Ethnographic video as design specs
Jacob Buur, Euan Fraser, Soila Oinonen, Max Rolfstam · 2010
Ethnographic video is used extensively in some industrial corporations to document field studies and to convey an understanding of what is 'out there' to HCI designers and developers of new technologies. The basic assumption is that ethnography through questioning the prevailing conceptions of 'users' and their practices can encourage development engineers to solve the right problems with socially sustainable solutions. However, engineering is solution-driven, with the currency of negotiation being requirement specifications and solution principles. While providing ethnographic insight and recommendations is surely ideal and appropriate in many cases, there are situations, in which a bolder engagement is called for to ensure an impact on the development process. In this paper we explore how video can function to initiate 'requirement specs' discussions rather than just as inspiration or field data. We investigate how video specs can support an engineering development process, and help set clear limitations for which solutions might work, and which might not, while retaining some of the richness of the field studies.