Design Research and Strategy
In an earlier post, I examined how text is transformed when it is created and shared in digital form. In this post, I argue that time itself is transformed when it is represented in digital format. To illustrate, consider my experiment with my Filofax.
Yes, I said Filofax. I still have one. I haven’t filled it [...]
Categories: design · discourse analysis · product design · qualitative research · technology design · time · user experience
The digital availability of social information has lead many to think it’s a crisis of privacy. It is not; it is a crisis of identity management. Designers of online profiles should think about privacy as the management of identity, which can be an easily damaged piece of social information. Users who can control access to [...]
Categories: goffman · product design · social media
I’m currently forming research questions for an ethnography of Toronto-based technology and design workers. I am working through this question: is Twitter a “place”?
In her 2000 book Virtual Ethnography, Christine Hine argues that there are two analytic strategies to see “cyberspace.” First, one can view it as a “place,” where social norms emerge. Or second, [...]
Categories: design · ethnography · product design · qualitative research · social media · technology design · user experience
We all use personas in everyday social situations. But, like in many design projects, we use to them to typecast instead of to evoke empathy. Personas, like stereotypes, often result in discriminatory behavior. When used in design, personas can create poor design that disempowers and alienate users.
We all like to know how to treat people [...]
Categories: design · ethnography · personas · product design · qualitative research · user experience
What do product designers need to know about their end-user? This post provides a broad-stroke overview of the kinds of questions you should answer before you design a new product, particularly new technology products.
The “value orientation model” of anthropology is a great starting point for product design. Your product has to fit within a person’s [...]
Categories: Research Methods · product design · qualitative research · technology design