This project conveys the collaborative efforts and the outcome design and ethnographic research at Starbucks and Adidas retail outlets.

Design Anthropology is the application of the standard tools of social anthropology – ethnography and participant observation – to the solution of design problems, including understanding consumers’ lifestyles, preferences, and priorities. These tools can uncover both the hidden differences among different groups of consumers, and the unstated preferences that are often overlooked by structured, quantitative methods. Qualitative methods are an essential tool kit when designing a new product or service. The anthropological perspective helps a designer discover the habits, needs, wants, and inner desires of consumers that many not be obvious.

Through the creation of the Design Anthropology Museum Exhibit at Wayne State University, students, faculty, and guests are able to observe and learn how the discipline of Anthropology and design students are able to work together. The findings from the ethnographic research revealed values that the designers did not take into consideration. Starbucks consumers valued the coffee and the design students did not include this into their concepts. The Adidas brand was highly valued for its price and aesthetics, which the design students didn’t identify as a value of the consumer. This exhibit walks its observers through the User Experience Design process - conduct surveys and interviews, how to code, analyze and interpret raw data, and how to transfer and iterate that knowledge to the design phase.

Experiences

This rapid ethnographic research involves devising appropriate questions that help answer a central research question: Why do consumers consistently choose to purchase Adidas and Starbucks products, why does this loyalty exist? The process of creating these questions included several revisions in order to create an ideal question that would elicit a specific response from the consumer. These questions were then asked to consumers of these products and then analyzed to extract common patterns or themes.

Analysis

For the analysis step, we the researchers took our raw interview based data collected from the field and first divided them up into different values. In detail, at Starbucks the values of the consumers were found to be: coffee, atmosphere, and another place to be. For Adidas, the values included: activities, price, brand identity, and aesthetics. Afterward we coded our data organizing different examples of responses into each value theme. We then analyzed the examples to find a deeper, symbolic, meaning. We wrote down the information that the designers thought were of value to the consumers and compared that with the deeper meanings found within our raw data.

As a contractor for Morley’s Inc. I conducted qualitative data collection from on-line consumers and potential consumers in real live chat platforms at the General Motors headquarters. I also co-led the creation of the character profiles for employee User Experience training software programs. 

The ultimate goal of my contribution at the Chat Lab was helping to increase conversion rates of consumer inquiries into sales leads to local automotive dealerships by revealing a more in-depth understanding of General Motors segmentation of their markets. I was able to achieve this by actively listening to customers, quickly assess their needs and proactively recommending solutions (including cross-sell and up-sell solutions)

During the interaction processes between myself and the consumers on-line I was able to build connections and trust with the customers on behalf of General Motors.

Disaster Management Project (NSF #428216).

This project took place between August 2005 and August 2009. I worked on this project as User Experience Researcher for the Institute for Information Technology and Culture, Wayne State University.

I was part of an interdisciplinary and multi-functional team alongside Principle Investigator Dr. Allen Batteau, and Co-Principle Investigators: Dr. Dale Brandenburg, Institute for Learning and Performance Improvement; Dr. Jon Brewster, Department of Computer Science; Dr. Matthew Seeger, Department of Communication; Dr. Suzanne White, School of Medicine, Poison Control Center.

I was responsible for the user-experience research of simulated training software programs designed for inter-agency and cross-bornder first respondors. This comprised of various data collection methodologies and analyses pertaining to human computer interaction (HCI), usability testing, interviews, focus groups, and field-work.

The M.A.J.O.R. project uses organizational theory and simulation to develop new models for the coordination of multiple agencies and jurisdictions in response to large-scale disasters.

Disasters, whether natural, industrial, or due to hostile acts such as terrorism, require a coordinated response among numerous public and private agencies.  Far too often an ill-coordinated response has turned a minor incident into a major disaster.

In a metropolitan region such as the Detroit Metro area, with more than 200 jurisdictions, thousands of public and private entities, and a major international border, this challenge of coordinating all of the first responders is immense. The Institute proposed to create models that would simulate disasters and the coordinated response among these agencies and jurisdictions.  These computerized simulations, in a manner quite similar to the use of flight simulators for flight training, would be used to train incident responders and disaster managers in the most effective coordination techniques and structures.

The MAJOR simulator was built using data from both actual disaster response and from simulated scenarios conducted by police, firefighters, and EMS personnel.  

The MAJOR simulator became a significant resource for governments and private entities in Detroit and the nation.  It is now used as both a training tool and a planning tool, to bring the highest level of preparedness possible for unexpected events.

I was working in the Information Operations Branch of the Department of Defense at Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base. We used various qualitative methods to identify user pattersn and achieve in-depth understandings of the social media’s user experience for insurgency and counter insurgency purposes. 

The nature of interdisciplinary and multi-functional teams required me to work closely with graphic designers in order to visually convey the outcome of our data analysis. This collaboration is a perfect balance between qualitative and quantitative efforts.

Social Networks

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a key tool in helping us understand who our major influencers are in the on-line communities. Not only does SNA allow you to identify who your enfluencers are in a network, it also allows us to measure the effect of our efforts that directly affect the bottom-line of our initiative. Further manipulation of the SNA and other raw data collected and juxtapositioned with statistics allowed for our arts and design team to create visuals for the decision makers at Central Command.

I often times conducted briefings and presentations. What made the knowledge transfer possible and with ease were the products created by our arts and design team.

The bulk of my background is in research, teaching, and training. I have strong and extensive experience designing and conducting qualitative and quantitative research for academic, military, and corporate interests. My methodological skills are robust including creating, implementing and facilitating surveys, interviews (ranging from open-ended, structured, and loosely structured), observation techniques (direct and participant observations), oral traditions, content analysis, linguistic analysis, and big data analytics.

As a professionally trained ethnographer my perspective is grounded in the four-fielded discipline of anthropology. The discipline of anthropology has its origins in the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Today, ethnography has transcended the discipline by proving its value independently to any field and from any discipline. The anthropological perspective is a holistic approach to the human experience (physical, linguistic, behavioral, and material, otherwise known as artifacts). I am committed to revealing hidden meanings that influence human behavior. I see everything through the lens of culture while always taking individual agency into account. This encompassing perspective requires all aspects of human evolution which drives my theoretical and methodological decisions and cross-cultural solutions. Perspective is a valuable asset during any phase of the human user experience and I enjoy sharing that perspective with those I work with.

Aside from all this I love to travel (32 countries and counting), I enjoy yoga, nature, art, photography, and deep conversation. I care deeply about equality and strive to be the change I’d like to see in the world.

Currently, I’m based in Detroit after living in Miami for four years and wherever the military has had me for four years prior to that. I am originally from an adorable great lakes community just 15 minutes North of the city. Due to years of fieldwork during my time as a student and as a professional I have learned to speak Greek, Arabic, and French. I have returned back to my roots to get my aging parents situated so that we can move back out West where the rest of our family is. Thanks for stopping by and getting to know a little bit about me.