Science of Desire Megan Witkop & Christy Wright

Sirius Radio Sirius Satellite Radio called on a small Portland consulting firm to envision a device that would help it catch up with bigger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings. Ziba Design dispatched a team of social scientists, designers, and ethnographers on a road trip to Nashville and Boston. Shadowed 45 people, studying how they listen to music, watch TV, and even peruse gossip magazines.

Conclusion A portable satellite-radio player that was easy to use and load with music for later playback could be a killer app in the competition against XM.

What is Ethnography? A species of anthropologist who can, among other things, identify what's missing in people's lives -- the perfect cell phone, home appliance, or piece of furniture -- and work with designers and engineers to help dream up products and services to fill those needs.

The Beauty of Ethnography Provides a richer understanding of consumers than traditional research. Creating stars within companies, in retailing, manufacturing, financial services, as well as consulting firms. o Ex: IBM, IDEO, Jump Associations, and Doblin Group.

3 Ways to Spark Innovation Refreshing a product o Revitalize an existing product. Cracking markets Transforming culture

Refreshing a Product Marriot hiring IDEO to rethink the hotel experience for the customer. o Seven consultants covering 12 cities Marriot learned that hotels are good at serving large parties instead of the solo traveler. Marriot reinvented all the hotels. Have any of you stayed at Marriot and noticed any improvement?

Cracking Markets General Electric o Executives wanted to get in the plastic-fiber business o Found manufacturers to participate in the study What GE found o Customers want to collaborate from the earliest stages to develop high-performance materials Conclusion o GE now shares prototypes with customers

Transforming a Culture For corporations that don't market directly to consumers, ethnography has a singular appeal Intel is facing competition from their rival Advanced Micro Devices o Intel needs to branch out beyond its core chipmaking business Intel used ethnography previously o Realized that fishermen could use wireless technology to transmit the tally of their daily catch directly to the Alaska Fish & Game Dept. o Studied the elderly to see how Intel could provide medical technology  a device to track and help ensure that patients take their medications

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