design ethnography with activity theory
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Design ethnography with activity theory
Frederick van Amstel http://fredvanamstel.com
Architecture and Design SchoolDigital Design
PUCPR
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)
Ethnography moved from the exotic to the familiar. Hilaine Yaccoub do ethnography in one of Rio de Janeiro’s favela.
Design ethnographies try to uncover user needs and find new opportunities. Jan Chipchase studied phone usage for Nokia.
Design ethnographies generate insights from observations. (Nicolas Nova study of design ethnography)
Nokia discovered phone rental stores in Africa kept collective address books. They created a new model with this function.
How design ethnography works
Questions, hypothesis, interests
Direct observation, interview, workshop
Insights, needs, ideas,
conceptsInterpretation, data analysis,
reflection
Sharing findings,
cocreating
(it is kinda messy!)
Information overload: each node is a note taken for my thesis’ ethnographic study (Van Amstel, 2015)
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)
Common theories used in design ethnography
• Activity Theory (which is the focus here)
• Actor-Network Theory
• Cognitive Engineering (mental models)
• etc...
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
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
Pho
to ©
200
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Vain
ikai
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Let’s analyze an activity
Based on Korpela (2004)
Intensive care of premature babies
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to ©
200
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People: baby, mother, nursesObject: the baby’s health
Result: a healthy child and a happy motherInstruments: baby-warmer, inhaler, antibiotics
First analysis
Baby’s health: the object is a sum of multiple representations (sensor values) of the same material (the baby’s body)
Instruments
Object representation (baby’s health)
Object material (baby’s health)
Nurses use representations to coordinate their interference in the material
The baby care team forms a sensitive community, kind to mothers and family. They try not to get too attached to babies.
The doctor devises a care plan and nurses must keep track of what they are doing (rules + division of labor)
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?
Data collection instruments
• Direct observations (body)
• Notebook (Moleskine like)
• Smartphone (camera, audio recording)
• Collected documents (folders, papers, etc)
• Inquiry protocols (eg: activity inquiry guide)
• Semi-structured interview topics (notebook)
The big picture
Mothers, nurses and doctors
Baby’s health
Healthy baby
Baby warmer
Baby care team Monitoring, evaluating,
spiritual support
Sterile environmentStable temperature
Activity’s rules
Figure 16.2. A handoff chain for the SEO case.
PREVIOUS REPORT
ACCOUNT MANAGER EMAILS SEO SPECIALIST
WITH QUESTIONS
SEO SPECIALISTIMs 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 ACCOUNTMANAGER
SEO SPECIALIST TALKS WITH OTHER
SPECIALIST
ACCOUNTMANAGER TALKSWITH SPECIALIST
Workflow diagram Decision diagram (algorithm)
Return to the big picture
Mothers, nurses and doctors
Baby’s health
Healthy baby
Baby warmerOximeter
Baby care team Monitoring, evaluating,
spiritual support
Sterile environmentStable temperature
Advanced topics
• Connection between multiple activities
• Contradiction
• Object expansion
• Participatory ethnography
Thank you!Frederick van Amstel
http://fredvanamstel.comArchitecture and Design School
Digital Design PUCPR
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