Michele Chang
Partner
Michele is a researcher and ethnographer with several years of experience bringing people centered design to business innovation. She began her career with the renowned People and Practices group at Intel, where she worked with some of the world’s best social scientists operating in the industry today. She has written on the topics of public space, urban games, ubiquitous computing, HCI and design research. Michele holds a Masters in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU.
Keywords: technology, mobile telecommunications, FMCG, luxury goods
Keywords: technology, mobile telecommunications, FMCG, luxury goods
On mobility
Before I came to ReD, I worked as a researcher at Intel. I was there during a period when mobility was a discussion around 'wires or no wires'. Mobility was determined by whether or not a device was free to roam away from a power outlet or not. Things have changed considerably since then, and as I continue working with clients in mobile technologies and communications it's clear the complexities of mobility have become even harder to negotiate. Having a framework for understanding mobility, whether it's in relation to places, people, or contexts is what helps me work with clients' issues.
On ethnography
It's amazing to see how business has turned such an open ear to the use of qualitative research, namely ethnography, in the past 5 years. While there are still skeptics in every organization, there's clearly a drive towards understanding where there is value in people centric innovation. When we are out in the field, we are not engaged in market research. This is a common misunderstanding amongst clients when they hear the term 'ethnography'. No. What we are out there doing is identifying the areas of opportunities which our clients cannot see. Being on the outside, in many respects, and having the expertise to distill knowledge allows us to bring bold ideas to our clients business.
On working with clients
The client consultant relationship is a long discussed phenomenon in the business world. It has it's own set of challenges, of which creating trust and relevant value are just a few. In our particular practice, bridging the client consultant divide is particularly pronounced when working with methods that are sometimes new to the client or applied in unexpected ways. This is why translation of insights into business relevant recommendations is so critical. It is the core of what we deliver to clients; at once taking the best of what social science has to offer and grounding it within the very real dynamics of the market.
Before I came to ReD, I worked as a researcher at Intel. I was there during a period when mobility was a discussion around 'wires or no wires'. Mobility was determined by whether or not a device was free to roam away from a power outlet or not. Things have changed considerably since then, and as I continue working with clients in mobile technologies and communications it's clear the complexities of mobility have become even harder to negotiate. Having a framework for understanding mobility, whether it's in relation to places, people, or contexts is what helps me work with clients' issues.
On ethnography
It's amazing to see how business has turned such an open ear to the use of qualitative research, namely ethnography, in the past 5 years. While there are still skeptics in every organization, there's clearly a drive towards understanding where there is value in people centric innovation. When we are out in the field, we are not engaged in market research. This is a common misunderstanding amongst clients when they hear the term 'ethnography'. No. What we are out there doing is identifying the areas of opportunities which our clients cannot see. Being on the outside, in many respects, and having the expertise to distill knowledge allows us to bring bold ideas to our clients business.
On working with clients
The client consultant relationship is a long discussed phenomenon in the business world. It has it's own set of challenges, of which creating trust and relevant value are just a few. In our particular practice, bridging the client consultant divide is particularly pronounced when working with methods that are sometimes new to the client or applied in unexpected ways. This is why translation of insights into business relevant recommendations is so critical. It is the core of what we deliver to clients; at once taking the best of what social science has to offer and grounding it within the very real dynamics of the market.
