Ethnography is a research method that looks at the behaviour of humans in there natural environment, behaving as if no one was analysing them. This allows researchers to analyse, process and deliver meaningful information that lets us break out of our own bubble of preconceived ideas and have a look at how others do things.
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| Breaking out of the bubble is a must | . |
The information and ideas collected by ethnographers can then be used by designers of any discipline to solve problems that might have otherwise been over looked.
To allow us to begin to understand how powerful ethnography can be we have been asked to get ourselves into an environment that we are not used to and feel uncomfortable in. We must then act as ethnographers, becoming aware of the people around us, observing any unspoken rules and changes in behaviour.
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| Fish, but no water. |
The location I chose to carry out this research was the London Underground Transport system, I have had no previous experience on the underground so this was a great opportunity to observe the way I felt when I was underground, using it.
Some of the main observations I made after my first journey where,
- SILENCE - There was almost complete silence on the carriage I was in, apart from a small group of kids who seemed to know each other. This could be because it was early in the morning, when the majority of people are still a bit groggy and seem to chat less, and the quieter it is the less confidence people have to start up a conversation, as everyone else without ipods would be forced to listen.
- EYE CONTACT - People seemed to be avoiding eye contact at all costs, peoples eyes were constantly darting around, or fixed on a paper or personal entertainment system.
- COMPETITION - Getting onto the carriage at busy times seemed to be a bit brutal, people would push, shove and occasionally stab to make sure they get on before the doors close, the doors closing on me is probably what I feared the most while using the tube, mainly because It looked sore, but also because of the embarrassment it would cause.
- LIGHTING - I find the lighting in allot of public places starts to hurt my eyes after a while, but the bright white lights on the tube where especially bad for me. I also found it very intense, and to be in a brightly lit enclosed space full of people for over 10 minutes seemed to become quite stressful.
Maybe the lighting on the tube could look like this instead?
Rainbow Tunnel In Tel Aviv
