Here’s something that may surprise you - user testing doesn’t help you innovate. For example, it’s unlikely that in the middle of a user test a participant is going to leap out their seat and shout “I’ve got it! This iPhone app is answering the wrong question! What you need to design is this!” Nope, participants are more likely to tell you about what they don’t understand or what they don’t like. Read more »
Most of us have at least heard of anthropology and ethnography, but how many of you have considered using it in your projects? If I were to guess, I’d say not many, which is what I’m hoping to change with this brief article.
In the broadest and most literal sense, anthropology is the study of human beings: What defines being human? How did we evolve to where we are today? What separates us from animals? What differentiates groups of humans from each other? In what ways are humans similar across cultures and societies? To answer these questions, anthropologists look to those boring yet extremely complex everyday experiences that we all go through.