“Design research both inspires imagination and informs intuition through a variety of methods with related intents: to expose patterns underlying the rich reality of people’s behaviors and experiences, to explore reactions to probes and prototypes, and to shed light on the unknown through iterative hypothesis and experiment.”

—Jane Fulton Suri

​

Overview

Ethnography begins with an ethical responsibility: toward participants, data, and representation. Fulton Suri, a design research pioneer at IDEO (2015), emphasizes the principles of transparency, respect, and reciprocity throughout every phase of human-centered research. Ethics and planning form a foundational part of the design thinking process (Wrigley & Moseley, 2022). 

This week focuses on the essential preparations for conducting design ethnographic studies, including Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols, informed consent procedures, and recruitment strategies. Students develop a concise research plan that includes recruitment, consent, and semi-structured interview guides. Understanding ethics as an integral component of design practice ensures credible, equitable, and reflexive engagement with participants and communities.
 

Reflections

• How do ethical principles shape the power dynamics between researcher and participant in design ethnographic inquiry?

• What responsibilities do you hold when representing someone else’s lived experience through design outcomes?

References

• Fulton Suri, J., & IDEO. (2015). The Little Book of Design Research Ethics. IDEO.org.

• Murphy, K. (2015). Swedish design: An Ethnography. Cornell University Press.

• Wrigley, C., & Moseley, G. (2022). Design Thinking Pedagogy. Routledge.

Figure 2. To help customers visualize their drink size, visual cues prove more effective than words alone.

(Photo credit: Sheng-Hung Lee)

Return to course main page [ UT 210 ]