Design Anthropology

By way of theatre: Design Anthropology and the exploration of human possibilities

by Caroline Gatt

Design Ethnography: An Annotated Bibliography of Past and Present Uses of the Approach

by Russell Edwards

This paper can hopefully serve as, merely, a starting point for researching the topic of design ethnography.

The primary way that anthropologists contribute to the design process is by practicing “design ethnography” during... more The primary way that anthropologists contribute to the design process is by practicing “design ethnography” during research stages. Design ethnography is a catch-all term used to describe an applied methodology derived from numerous approaches to qualitative analyses. Therefore it is only fitting that design ethnographers are currently debating theories and their methodologies, just as early practitioners of qualitative approaches did (and still do). This annotated bibliography was compiled in an effort to understand the roots of design ethnography and ponder its future. It is comprised of works that directly make mention of the method, as well as other works that may relate to tangential topics.

Locating Design Anthropology in Research and Practice

by Nicola Dawn Smith

As an emerging field, design anthropology appears to be in the formative stages of establishing an intellectual and... more As an emerging field, design anthropology appears to be in the formative stages of establishing an intellectual and disciplinary location, currently caught in the turbulent waters between theory and application, academia and industry, research and practice.

While the unclear nature of this new collaboration may be confronting for research students from either traditional academic discipline areas, such as anthropology, or from established practice-based design industries, it does offer the opportunity for investigative and methodological experimentation at doctoral level. The connection between design and anthropology has always been implicit; the challenge lies in making it explicit and accessible for through ongoing education, research and practice.

Keywords - design anthropology; design research; doctoral education; cross-disciplinary practice; emerging design fields, participatory design pedagogy, design dialogue