A question on Ethnography

I posted this on the module forum but I thought I'll post it here as well since I have kind of neglected this blog after all the festivities and celebrations. And considering that this blog will be graded as my participation, I ought to do something soon! I promise. =)

I am just wondering that it is a necessary criterion for ethnographers to observe without imposing a presence.

For example, if I'm observing the happenings in a lecture theatre during lecture and I go in with a bulky camcorder or worst still a film crew, wouldn't it be counter-productive in that I've actually created an artificial presence that will not be there under normal circumstances? And in this case, the people being observed may become aware of them being watched and hence, behave in a different (possibly more composed) manner. This will mean that the observations are not attuned to the reality, but rather a forced reality. I'm sure those of us who have went through education in Singapore long enough will know that teachers do behave differently and that they may even request the students to behave in a certain manner when an examiner from the Ministry of Education is scheduled to sit in during class.

But on the other hand, such artificial presence may actually yield unexpected discovery. I remember my Sociology lecturer sharing his experience of doing an ethnography study on resurgent Christianity in Singapore (Goh, 1999). While he was observing a baptism, his presence actually affected a new believer in that the believer was unable to verbalize tongue despite encouragement (socialization) by fellow members. It was only when he (my lecturer) was ushered away, and after repeated socialization that the new member was able to speak in tongue.

Hence, the observation on the effects of his presence (and many other factors of course) actually made him conclude that Charismatic Christianity may not be as rational as people believe it to be.

With these conflicting examples, I am interested to know whether or not ethnographers should observe without people knowing or vice versa. Any ideas?

Reference:
Goh, D. P. S. (1999). Rethinking resurgent Christianity in Singapore. Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science, 27(1), 89-112.

Reflection on Session 4

It's the first day of Lunar New Year and I want to wish one and all a prosperous and happy Lunar New Year! =)

Back to the topic of UX design; this week we learned about 4 different approaches to experience design. While none of the approaches will guarantee the result of a product with excellent UX design, they certainly provide a basis for understanding the users better.

We also got to try out the technique of Laddering in class. Seemingly simple, this technique requires the researcher to ask a series of 'why' questions to a participant until they cannot explain further to find out the root of the problem.

It is only when we put it into practise that I realized it's not as easy as perceived. I ended up in a quagmire of circular reasoning with my respondent saying that "A is like that because of B, and B is like that because of A".

In order for Laddering to work, the researcher must be trained to seek out very specific yet related questions that will lead the respondent to answer specifically in a non-leading manner (I hope I'm making sense). What I'm saying is that we need to ask very precise questions that will not corner the respondent into limited choices of answers as this might affect the accuracy of the research. I believe this is an acquired skill that comes with a lot of practice.

And the most interesting technique to me is ethnography. I guess it’s due to the voyeuristic pleasure of observing people in their nature surrounding (just joking). But the irony of this technique is that while we want to blend in with the environment so that the specimen in concern will not be affected by our presence, there is a risk of going native and end up not being able to pick up crucial behavioural details. For example, a researcher might end up being too comfortable with the participants’ behaviours and not realize that their behaviours might be out of the norms.

Again, I believe it takes time and practice to master the technique. God, please give me 48 hours a day!

Assignment 2: Four Pleasure Analysis

Based on the picture of a product given in class, we were supposed to create the profile of a potential user. Here's the picture:
(Source: http://www.blavish.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Knee-High%20Croc%20Boots%20Christian%20Dior.jpg?)

For the uninitiated, this pair of Black Miss Dior boots is designed by Christian Dior in 2006. A newer version of it is currently available on Dior's website

Imaginary subject: Miranda, 28 years old fashion buying manager living in Singapore.

Miranda attended one of the top all-girls high schools and achieved straight Aces for 9 subjects in her GCE 'O' level. However, she opted for an alternative education path by enrolling herself to the Diploma in Fashion Management course offered by La Salle College of the Arts. Emerging as the top student, she moved on to graduate with a 1st class honours degree in management (marketing). Her education had been funded by one scholarship after another throughout.

Although she has been working in the fashion industry ever since she graduated from university 6 years ago, her current job is not her first; she started out as a store manager for a global fashion brand and was quickly poached by competitors for her excellent work performance. Subsequently, she worked as a fashion merchandiser and a fashion marketer. Given her unique and intricate fashion style, she was headhunted to become a fashion buyer for a luxury brand. Within a short span of 3 seasons, she was promoted to the position of buying manager. She feels that every man is for himself and she will not hesitate to job hop when the next better opportunity knocks.

Miranda enjoys her current job very much as it gives her immerse sense of satisfaction jet-setting from one country to another. She takes pride in the acknowledgement awarded by fellow industry players that she has unique foresight for fashion; she maintains her edge by keenly following all fashion trends, seeking out unique details so as not to be seen as a blind follower. This is evident in her disapproval of fashion bimbos who swear by absurdly high heels despite the health risks and physical inconveniences. Although she faces heavy stress from her job, she takes them in her stride and refuses to show any signs of fatigue or defeat.

To cope with her job, Miranda gyms up to 2 hours 3 times a week at the exclusive town club during which she runs on the treadmill with her earphones blasting music into her ears for half the time. She also embarks on a twice a year shopping sprees in a foreign fashion capital to reward her hard work. In her free time, she also patronizes the theatre and enjoys sipping aged wine at the exclusive wine bar with her friends. She appreciates both activities for the masterful artistry behind their creations as much as for being seen as a refined person. She also enjoys playing host to her friends at her district 9 penthouse.

Miranda is single although she has no lack of suitors. Men love her 1.72m and 46kg svelte frame although many of them are put off by her dominance and intelligence. Not that Miranda is affected or worried as she feels that men who are not able to appreciate a strong woman like her are simply not man enough. A staunch feminist and believer of equal rights, Miranda believes that all women should have their own career and be able to fend for themselves. Ironically, the same cannot be said for animal rights as she believes in the jungle law of survival of the fittest.

Only child to an upper middle class family where both her parents are working, Miranda grew up as a latchkey kid from the tender age of 9. Highly independent, she cooked her own meals, travel to school on her own, and revised her homework without being told. However, she loves her parents still and hates to trouble them with her stuff as she knows that they are working very hard to provide for her.

Physio-pleasure

• Miranda enjoys the mobility her job gives her - Appreciation
  
• Working out in gym keeps her fit and svelte - Need
  
• She prefers shoes that are comfortable to wear and walk in - Need
  
• She enjoys drinking aged wine with her friends - Apppreciation

Socio-pleasure

• Miranda enjoys the acknowledgement awarded to her by fellow industry players - Appreciation
  
• She also likes being seen as a refined person - Appreciation
  
• She enjoys hosting her friends - Need
  
• She takes pride in not troubling her parents with her problems to show her love for them - Need

Psycho-pleasure

• Miranda studies hard for her own future and scores excellent results in her education - Need
  
• She holds a very stressful job therefore she exercises, hangs out with friends or patronizes the theatre to relief the stress - Need
  
• She will not hesitate to job hop when there's a better offer taking pleasure in her ability to rise up to any job - Appreciation

Ideo-pleasure

• Miranda has a very unique sense of style and she will not follow fashion trends blindly - Appreciation
  
• Because of her childhood and upbringing, Miranda is wary of being dependent on others - Need
  
• She also believes in feminism and aspire for equal rights - Appreciation
  
• In terms of competitions and animal rights, she believes in survival of the fittest and every man for himself - Need

Product Benefit Specifications
Ideally, the phone should be chic looking and also practical/ user friendly. One close match of the possible hand phone will be the Samsung F700 (below).

(Source: http://byrev.net/2007-12/samsung-f700-release-date-early-november/)

This hand phone is slim and light making it highly portable. The 3.6Mbps data speed will also allow Miranda to work on the go, which is further facilitated with the qwerty keyboard and the 2.78 inch touchscreen display. The supposedly 5 Megapixals camera will also aid Miranda's work in the fashion industry. The music player function will also allow Miranda to listen to music while she's working out; a matching and stylish earphone with ear hooks will be good as it will hold the earphone in position while the user is exercising. One possible earphone is the Bang & Olufsen A8 Earphone (below).

(Source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417ZKXAE25L._AA280_.jpg)

Another close contender is the new HTC S730 (below). The Microsoft Office MObile software will allow Miranda to access her work documents on the go. The external keys will also facilitate normal usage of the phone compared to the Samsung F700.

HTC S730 (Source: http://www.unwiredview.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/htc-s730-wing-volans.jpg)

To further customize the mobile phone for Miranda, a few modifications can be made. One possible improvement will be to include Wifi. This will allow Miranda to access the Internet freely wherever she goes.

Outlook of the phone can be enhanced as well. This can include the use of exotic leather such as snake's hide, crocodile skin, stingray skin, etc, to cover the back casing of the hand phone.

Stingray Leather (Source: http://www.tropicalleather.com/interestingarticles/stingpow140.jpg)

It will also be good if the mobile phone can be co-branded with some famous fashion designers e.g. Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, etc, who are famous for unique and provocative designs.

The mobile phone should preferrably be within the price range of SGD 800 to SGD 1200 to maintain a certain level of exclusivity while not being too exorbitant for practical reason.