among peers, a design is evaluated according to how well it blends aesthetic beauty

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Christina Wasson is a visiting assistant professor in the anthropology departmetzt at DePaul University. She wishes to thank S ~ u a n Squires, Charline Poirie~and Rick E. Robinson for helpful conversatiotzs. She also extends a special thanks to all E-Lab (asit was then) employees for teaching her about their occupational community. This paper developed out of presen rations made to the Anthropology Departmenr Colloquia at Northwestern University and Northern Illinois University. It has been strengthened by the thought@ comments of three anonytnous reviewers.

with an elegant functionality and ease of use. Particularly successful examples of thiscraft include the chairs of Charles and Ray Eames, the newly "streamlined" automobiles of the 1 9 5 0 and, more recently, O X 0 Good Grip kitchen utensils. ~~ Designers also regard their work as an act of communication regarding the product's intended use. A successfully designed item is one that is easily adopted by consumers. This may be because the product's use fits with existing behaviorpatterns or because it signals a new use in a clear and compelling way. "The user" is a central trope for designers, the focus of their professional attention: identifying and meeting "the user's'' needs and wants is the central mission of designers. Of course, this is never a straightforward process. Consumers have complex, multiple needs, which they are not always able to articulate. Also,...