Courses / Module

According to Salvador, Bell and Anderson (1999), design ethnography is "a way of understanding the particulars
of daily life in such a way as to increase the success probability of a new product or service or … to reduce the
probability of failure specifically due to a lack of understanding …’ This course will introduce learners to the
history of ethnographic research, from its roots in anthropology to its contemporary applications in a number
of fields and, especially, in design contexts. Learners will be encouraged to evaluate methods such as
participant observation and in-depth interviews and consider other, less tangible elements: the challenges of
‘figuring out’ a socio-cultural context, symbolic meaning or the indeterminacy of meaning. Rapid ethnography,
multi-sitedness, research in constrained environments, and comparative ethnographic studies will also be
discussed. Learners will be given time to consider the methods and outcomes of ethnography using practice
examples, where possible. The course will include short research exercises and will prepare learners to carry
our professional design ethnography projects.

Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the learner will be able to:
Show detailed knowledge of the history and current uses of design ethnography.
Use and critically evaluate the uses of design ethnography as well as interpreting the results of design ethnography.
Apply design ethnography methods to a variety of research problems/questions
Performs a variety of design ethnography tasks, carry out short research projects and embark on a major design ethnography research project.