Category Archives: ethnography

Designing with local practitioners

Posted on January 17, 2012

A recent article on CoDesign asks “Do Designers Actually Exploit The Poor While Trying To Do Good?”. The article features an interview with Jan Chipchase, tech-ethnographer extraordinaire, formerly of Nokia and currently of Frog Design, both large, Western-based, design-focused corporations … Continue reading →

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Designing like an Acupuncturist

Posted on October 3, 2010

Like acupuncture, it’s not about how pretty the needle is, it’s about where you stick it. If you can intelligently select one small spot to focus on, you can design something awesome. The ethnographic account can help you see how the parts fit together. It can tease out where some of the important practices are — the places where a small change can radiate outward. Continue reading →

Posted in design, developing country, ethnography | Tagged design, development, ethnography, mobility, slum, sustainable, urban | 1 Comment