EPIC Board of Directors ken anderson, Intel Corporation, President Tracey Lovejoy, Microsoft Corporation, Secretary Ed Liebow, Battelle Memorial Institute, Treasurer Melissa Cefkin, IBM, President-elect EPIC Advisory Committee Jacob Buur, U Copenhagen Christina Wasson, U North Texas Chris Miller, Savannah College of Art and Design Donna Flynn, Microsoft Elizabeth Anderson Kempe, Artemis By Design Jeanette Blomberg, IBM Alexandra Mack, Pitney Bowes Tony Salvador, Intel Rick E. Robinson, HLB Martha Cotton, gravitytank The National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA) is pleased to welcome you to this 6th annual Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference. NAPA is a section of the American Anthropological Association and supports the work of practicing anthropology by helping practitioners refine their skills, develop their careers, and market their services, www.practicinganthropology.org Mary Odell Butler – President Kalfani Ture – Governing Council Dennis Wiedman – Past President Eve Pinsker – Evaluation Anthropology Interest Group Tim Wallace – President-Elect Gelya Frank - Occupational Therapy Interest Group Christine Miller – Secretary Lenora Bohren – Evaluation Task Force John Massad – Treasurer Christine Miller – Design Anthro Interest Group Cathleen Crain – Governing Council Ellen Puccia – Local Practitioner Organizations Sabrina Scott – Governing Council David Himmelgreen and Satish Kedia, NAPA Bulletin Editors The American Anthropological Association, the primary professional society of anthropologists in the United States since its founding in 1902, is the world's largest professional organization of individuals interested in anthropology. Virginia Dominguez, U Illinois – President Leith Mullings, CUNY Graduate Center, President-Elect Deb Martin, U Nevada Las Vegas, Secretary Ed Liebow, Battelle - Treasurer George Armelagos, Emory U Florence Babb, Univ Florida Lee D Baker, Duke U Charles Briggs, Univ California - Berkeley TJ Ferguson Laura Graham, U Iowa Mary Gray, Indiana U Hugh Gusterson, George Mason U Gwendolyn Mikell, Georgetown U Jason Miller, U South Florida Nan Rothschild, Columbia U Jean Schensul, Inst Community Research Katherine Spielmann, Arizona State U American Anthropological Association 2200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 600 • Arlington, VA 22201 ii phone 703/528-1902; fax 703/528-3546 www.aaanet.org iii Conference Organizers’ Welcome As we enter into a new decade we want to focus on defining the practice from within, exploring different applications of ethnography in industry and defining as a community what the future will hold for us. We are delighted that you can join us at EPIC2010 in Tokyo, one of the most innovative, but also most traditional cities in the world, perfect setting for exploring, learning, discussing, reflecting and defining “the way of Ethnography”. 道 Dō captures the sense of individual mastery that is achieved only with the help of a community and its rich heritage. 道 Dō implies a body of knowledge and tradition with an ethic and an aesthetic. 道 Dō is the "path" we have travelled and also the way ahead of us. 道 Dō in ethnography symbolizes the dynamic between ethnography's internal strengths (its essence, our values, its heritage, its rigor and disciplined approach) and its applications to the world (to enhancement of people's lives, to innovation, to transformation of industries, to business growth). It is the "path" we have come from but also the way ahead of us. "Do" in English represents action, execution and optimism. 道 Dō in Japanese is a call for growth, maturity and proficiency, recognizing our past and visualizing the future. It is a vision of what's ahead of us. EPIC 2010 features a wide range of ethnographic applications in industry, different "ways" forward. Ethnographic praxis in industry is global in scope, but adapted to different geographies (Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Europe, North America), different contexts (academia, business, NGO’s, government), different industries (technology, healthcare, consumer goods, advertising) and different purposes (product innovation, strategy, interorganizational collaboration, communications, policy making). Tokyo is the ideal setting for EPIC 2010. Tokyo is a world city, where innovation and tradition thrive. It is home to different 道 Dō, including sa Dō (way of tea), ka Dō (way of flower) and sho Dō (way of writing), and these 道 Dōs urge us to aspire for innovation within these traditions, see them as platforms for creative expression, and not simply assimilate them. Our program features different aspects of Ethnography 道 Dō: • normativity: Quality standards, best practices, proficiency/mastering the discipline, benchmarks, rigorous process/outcomes. • specialization: Inclusion of new disciplines to enrich the practice, new contexts/applications of ethnographic praxis, new ways to do ethnography (online ethnography, etc.) • transmissivity: Taking to new heights, exploring new territories, opening doors, spreading the value of ethnography, communicating results in new ways. • authoritativeness: Tradition, recognition, acknowledgment /appraisal of the past, and solid foundations, deep reflection for inner strength and energy. • universality: Optimism, human values, path towards the future, balancing science + art, growth, innovation to be prepared for what's next. iv In Thanks We owe particular gratitude to the attendees and presenters of EPIC 2010. Their participation, in its many rich and engaged forms, contributes to the discourse of ethnographic praxis in industry and is helping to build a vibrant and valued community. Our deepest appreciation goes to an energetic team of local supporters who contributed great ideas and tireless energy to the effort of making this conference happen. This year we were invited to tour a number of Masters’ studios, and we are most grateful for opening their doors to us. We would also like to express our thanks to the 2010 EPIC program committee for their efforts in continuing to push at the boundaries of this emergent domain and for helping to facilitate a high quality and rewarding experience. The EPIC advisory committee deserves a round of applause for its on-going support and guidance in making EPIC stronger each year. In addition, we’d like to thank all the reviewers for their tireless efforts in evaluating the submissions and providing feedback to authors. We would like to acknowledge the generous support of our corporate and institutional sponsors, Intel, Fujitsu, Microsoft, Osaka Gas, the MIT Press, IBM, in/situm, Hakuhodo, Denstu, Swinburne University of Technology, Microsoft Research, gravitank, infield design, Palo Alto Research Center, Battelle, Ethnography.Com, Razorfish, Pitney-Bowes, Daishinsha, Solutions Space, Idiom, and the American Anthropological Association and the National Association for Practicing Anthropologists for their contributions of people and financial resources. Without their support EPIC 2010 would not have occurred. Please enjoy these proceedings and consider bringing the conversations they inspire in you as you read through to EPIC2011. We look forward to your participation in next year’s EPIC conference! Luis Arnal Simon Pulman-Jones Hiroshi Tamura EPIC 2010 Co-Organizer EPIC 2010 Co-Organizer EPIC 2010 Co-Organizer in/situm GfK Hakuhodo v Local Organizing Committee Welcome The start of this new decade marks an exciting departure for EPIC, as the 6th International Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference, moves beyond the west for the first time, and comes to Tokyo. Welcome to EPIC 2010 in the heart of Tokyo - in the aptly named Tokyo Midtown! EPIC brings a groundswell to Asia, where ethnographic praxis is receiving serious attention as a vibrant approach to human-centric innovation. This year’s conference also, I believe, sets a new agenda for the EPIC community. The theme of this EPIC is “Dō: The Way of Ethnography.” Dō is a particular philosophy in Japan and Korea. While Dō suggests a system of mastery in a specific practice, it is not necessarily limited to classic skills acquisition. Rather, a master of Dō always ushers in breakthroughs to its tradition. A primary reason, I believe, is the cultural inclusion of contingency—the status of propositions that are neither true nor false under every possible valuation. Let’s consider Japan’s practice of enshrinement, for instance. Shinto practitioners worship a set of spirits called Yaoyorozu and, at the same time, take good care of shrines as religious sites. A shrine is built to appeal to deities but not necessarily to ensure those presences. Here, then, the center of Japan’s value system is often empty, and, therefore, its universality means that we infuse different propositions into the center in line with the times. The other agenda of EPIC 2010 is thus that ethnographic praxis meets the emptiness. In other words, I expect a variety of propositions to be brought, vibrant discussions made, and a new ethnographic Dō constituted in the hollow. Let’s share the creative experience. Let’s add a page to the history of ethnographic praxis in industry together! Hiroshi Tamura (Co-chair and Local Committee Co-chair) vi Conference Organization EPIC2010 Co-Chairs: Local Committee: Luis Arnal, in/situm (Mexico, Local Co-chairs Brazil) Hiroshi Tamura, Hakuhodo Simon Pulman-Jones, GFK Kazuo Asakawa, Fujitsu Labs (UK) Hiroshi Tamura, Hakuhodo Vice-Chair/Design (Japan) Chiho Sasaki, infield design Papers Advisory Izabel Barros, Steelcase (USA, Takeru Nagaoka, Sanno Univ Brazil) Haruhito Matsunami (Osaka