Anthropology is the study of humans, both past and present. It’s the study of our evolution, biology and the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that make us human. Anthropology is the kind of major that I used to have to defend as an applicable and relevant field of study, but as the we continue to see the field of design become more human-centered, many anthropological methods have secured their place in the design process.
A very brief history of anthropology:
Anthropology has its roots in the experience of European explorers who would encounter new groups of people with languages, appearances, and cultures that were radically different from their own. The discipline began to take form in the 19th century, with the efforts to understand non-European “primitive” civilizations throughout the world.
Today, there are four subfields:
Archaeology: Archaeologists study human culture by analyzing the physical objects people have made (or modified). Like Indiana Jones (whip not included).
Biological/Physical: Physical anthropologists deal with the origins and evolution of humankind.
Cultural: This is the study of human culture and how people in different places live and understand the world around them.
Linguistic: Linguistic anthropologists study the many ways humans communicate and the relationship between language and culture.
design anthropology
According to the American Anthropological Association, applied anthropologists work to solve real world problems by using anthropological methods and ideas. They may work in local communities helping to solve problems related to health, education or the environment. They might work for local, state or federal governments or for non-profit organizations. Others may work for businesses, like retail stores or software and technology companies, to learn more about how people use products or technology in their daily lives.
From this description, it would be easy to conclude that applied anthropologists are designers, but there seems to be an emerging practice at the intersection of these two disciplines: design anthropology.
Dori Tunstall, design anthropologist and Dean, Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada describes design anthropology as an evolving, “interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the role of design artifacts and processes in defining what it means to be human. It is more than lists of user requirements in a design brief, design anthropology offers challenges to existing ideas about human experiences and values.” She recommends design take some precautions. “Marking the boundaries between respectful knowing and making, design anthropology lives across and within design’s desire to serve as a positive force in the universe by drawing attention across evolving human values, the making of environments, objects, communications, and interactions that express those values, and the experiences that give interpretation to those values and their meanings. But design must learn to tread respectfully in order to avoid becoming another colonizing practice.
