Assignment 3 Activity 3B: ETHNOGRAPHY PRIMER

Ethnography is a research method based on observing people in their natural environment rather than in a formal research setting. When ethnography is applied to design, it helps designers create more compelling solutions.
Ethnography offers a way to make sense of this complexity. It lets us see beyond our preconceptions and immerse ourselves in the world of others.
(An Ethnography Primer/AIGA)


When I design to create something, of-course I would try it by myself to know the feeling, but I should not design only by my preference, sense of value, or taste. As I wrote a similar opinion in my blog post before, every design should have a purpose or a demand that the design should go along. Design should not be egocentric and should not generate its own momentum.
It is depending on the target of users, but if this is not just for myself, I should apply ethnography to design. If I apply ethnography to design, knowing cultural differences, differences in habits, race, and folklore are quite important. I should accept the differences, however I do not think it is necessary to think the differences as comfortable things. I mean even if there is a thing that I do not like, I should appreciate it. This is similar to that I should appreciate the feedbacks from classmates or tutors. There is an interesting fact. Always some of my classmates, tutors or friends like my art pieces that I do not really like. Sometimes people say, “it’s brilliant!” for my crap piece. And always they do not say anything for the pieces that I like the most. That means I need to observe Scottish people to understand how they feel or think.

If I think about ritual and habitual differences, I could say that I experience and see so many differences everyday. I have been living in Dundee for more than a year since I came to Scotland from Japan where I was born and grew up. Some differences I found so far are interesting, and some are uncomfortable. Those uncomfortable differences are just not comfortable for me only but for British or Scottish people.

– FIRE DOORS –

For example, I am not happy with fire doors in British buildings by some reasons. The fire doors are heavy and in my art college when I have sketchbooks or painting stuff, it is not easy to open. And there are too many doors to go to library or other studios of-course I think this is based on the law and security regulations.
I like and appreciate that the British manners of “ladies first”. In my art college, I think more than 90% of male students or staff open and hold the door for me as far as I experienced. Of-course females also open and hold the door for the person following behind.
We do not have “ladies first” in Japan. Rather than letting ladies go first, we have “gentlemen first”. But this is based on a story in Japanese history. Men called Samurai or Bushi were supposed to go first to check for ladies if there were any enemy or dangerous things.
And if I opened a door and held for somebody else in Japan, that person would think I was a strange person and would use another door to avoid me. I do not know why but commonly Japanese people do not hold the door for somebody else and also do not get used to that somebody else opens the door for them. In the UK, even if I were walking very slow, somebody would open the door and wait for me. I appreciate that, and got used to that manners. When I went back to Japan last summer, somebody went through the door just before me and did not care the door for me, and I was very shocked. Actually in Japan there are not so many doors like those in British buildings. Probably that is why we do not need to care about somebody following behind.

– HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS –

(picture from http://www.e-hashiseiwa.com/hpgen/HPB/entries/4.html)

In Japan if a person who could not use chopsticks properly, he/she would be considered ill-bred by upper or middle class elder people and some people would ask “What do his/her parents do?” If you are a Japanese and do not agree with it, please ask Japanese people who are over 50-years-old as many as you can.
Although I did not research on the manners in China, Korea or other places where people use chopsticks, there is a proper way to use those.
Few weeks ago I read an article of Japanese newspaper about an actress. She is a middle 20s beautiful actress who ranked the most popular actress in Japan recently. She used chopsticks in a scene of the meal in a tv play. And soon after, the tv station received many complaints from the viewers saying her way of using chopsticks is lack of manners or bad for young people to follow that.
To eat Indian meal, as far as I know, I should use right hand without using left hand that is known as impure. In Korea, in a folk costume called ch’ima chogori, drawing up one knee is considered as the most beautiful way of sitting. Eating sushi with fingers is proper way. But basically eating with hands and drawing knees at the dining are taboo in Japan. Possibly in some places, eating with any kind of sticks would be taboo though I have never heard. Those cultural and habitual behaviour are natural for those people who grew up in their world or in their culture.

– DIFFERENCES IN PHILOSOPHY, ETC –
In Europe many people might learn how to debate at schools. But maybe in Asia, or only in Japan, we do not learn how to nor debate at schools. Of-course there are some academic debates but commonly we do not insist opinions as pros or cons. I think this is because of the difference of basic philosophy in Europe and Asia. Asian countries are not based on Scholasticism but Confucianism. In my opinion, keeping harmony and not breaking the atmosphere are the most important things in Japan or maybe in Asia, and people do not prefer to argue with somebody over a matter.

“Why don’t you cerebrate Christmas? WHY?” – every year some of my European friends ask me. Basically Japan is a Buddhist country and I am a Buddhist though I am not strict about it. I know many European people just do Christmas party and they do not think about Christianity that much, but generally Japanese people do not think Christmas as an important event.
“That’s strange! Because it’s Christmas!” – my friends keep saying that. I always wonder why they cannot imagine the different culture or people apart from their “standard”.
“Do you pray to Buddha?” – no, Buddha is not same as the God of Christianity. I realized that some people were misunderstanding different religions just like changing the leader’s name.

– KNOW HOW PEOPLE SEE AND FEEL –
I should not judge the differences good or bad. As a Japanese, I feel and think something interesting but also something uncomfortable in Scotland. Always I think about the reason why I feel like that. Also I should know and experience what and how people from some other countries or different cultural background see and feel things. For example, if I design something for Scottish people, I should see and understand what Scottish people feel comfortable and accept.