Design Studies: Ethnography

So further to my last post, the next step was to read up on Ethnography.

                                     

taken from the linked site above

A condensed explanation is shown above, and further reading on this can be found in the link, also given above.

This process makes quite a lot of sense when you think about it really. Observe, realise, and only then design. I think we subconsciously take this into consideration, but a much more in depth approach needs to be taken when we design for a user. In a way - everything is service design. If it has a purpose, a use, or a reason for it's existence, it provides a service, regardless of scale. Pin pointing ways in which to reduce, time, effort and complexity is good design, and all this can only be realised through laborious observations, that may be lengthly to complete, but are invaluable when reducing down to a final outcome.

For example, myself and a few class mates took a short trip to London for a conference for our course. While travelling through the business hub every morning for the three day event, I found it difficult to understand how to behave amongst hundreds of black shiny shoed business men, with their Starbucks lattes, broadsheets and pin striped suits, all of which silently walk at 10m/s. They automatically understood the tube etiquette, which seemed to change for this line only, compared to the likes of Whitechapel.

Do I need to go on a course before boarding?

There were no signs to say you virtually do not talk while aboard the train. There were no signs warning you that there would not be any bin facility for the next 30 minutes of your journey. There were no signs to say you have to be extremely well balanced to be able to squash into a 20cm square area of floor space, with no access to a rail to steady yourself, as the carriage jolted forward - as well as no signage to say that you may not also brush into someone else, even if they are a mere 5cm from your face. This to me, was bad design. A floor pattern may of helped, giving people a plan to adhere to, a sign to be aware if you are taking things onto the carriage that you will soon wish to dispose of, you will not be able to dispose of it any time soon. These things would quickly come to light if someone was to spend time researching this from an ethnographic perspective.