Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
Ethnography and design, understanding everyday user-product relationships
Green, Clare Ruth
Type:
Year:
2013
Editor:
John Lawlor, Ger Reilly, Robert Simpson, Michael Ring, Ahmed Kovacevic, Mark McGrath, William Ion, David Tormey, Erik Bohemia, Chris McMahon, Brian Parkinson
Author:
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
1: Institut Superieur de Design, Valenciennes, France; 2: Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France
Section:
Reflection on Design Cultures
Page(s):
812-817
ISBN:
978-1-904670-42-1
Abstract:
The range of methods used in Human Centred Design for understanding behaviour is wide and not yet stabilised, which may explain divergent levels of integration in design teaching. The speed at which design disciplines are changing means that the palette of possible user research tools is also evolving, making an overview difficult. This article questions which user-research methods should be considered essential in design studies at university level. We explore lasting everyday user-product relationships as a possible test case relevant to evolutions in user research towards understanding the detail of product related emotions and experience. As well as creating a focus for method choice, we discuss why studying lasting subject-object relationships may be particularly relevant for designers. We assess and discuss some current design research tools appropriate for understanding the detail of user experience, usable by designers rather than human science specialists.
Keywords:
