{"id":9980,"date":"2014-11-04T11:21:55","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T19:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=9980"},"modified":"2020-10-26T15:56:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T22:56:46","slug":"participant-observation-web-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/needmoredesigns.com\/participant-observation-web-design\/","title":{"rendered":"On Anthropology and Web Design"},"content":{"rendered":"
Before migrating to web design a decade ago, I spent a good amount of time studying Cultural Anthropology. This is a sweet discipline for those that are interesting in storytelling and culture. While web design and Anthropology may seem to be worlds apart, there are in fact a surprising number of similarities in goals and methodology.<\/p>\n
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Anthropologists utilize\u00a0qualitative research, a method that is focused on getting a sense of why<\/em> people do what they do. This can help us understand how people relate to the products and brands we are helping to promote, helping us to\u00a0answer questions such as: Why would someone stand in line for an hour for an ice cream?<\/em>\u00a0or What sets a particular coffee roaster or baker\u00a0from their contemporaries, what is their unique story?<\/em><\/p>\n Remarkable design flows from having a deep understanding of a brand. Anthropologist have built up stellar tools for understanding culture over the years. We\u00a0can draw\u00a0from these techniques and apply them to the brands and products we design for.<\/p>\n Cultural Anthropologists use Participant\u00a0Observation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Its aim is to gain a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals (such as a religious, occupational, sub cultural group, or a particular community) and their practices through an intensive involvement with people in their cultural environment…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Happily, we can use these tools as well.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Participant Observation\u00a0is a\u00a0way of learning about a culture, involving both observing<\/em> and participating<\/em>. As web designers, we actually have the observing part down pretty well; In a typically web design discovery phase, we already have a number of tools aimed at understanding brands and website needs, such as client surveys and communication briefs. \u00a0From these come personas (ideas of who might use the website) and what their goals and paths might be.<\/p>\n The are valuable tools. However, they can often fail to give us a deep understanding of a brand. This is because they lack the\u00a0participation <\/em>piece, which can be tougher, but also leads to the most individual observation.<\/p>\n There are 5 simple tools<\/strong> that anthropologists use in Participant Observation that are helpful to web designers and each can be used alone or as a group.<\/p>\n This means getting out and interacting directly with a brand. In any way that you can, experience your client’s product first-hand.<\/p>\n Get your clients talking about themselves in a casual environment.<\/span><\/p>\n Spend time in your client’s environment.<\/p>\n Find out how your client is talking about themselves (and how others are talking about them) in the public sphere.<\/p>\n Think about what you’ve learned from getting to know your client and their brand.<\/p>\n Finally, I\u2019d like to share one of our more recent WooCommerce<\/a> based redesigns. When we first encountered Picky Bars<\/a>, they had a website that was a strong translation of their packaging with realistic photos of their bars. This was a site built to sell power bars. And, it was hobbling along fairly well. They even had a good start to a monthly subscription service called the Picky Club.<\/p>\n Before designing, we took their bars on the road with us, from long hikes to group camping trips. And, we listened to a lot of stories. We talked to some of their first club members. One particular story struck us with particular power. This was a story about one of their founders<\/a>, Lauren, completing a race after an injury. She knew she wouldn’t win. In fact, it was a miracle she finished. But, she got out there and participated anyhow.<\/p>\n When Picky fans and family tell that story, they get tears in their eyes. They tell you about their respect for Picky\u2019s three founders, professional athletes who are each forging their own paths. They’ll tell you that the Picky life is a philosophy that encourages you to be a better you.<\/p>\nParticipant Observation<\/h2>\n
\n1. Direct Observation.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
2. Informal Interviews<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. Participate in Group Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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4. Life Histories<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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5. Self Analysis<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Picky Bars: Proof is in the Pudding<\/h2>\n