Design ethnography tries to uncover user needs and find new opportunities. These slides explain how one can use activity theory to frame the study. Part of the Design Thinking course at PUCPR.
3. Key ethnographic concepts
• Ethnocentrism (judging other cultures from yours)
• The Other (appreciating different people)
• Estrangement (looking from distance)
• Representation (implications of describing people)
• Point of view (taking different perspectives)
• Bias (avoid framing reality as you’d like to be)
4. Ethnography moved from the exotic to the familiar. Hilaine
Yaccoub do ethnography in one of Rio de Janeiro’s favela.
5. Design ethnographies try to uncover user needs and find new
opportunities. Jan Chipchase studied phone usage for Nokia.
13. The role of theory in
ethnography
• Some researchers are against starting from them
to avoid bias
• I prefer to start with a theory because it leads to:
• Focused observations
• Simpler data analysis
• Knowledge cocreation (cross-studies bridge)
• There are limitations (bias, jumping too soon to
conclusions, distorting data to fit the framework)
14. Common theories used in
design ethnography
• Activity Theory (which is the focus here)
• Actor-Network Theory
• Cognitive Engineering (mental models)
• etc...
16. Mediation
Stimulus Response
Everything you do is mediated by a socially constructed sign
Sign
Stimulus-response direct relationships do not exist in human
behavior due to symbolic mediation
17. Social construction of signs
1.The baby waves his
hand randomly
2. The mother
believing he wants the
toy brings a nearby
toy
3. The baby learns the
meaning of the
pointing sign
32. Activity inquiry guide
• What is the activity?
• Where does it take place?
• Who are the people carrying it on?
• What are they trying to transform?
• What is the expected result from transformation?
• What are the instruments used?
• How do people divide work?
• How do they control and regulate work?
• How do they form a community?
35. The big picture
Mothers, nurses and
doctors
Baby’s
health
Healthy
baby
Baby warmer
Baby care team Monitoring,
evaluating,
spiritual support
Sterile environment
Stable temperature
42. Activity’s rules
handoff chain for the SEO case.
PREVIOUS REPORT
ACCOUNT MANAGER
EMAILS SEO SPECIALIST
WITH QUESTIONS
SEO SPECIALIST
IMs WITH OTHER
SPECIALIST
ACCOUNT MANAGER
EMAILS CLIENT FINAL
DRAFT OF REPORT +
COVER EMAIL
SEO SPECIALIST
GENERATES
DRAFT REPORT
SEO SPECIALIST
EMAILS CUSTOMER
RE CUSTOMER
SPECIFICS
ACCOUNT MANAGER
AND SEO MEET WITH
CLIENT, PRESENT
POWERPOINT SLIDES
SEO SPECIALIST
EMAILS REPORT
TO ACCOUNT
MANAGER
SEO SPECIALIST
TALKS WITH OTHER
SPECIALIST
ACCOUNT
MANAGER TALKS
WITH SPECIALIST
Workflow diagram Decision diagram (algorithm)
44. Return to the big picture
Mothers, nurses and
doctors
Baby’s
health
Healthy
baby
Baby warmer
Oximeter
Baby care team Monitoring,
evaluating,
spiritual support
Sterile environment
Stable temperature