Category Archives: Applied Anthropology
I’m a Storyteller: Modeling Users, and Crafting Analogies for Better Design
I use analogies. I’m constantly on the lookout for the perfect analogy to describe this phenomena or that. For example, how do you describe culture to someone? If you go to the dictionary and recite: the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group -(see: Dictionary.com (Links to an externalContinue reading “I’m a Storyteller: Modeling Users, and Crafting Analogies for Better Design”
Ethnographic Archaeology: Iterative Prototyping in UX Research and Design
From the outset of the Stringer et al., paper I was a little put off by the mention that they had developed a form of UCD called, ‘curriculum-focused design’. In so far as curriculum is content, they just conducted user-research along with iterative prototyping. And I think this point is not beyond the authors otherwiseContinue reading “Ethnographic Archaeology: Iterative Prototyping in UX Research and Design”
The Needfinders: a Reflection on Patnaik and Becker’s seminal paper
Patnaik and Becker seem to give us a torch with which to light our path into that immersive, murky realm of qualitative data collecting and assessment. Among the several important takeaways I saw was that in doing social research, it’s easy to just gather data for the sake of gathering data, and you’ll be ableContinue reading “The Needfinders: a Reflection on Patnaik and Becker’s seminal paper”
Critical Issues in Information
While a trained analyst can uncover useful insights about a population using Big Data, if you really want to know what’s going on you ask the locals.
Empathic UI for Poor People
Over the past few years I’ve made a lot of improvements to my financial portfolio, and I used technology to do it.
UX for Civilization
Civilization is supposed to be the pinnacle of human social development. That we work together in a coordinated effort to achieve the common goal of human progress.
