Building for the Future, Together: A Model for Bringing Emerging Products to Market, Using Anticipatory Ethnography and Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

Applied ethnography practitioners are often charged with learning from existing or potential customers, for a product that is either familiar to them or close in nature to what they have used before. There are particular challenges for emerging technologies, where the market is much less defined. Applied ethnography has the potential to help with predicting future market scenarios, honing the value proposition and product definition. Done well, these contributions help align siloed teams, resulting in better products being delivered to the right customers, faster. This case study will outline the approaches used across all product development stages for new creative design tools in the emerging field of immersive media – specifically, 3D and Augmented Reality. A collaboration model and best practices are offered, to guide practitioners to address both overt challenges (e.g., identifying which audiences to focus on), and hidden challenges (e.g., creating a human‐centered dialogue in an ambiguous, technology‐centered space).