Ethnography: Ellen Isaacs at TEDxBroadway

Summary

This script recounts the evolution of computer interfaces from cryptic command lines to intuitive graphical user interfaces, pioneered by Doug Engelbart and his team at Xerox PARC. It highlights the importance of observing user behavior, or ethnography, in designing technology that meets real needs, using examples from the 1980s and the speaker's own research on parking. The speaker encourages applying ethnography to Broadway to uncover hidden insights that could revolutionize the experience in the future.

Takeaways

• 💡 The evolution of computer interfaces from cryptic command lines to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) was a significant innovation, pioneered by Doug Engelbart and others at Xerox PARC.
• 🖥️ The Alto, developed at Xerox PARC in 1973, was the first graphical personal computer, which led to the development of modern desktop, laptop, and tablet computers.
• 🔮 Allan Kay's philosophy of inventing the future by envisioning it inspired the creation of user-friendly computer interfaces.
• 🏢 Xerox PARC was a hub of innovation, where the concept of personal computing and GUIs were first developed, shaping the technology landscape today.
• 🕵️‍♀️ Ethnography, introduced by Lucy Suchman, is a method of observing people in their natural environments to understand their needs and identify opportunities for innovation.
• 🤔 Usability testing and ethnography help uncover 'the hidden obvious' in product design, revealing insights that are not immediately apparent through traditional customer feedback methods.
• 🚗 The speaker's recent work in studying parking highlighted the need for better design in parking signs and the inefficient use of loading zones.
• 🚦 Redesigning parking signs to be more user-friendly, focusing on permissions rather than restrictions, can improve the parking experience for drivers.
• 📊 Observational research, such as studying parking habits, can lead to innovative solutions like smart parking meters that dynamically allocate spaces for loading and parking.
• 🎭 The speaker suggests that ethnography could be applied to Broadway to uncover unmet needs and inspire novel ideas to enhance the visitor experience.
• 🌟 The potential for innovation often lies in the gaps and workarounds that people develop in their daily activities, which can be discovered through careful observation and a 'naive state of mind'.

Q & A

What was the primary method of interacting with computers forty years ago?

Forty years ago, interacting with a computer primarily involved using cryptic command-line instructions, such as typing 'LS' to list files, and 'MV' to move files from one folder to another.

How did the graphical user interface (GUI) revolutionize the way we interact with computers?

The graphical user interface (GUI) revolutionized computer interaction by introducing a visual representation of files and folders, allowing users to perform tasks like moving files by simply dragging and dropping, rather than typing complex commands.

Who are the pioneers credited with inventing the graphical user interface?

Douglas Engelbart and Xerox PARC are credited with inventing the graphical user interface, which significantly improved the usability of computers.

What did Alan Kay mean when he said 'the best way to predict the future is to invent it'?

Alan Kay's statement implies that by creating innovative technologies, one can shape the future according to one's vision, rather than just passively waiting for it to happen.

What is ethnography and how did Lucy Suchman apply it to technology?

Ethnography is a method of studying people in their natural environments to understand their needs and behaviors. Lucy Suchman applied it to technology by observing users interacting with a Xerox copier, which led to insights on improving product design and identifying opportunities for innovation.

Why is it important to observe people using technology rather than just asking them about their needs?

Observing people using technology is important because it reveals the 'hidden obvious'—the unspoken problems and workarounds that users develop but may not consciously recognize or report. This approach uncovers deeper insights that direct questioning might miss.

What is an example of an unmet need discovered through ethnography in the script?

One example is the difficulty of quickly understanding parking signs while driving by. Ethnographic observation revealed that signs focus on restrictions rather than clearly indicating what is allowed, which is a problem users may not mention in surveys or interviews.

How did the study of parking signs lead to a potential solution for improving them?

The study led to the realization that parking signs should be redesigned to be more user-friendly, with information organized by time of day and clear indications of what is allowed, using color coding and symbols for quick understanding.

What issue did the ethnographic study of parking identify with loading zones?

The study identified that loading zones, marked by yellow curbs, were often underutilized, leading to a waste of parking resources. At the same time, delivery trucks struggled to find suitable places to park, resorting to illegal parking methods.

How does the prototype parking meter mentioned in the script address the issue with loading zones?

The prototype parking meter can change its state from parking to loading and vice versa, based on the needs of the moment. This flexibility allows for more efficient use of parking spaces, making them available for general parking when not needed for loading.

What is the broader application of ethnography suggested for Broadway in the script?

The script suggests using ethnography to observe and understand the experiences of people visiting Broadway, from planning their day out to interacting with various services. This could reveal unmet needs and opportunities for improving the Broadway experience.

Outlines

00:00

🖥️ The Evolution of User Interfaces

This paragraph discusses the transformation of computer interfaces from command-line operations to graphical user interfaces. It starts by describing the early days of computing where users interacted with blinking cursors and typed commands like 'LS' to list files. The files appeared uniform, regardless of their content type. The speaker then contrasts this with modern file management, where files and folders are visually distinct, making it easier to understand their contents and manage them. The paragraph highlights the pioneering work of Doug Engelbart and Alan Kay at Xerox PARC, who invented the mouse and graphical user interfaces, leading to the development of personal computers. The speaker also mentions the challenges of predicting technological advancements, referencing a time when computers were massive and expensive, and the idea of a personal computer was considered extravagant. The paragraph concludes by introducing the concept of ethnography, a method used to observe and understand user behavior, which was pioneered by Lucy Suchman at Xerox PARC.

05:02

🔍 Ethnography and Observing User Behavior

This paragraph delves into the concept of ethnography, a method of studying people in their natural environments to understand their needs. The speaker explains that while companies often rely on direct questioning through focus groups or surveys, these methods have limitations. Ethnography, as introduced by Lucy Suchman, involves observing users to identify unmet needs and opportunities for innovation. The speaker uses the example of parking signs to illustrate how ethnography can reveal hidden problems. By observing people trying to quickly decipher parking regulations, the speaker identifies the need for clearer, more user-friendly signage. The paragraph also discusses the inefficiency of loading zones and how observing their misuse led to the idea of a prototype parking meter that could dynamically change its function based on demand. This example demonstrates how ethnography can uncover insights that are not immediately apparent through traditional customer feedback methods.

10:03

🎭 Applying Ethnography to Broadway

In this paragraph, the speaker suggests applying the method of ethnography to Broadway to uncover hidden needs and opportunities for improvement. The speaker encourages observing various aspects of a day out on Broadway, such as ticket purchasing, hotel check-ins, restaurant choices, and show attendance. By maintaining a naive state of mind and being patient, the speaker believes that one might discover insights that could lead to innovative solutions for Broadway. The speaker emphasizes the potential for ethnography to reveal the 'hidden obvious' and inspire ideas that could become commonplace in the future, drawing a parallel to how innovations in computing interfaces were once groundbreaking but are now taken for granted.

Keywords

💡Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)

Graphical User Interfaces, or GUIs, are visual and interactive ways for users to interact with electronic devices, primarily computers. GUIs allow users to perform tasks by manipulating icons, buttons, and other visual elements on the screen. In the video, the invention of GUI by Doug Engelbart and the team at Xerox PARC is highlighted as a revolutionary step from the command-line interface, making computers more accessible and user-friendly. The script mentions how this innovation led to the development of modern personal computers.

💡Ethnography

Ethnography is a qualitative research method that involves observing and interacting with people in their natural environments to gain insights into their behaviors, needs, and practices. In the context of the video, Lucy Suchman applied ethnography to industry, using it to understand how people interact with technology and to identify areas for innovation. The script illustrates this by describing how Suchman observed people using a copier, leading to the realization that the design of the copier was problematic, not the users.

💡Usability Testing

Usability testing is a method where products are tested with real users to evaluate a product's ease of use and identify areas for improvement. The video mentions that this practice became common after the pioneering work of Lucy Suchman, who realized the importance of observing users to understand their needs and improve product design. An example from the script is the usability testing of a copier, which revealed that the design was not user-friendly.

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the process of creating new ideas, methods, or products that have value and are useful. The video emphasizes the role of innovation in the development of technology, such as the graphical user interface and the personal computer. It also suggests that innovation can come from observing everyday problems and identifying opportunities for improvement, as demonstrated by the parking study examples.

💡Command-Line Interface

A command-line interface, or CLI, is a text-based method of interacting with a computer system where users type specific commands to perform actions. The video script contrasts this with the graphical user interface, explaining how the CLI was the primary method of interacting with computers before the advent of GUIs, which made the process more intuitive and less cryptic.

💡Xerox PARC

Xerox PARC, or the Palo Alto Research Center, was a research and development facility that played a significant role in the invention of many foundational aspects of modern computing, including the graphical user interface and the personal computer. The video script mentions Xerox PARC as the place where key innovations like the GUI were developed, shaping the future of technology.

💡Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

Digital Equipment Corporation, or DEC, was a major American company that manufactured computers from the 1950s into the 1990s. The video script refers to DEC as an example of a company that, at the time, did not foresee the demand for personal computers in homes, illustrating the difficulty of predicting technological advancements and their impact on society.

💡Alto

The Alto was the first computer designed at Xerox PARC that used a graphical user interface and a mouse, making it a precursor to modern personal computers. The video script describes the Alto as a significant invention that led to the development of the Apple Macintosh, IBM PC, and other personal computers we use today.

💡Ethnographic Observation

Ethnographic observation is a core part of ethnography where researchers watch people in their natural settings to understand their behaviors and interactions. The video script uses the example of parking studies, where the speaker and colleagues observed parking behaviors, signs, and issues to identify unmet needs and potential solutions.

💡User-Centered Design

User-centered design is a design philosophy that places the needs, preferences, and behaviors of users at the forefront of the design process. The video script discusses how observing users, as in ethnography, can lead to the creation of products that are more aligned with user needs, such as the redesign of parking signs and the development of a prototype parking meter.

💡Prototype

A prototype is an early model or sample of a product used to test and refine ideas before the final design is produced. In the video, the speaker mentions a prototype parking meter that can change its state based on the needs of the moment, demonstrating how prototypes can be used to explore and solve real-world problems.

Highlights

Forty years ago, computers required users to type cryptic commands like 'LS' to list files, which all appeared the same regardless of their content type.

Today's visual representation of files and folders, with distinct icons for different file types, was not always the standard.

The graphical user interface (GUI) was invented by Doug Engelbart and his team at Xerox PARC, revolutionizing how users interact with computers.

In 1971, Alan Kay of Xerox PARC stated that the best way to predict the future is to invent it, highlighting the proactive approach to innovation.

The Alto, created at Xerox PARC in 1973, was the first graphical personal computer and laid the foundation for modern desktop, laptop, and tablet computers.

Ethnography, the practice of observing people in their natural environments, was introduced to industry by Lucy Suchman and has become a valuable method for understanding user needs.

Usability testing, now a common practice, was pioneered by observing users' interactions with technology to identify design flaws and opportunities for improvement.

Margaret Mead's quote emphasizes the difference between what people say they want and what they actually do, underscoring the importance of observation over self-reporting.

Ethnography can reveal the 'hidden obvious'—the unmet needs and problems that users work around but do not necessarily articulate.

The study of parking through ethnography identified the difficulty of quickly understanding parking signs while driving by, pointing to a need for design improvement.

A redesigned parking sign example organizes information by time of day and includes symbols for international understanding, demonstrating the application of ethnographic insights.

The inefficiency of loading zones, often unused while needed for deliveries, was another issue identified through ethnographic study of urban parking.

A prototype parking meter that can change states based on truck GPS and needs was developed as a solution to the inefficient use of loading zones.

The speaker suggests that ethnography could be applied to Broadway to uncover unmet needs and opportunities for innovation in the theater and entertainment industry.

The potential for ethnography to reveal novel ideas that could become the standard in the future of an industry, such as Broadway, is highlighted.

The importance of maintaining a naive state of mind while conducting ethnography to ensure unbiased observation and discovery of insights is emphasized.

Transcripts

forty years ago if you sat in front of a

computer this is what you would see a

blinking cursor waiting patiently for

you to tell it what to do if you wanted

to see your files you would type LS for

list and then it would show you your

files like this they'd all look the same

even though some might be txt some might

be images and but now if you want to see

your files you just open up the folder

and you look and you can see some are

texts some are images because they look

that way if you wanted to move a file

from one folder to another you would

type MV for move the name of the file

Isaac's file doc and then something like

dot dot slash dot dot slash talks which

is the location of the destination

folder local relative to the current

folder now you drag the file from one

folder to another we take this visual

display of our files and folders for

granted but somebody had to think of

that at a time when everybody who use

computers type those kinds of cryptic

commands somebody had to first notice

that this wasn't so easy and second

think of a better way to do it

someone had to think that you could draw

little pictures and files and folders on

the screen and manipulate them by

dragging a little box around on the

tabletop well those people were dug

angle part and L&K angle BOTS invented

the mouse and K invented what's called

graphical user interfaces at the time

Allan K worked at Xerox PARC in

California which is where I work today

and in 1971 he said the best way to

predict the future is to invent it and

that's what he did so this was at a time

when computers look like this giant

boxes of Technology and big rooms hooked

up to these terminals which is where you

type those commands they were very

expensive so you had to share them and

people would sign up for time on the

computer so it's not surprising that at

a time like this can also in the head of

a very big computer company called

digital said there's no way anyone would

want a computer in the home somebody had

to think that you could take all that

technology and compress it into a little

box that would sit on the desktop and it

would be dedicated to just one person's

use

so that's something we all take for

granted now but at the time that would

be extravagant well those people worked

at Xerox PARC and then in 1973 they

invented the alto the first graphical

personal computer and that led to the

Apple Macintosh the IBM PC and now all

the slick desktop laptop and tablet

computers that we all use today so we're

here today talking about the best of

what Broadway can be and I think that

the reason that I was invited here is

that the organizers were hoping that

some of that magic from the early park

scientist is still lingering in the

halls where I work revealing to me a

vision of where you will be in 20 years

well I'm afraid that hasn't happened but

there is one bit of park magic that I

can share with you and it has to do with

a method that you can use to figure it

out called ethnography so let's go back

to the 1980s when a Xerox copier took up

an entire room there was another park

scientist Lucy Suchman and she had the

idea that maybe if you're building

technology for people you should watch

them using it so she decided to watch

some people using his York's copier she

grabbed a couple of her colleagues from

down the hall and she asked them to make

copies so I'm going to show you a short

clip from a video from this historic

video of these two people making copies

place 150 originals for women I have

face up

place our rituals against the left wall

we want two sided copies unload top

paper tray that we want them clear later

what

reverse or whether the originals gotta

be kidding this is definitely about

press Start

that relate to that we did your that's

not theirs that's not the people who

didn't say what the paper trail good

batch first that so well

we should come up with a lot of paper so

it turns out that those two people from

down the hall are world renowned

computer scientists one of them went on

to win the equivalent of the Nobel Prize

in computer science so clearly the

problem is not that the people are dumb

the problem was with the design of the

copier today it is now common practice

for companies to do what's called

usability testing but back then it

wasn't done Lucy Suchman had to think of

it and she went further she realized

that you could use observe people not

just to figure out how to make their

products easier to use but also to

figure out what products to build in the

first place so this practice of

observing people in their natural

environments to understand their needs

is called ethnography at the time it was

an academic practice it grew out of

anthropology Lucy Sussman was the first

one to apply it to industry so even

today not everybody uses ethnography

most companies will try to understand

their customers needs by asking them

directly using tools like focus groups

or surveys but asking people to tell you

what they want gets you only so far as

the anthropologist Margaret Mead said

what people say what people do and what

people say they do are entirely

different things when people do their

jobs or just any ordinary activity much

of what you do just becomes invisible to

you it's just what you do but if you

watch people you start to realize a lot

of times people are working around their

tools and it's these gaps or problems

people people work around that are

opportunities for innovation the thing

is a lot of times when you point them

out to people they'll say well sure it's

obvious that's a problem but they don't

think to tell you about it when you ask

to notice it you have to get out and

watch so I like to think of my job as an

ethnographer like this you sit and you

watch the chaos that is human behavior

and if you're patient and you watch for

a while and you have a naive state of

mind you start to notice insights that

are obvious after you point them out you

start to notice the hidden obvious well

how does this work

what does ethnography like well let me

give you two examples from my work so

the last couple of years I've been

studying parking now I realize parking

is an odd place to go looking for tec-9

ecology opportunities but we all know

New York is especially the parking is an

area where there's a lot of problems and

a lot of needs not being met so to study

parking my colleagues and I have spent a

lot of times hanging around on street

corners watching cars parking trucks

unloading enforcement officers giving

tickets and we've seen a lot of things

you might expect and some that you might

not so one of the things that we started

to notice gradually was the parking

signs and how difficult it can be to

tell the one thing you want to know

quickly can I park here now in the few

seconds you have as you're driving by so

I'm going to show you a sign for about

that amount of time and I want you to

figure out can you park here now let's

say it's Wednesday early in the morning

at 7 a.m. can you park here now ok let's

look again ok this is hard not just

because there's so much going on but

you'll notice that Wednesday is not

mentioned and 7 a.m. is not in any of

the time ranges so you have to infer

that because it's not covered you can

park here at least to the left of the

signs okay here's another one it's 3

p.m. can you stop here now ok let's look

again so the bottom sign says no parking

at 3 p.m. so that implies that you can

stop and the top no stopping sign

doesn't cover 3 p.m. so that implies

again you can't you have to figure out

that you can stop here ok and here's one

more where I challenge you to figure out

what you can do here at any time

so the problem here is that parking

signs focus on restrictions no this know

that when what you want to know is what

you can do now when I say it like this

it seems obvious but when you go when

you ask people to tell you what are your

some of your problems you have with

parking they generally don't go

complaining and saying you know parking

signs are difficult to read quickly as

you drive by because they focus on

restrictions to really understand this

you have to get out and watch and it can

take a while we because we were looking

at so many different aspects of parking

the signs didn't really come into focus

for us until the fourth city and over a

thousand photos and videos once we

noticed it it was obvious so what could

you do about this well one thing you

could do is redesign the signs and so

here's one possible way you could design

that second sign and it's on the right

you see it's organized by time of day

from morning through night so at any

time you can find now and then you can

just look to the right and see can I

park green yes red no orange there's

some kind of restriction like here it's

deliveries only and if you want to be

kind to international as you could

include symbols okay so that's one

example of how ethnography found an

unmet need let me give you another one

so we noticed a lot of times when we

were out looking that there were a lot

of loading zones marked by yellow curbs

that weren't being used here we are

looking for a parking spot and it's just

loading as far as the eye can see and

not very many trucks using it and yet we

can't park on the other hand we saw a

lot of times when trucks were trying to

make deliveries and couldn't find a

loading zone and since they have to park

near where they're going to be

delivering they get creative so they

double Park and they block in cars both

diagonal and parallel they park in the

median blocking cars from turning left

they park in the crosswalk blocking

people from crossing the street and they

park on the sidewalk so the problem here

is that loading zones take up precious

parking resources and yet they don't

really meet the need again I point this

out seems obvious but when we talk to

people about the parking problems they

don't say loading zones are inefficient

they say there's not enough parking so

what can you do about this well what you

really like to do is to have the spots

for loading when there need

and then make them available to everyone

else when they're not so this is

something we're doing right now we have

built a prototype parking meter that can

change its state from parking to loading

no parking in other states and since

trucks have GPSS oops or to have GPSS

and they know where they're going we can

take a spot and change it from parking

to loading and then when they come in

they park they can put it back to park

it okay so what does all this have to do

with Broadway well what I'm trying to

say is that well I don't know what you

need to do to make Broadway the best it

can be you can get some ideas by using

ethnography it's a very general tool

we've used it in many different domains

hospitals nursing call centers retail

stores young people using mobile devices

lots more and you could use it on

Broadway so you could accompany a family

as they're spending a day out on

Broadway or you could watch someone as

they're planning a day for an evening

for a night out and a show or you could

just hang out at the tickets booth and

watch people buying tickets or people

checking into hotels or people choosing

a restaurant or window shopping or going

to a show all those things and maybe if

you're patient and you do it for a while

and you keep a naive state of mind maybe

you will discover the hidden obvious

maybe you'll be the one to think of a

novel idea that people will take for

granted in 20 years thank you