Natalie Hanson Field Research Methods in the Business Context
In the Spring of 2011, I collaborated with members of the administration and faculty at Philadelphia University. They were in the process of re-thinking and implementing significant curriculum changes that included research methods for business and design students. This presentation was co-sponsored by the Philadelphia chapter of CHI on site at the university.
Field Research Methods in the Business Context
Abstract
Natalie will talk about what ethnographic methods are and the potential benefits of those methods, as well as how she sees them fitting into an overall set of User Experience offerings. She will share some of her insights regarding the impact and value of those methods in relationship to other forms of user research.
Natalie will also talk about the roles & responsibilities within her project team, including how design, research, and business stakeholders work together to ensure the entire project team shares and effectively transmits insights, while delivering business impact through a deeper understanding of the end-user.
About Philly CHI
PhillyCHI is the Philadelphia region’s chapter of the ACM SIGCHI, an interdisciplinary academic and professional group interested in Human-Computer Interaction, User Experience, Usability, and other related disciplines. PhillyCHI holds monthly meetings and socials to network and discuss current topics in HCI.
About the Sponsor
Philadelphia University’s College of Design, Engineering and Commerce (DEC) brings the multiple disciplines of design, engineering, and business into an innovative, integrated educational experience that will prepare students with multidimensional understandings that they will need to be successful in their rapidly evolving fields of choice.
Many students will enter jobs that did not exist when they began their education. These students will need process-based skills that are portable to future challenges not yet known. Students also need to develop perspectives that allow them to view their futures on a continuum that includes “white spaces” where new fields may emerge as a result of social, political, environmental, economic, and technological forces. A notable example is social media, which has led to transformation and democratization of branding and product development.
Philadelphia University DEC graduates will be informed and versatile professionals with knowledge and skills that are transferrable across increasingly dynamic professional boundaries.
The presentation
Available on Slideshare:
Natalie Hanson 
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