The theme for the second Tools of the Trade was "Ethnography and design: an approach to gathering insight." Hosted by Gravity Tank, the event took place at their downtown offices on August 27. Gravity Tank associate partners Robert Zolna and Martha Cotton were the presenters.

The evening began with a short lecture in which Cotton explained the what, when and why about ethnographic research. Essentially, ethnography is research done by gathering narrative accounts of culture. Observational, contextual and documented, ethnography is the recorded witnessing of people in their real-life spaces interacting with consumer goods. Underlying that is the idea that user experiences lie where thinking, doing and using converge. Ethnographic research is most useful when a client has questions about consumers at the "using" and "doing" levels. The results can lead not only to a compelling story about the human condition, but also to improved products and new markets.

After the lecture, there was an activity in which all attendees paired up with a partner and interviewed each other about their wallets. After only 10 minutes of research, the audience came together as a group for a show-and-tell session in which many discoveries were made. Areas such as behavioral patterns, personal organization and fashion-based preferences lead the group to develop descriptive results (consumer-centric) and generative results (gaps or places to make adjustments). Finally, the group concluded by suggesting ways that wallets could be better designed. It was a highly informative and thought-provoking evening.

Review by Aggie Toppins