On March 1st, 2018 I returned to Dr. Jeremy Spoon‘s undergraduate Applied Anthropology class at Portland State University, to give a presentation on doing anthropology in design and business. In the presentation, I discuss my educational background, academia-to-work transition, career experience, my evolving perspective on practicing anthropology, and how I apply anthropology in user experience, design and business.

1. PRACTICING ANTHROPOLOGY
IN DESIGN & BUSINESS
Amy Santee, Sr. UX Researcher @ eBay
Portland State University
March 1st, 2018

2. amylaurensantee@gmail.com
@amysantee
www.amysantee.com
.com

3. Practicing
Anthropologist
lens

5. MA Applied Anthropology2009-2011
Consumer Researcher2011-2012
UX Research Consultant2013-2014
UX Researcher2014-2015
2004-2008 BA Anthropology
2016-present Sr. Design Researcher
2015-2016 Independent Consultant

6. Competency in
Practicing
Anthropology

7. Foundational Learning
- the Anthro Discipline - {
Disciplinary history
Theory
Methods
Writing
Applied anthro

8. 2004-2008
2009-2011
= Level of
Understanding of
Doing Anthropology
Real World Learning
- Practicing Anthropology -
{
Design
Product Development
Technology
Business
Strategy
Collaboration
Consulting

9. Foundational knowledge and skills
Study abroad
Basic research projects
Thesis: gentrification
Limited understanding of anthropology
Anthropology as a discipline, not a career path
2004 - 2008
BA Anthropology

10. Took a year off
Went back to master anthropology
APPLIED anthropology!
Topics: Poverty, health care, community
development, participatory research, education,
methods and theory
Practicum/thesis: community health and social
capital in low-income communities, evaluation
2009 - 2011
MA Applied
Anthropology

11. Providing value to organizations and people
Solving complex problems
Understanding and impacting organizational culture
Effective communication
Building relationships
Political capital

12. Most degree programs train us to “be anthropologists” rather
than use anthropology skills in a job.
My work experiences helped me realize that practicing
anthropology isn’t about “doing anthropology” and “being an
anthropologist.”
I had to rethink my definition of “doing anthropology”
in order to be a successful anthropologist and professional.

13. Senior
USER EXPERIENCE
Researcher

14. User Experience &
Design Research

15. User Experience & Design Research
Focused on understanding people and their
experiences with products and services
Identifying how products can be more valuable
and meaningful to people
Informing product design and business strategy

16. … Who are the people who (might) use our product/service?
What are they like?
What do they care about?
What are their needs, preferences, values, goals, motivations?
… How do people currently interact with and experience it?
… How might it do a better job of solving their problems?
… What would make it more relevant and meaningful (i.e., valuable)?
… Is it usable, understandable and learnable?
UX & Design Research seek to address the following questions:

17. Part of a User-Centered Design Process
The needs, preferences, values and goals of people
are at the center of the design process
They are highly prioritized along with business needs
UX research informs business and design decisions
rather than the traditional method focused on internal expertise,
business goals and technological capabilities

18. Lead research projects
Plan and design studies
Collect and analyze data
Communicate insights to teams
Make product & strategy recommendations
Create reports & other deliverables
Address user and business goals
What I do:

19. Designers
Developers
Managers
Executives
Product
Owners
Researchers
Quality
Engineers
Me

20. Project management
Planning and prioritization
Technology & software logistics
Stakeholder management & engagement
Participant recruiting
Budgets
Simultaneous projects
Short timeframes
What I do:

21. Strategy
Product roadmaps
Strategic planning
Short-term, long-term and big picture thinking
What I do:

22. Organizational culture
Understanding coworker/team needs
Identifying information gaps
Cultural brokering
Connecting people, teams
Infusing empathy
Advocating for user experience
Communication & influence
What I do:

23. Anthropology is the perfect training
for working in business and design.
You have to understand people to
design things for them.
Anthropology gives you the
perspective, approach and tools to
do this successfully.

24. Perspective
Approach
Skills & Tools

25. Perspective
Holistic
Interpretive
Cultural/social
Cross-cultural
People-centered
Ethical
Insider/outsider (emic/etic)
Detail-oriented
Process-oriented
Results-oriented
Open-minded
Value-added
Contextual
Curious

26. Approach
Critical
Iterative
Creative
Systematic
Advocacy
Collaborative
Participatory
Multi-method
Inductive
Deductive
Immersive
Resourceful
Engagement
Problem-solving
Systems thinking
Knowledge-building

27. Skills & Tools
Methods
Theory
Concepts
Storytelling
Rapport-building
Learning
Observing
Planning
Analysis
Listening
Managing
Digging deep
Pattern recognition
Understanding problems
Proposing solutions
Simplifying complexity

28. Contextual interview
Contextual
observation
Photo
diaries
1:1 Interviews
Video diaries
Research
Methods
Card sort
Usability test
Participatory
design research
Task analysis
Remote
interview
Group
interview
Surveys
Customer
support data

29. project examples

30. Exploratory
(open ended)
Conceptual Usability
(Prototype or product)
Generative Evaluative
Continuum of Research Types

31. How do people use
medical software in their
work flow, and how
can it be improved?

32. What do customers think
about the current experience?
How can it be made better?

33. How do small business owners
use mobile devices for
productivity? What are their goals?
What are the gaps in solutions?

34. What is it like to shop for area rugs?
What are the challenges?

36. What is like to post an item for sale using the
eBay mobile app? Does it meet people’s needs?

37. What information do people need when shopping
for something? Can they do this without friction?

38. How can we make the home screen of the app
more engaging, more useful?

39. What do people love about shopping or selling on
competitor apps?

40. Doing Meaningful Work
Using anthropology to solve challenging problems
Being creative and working with technology
Having a positive impact on people’s lives
Helping design things that are valuable, useful and relevant to people
Advocating for people
Influencing others
Helping organizations succeed in a competitive world

41. I encourage you
to explore practicing
anthropology in
User Experience,
Design and
Business

42. amylaurensantee@gmail.com
@amysantee
www.amysantee.com
.com
Thank you!