Making Homes: Ethnography and Design

Description

Making Homes: Ethnography and Design is a strong addition to the emerging field of design anthropology. Based on the latest scholarship and practice in the social sciences as well as design, this interdisciplinary text introduces a new design ethnography which offers unique and original approaches to research and intervention in the home. Presenting a coherent theoretical and methodological framework for both ethnographers and designers, the authors examine ‘hot’ topics – ranging from movements and mobilities to im/material environments, to digital culture - and confront the challenges of a research and design environment which seeks to bring about the changes required for a sustainable, resilient, ‘safe’ and comfortable future. Written by leading experts in the field, the book draws on real-life examples from a wide range of international projects developed by the authors, other researchers and designers. Illustrations throughout help to convey the methods and research visually. Readers will also have access to a related website which follows the authors’ ongoing research and includes video and written narrative examples of ethnographic research in the home. Transforming current understandings of the home, this is an essential read for students and researchers in fields such as design, anthropology, human geography, sociology and media and communication studies. Title page Copyright page Contents List of figures List of authors Acknowledgements Series preface: Why home? Chapter 1 Design, ethnography and homes Social science and design What is home? A design ethnography approach to the home The book Chapter 2 Temporalities Interrogating the temporalities of ethnography Temporalities of homes Design ethnography temporalities Summing up Chapter 3 Environments Introduction The materiality of home The atmospheres of home The digital–material–atmospheric home Implications: Designing for the digital–material–atmospheric home Chapter 4 Activity and movement Movement as an approach The study of human activity in the home Moving through the home in practice Cooking as movement Digital technologies and media on the move Non-human movement through the home Summing up Cahpter 5 Methods for researching homes Researching everyday life Researching in homes Using short-term and intensive ethnographic and design research methods Using interview methods in homes Touring the home with participants Video re-enactments In-practice studies of everyday human activity Participatory floor plan activity and timeline methods Arts-based methods: The Tactile Time collage Self-reporting methods Self-interviewing methods: The Five Cups of Tea video method Video diaries: The Evening Times video recording method Summing up Chapter 6 Homes in translation Making impact through ethnography and design in homes Design, ethnography and reconceptualizing home Researching future homes Future homes research References Index