Category Methods

Observations from an ethnography conference

Alexa Curtis recently attended EPIC, the Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference, a truly international gathering of ethnographers, anthropologists, strategists, designers, and others who are committed to understanding audiences in order to inform appropriate solutions. Unlike past years, there was no…

Ethnography and speculative fiction

Two new articles on Ethnography Matters: Ethnographies from the Future: What can ethnographers learn from science fiction and speculative design? Laura Forlano (@laura4lano) is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Design at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology…

How robots can trick you into loving them

The secret to robots with better social skills? Exploiting human nature. Maggie Koerth-Baker, science editor of BoingBoing.net, explores “how [designers can make] robots trick you in loving them” for the New York Times Magazine. “In the future, more robots will…

Book: Design Anthropology

Design Anthropology: Theory and Practice Editor(s): Wendy Gunn, Ton Otto, Rachel Charlotte Smith Bloomsbury Academic, 2013 304 pages Design is a key site of cultural production and change in contemporary society. Anthropologists have been involved in design projects for several…

Who commits virtual identity suicide?

Who Commits Virtual Identity Suicide? Differences in Privacy Concerns, Internet Addiction, and Personality Between Facebook Users and Quitters Stefan Stieger, Christoph Burger, Manuel Bohn, and Martin Voracek. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. September 2013, 16(9): 629-634. doi:10.1089 Published in Volume:…