In today’s Wall Street journal, two new devices were reviewed, the Narrative and Autographer, clip on cameras. These devices hold promise for our customer anthropology work and we expect them to significantly enhance our data collection capabilities. Along with other screen capture tools; these tools will enable us to unobtrusively capture customer reactions and body language.
Our customer anthropology studies involve observing consumer behavior in the natural settings in which they occur. Like Jane Goodall's chimpanzee's, the observer effects need to be minimized. This has been difficult as part of the challenge has also been to share raw data with large teams at our clients, necessitating unwieldy camera equipment. We have often faced the tradeoff between these intrusions and the need for minimal observer effects and these new devices now make it possible. Not that the consumer is not made aware of the fact that they are being observed. They are told that at the start of each observation event. But with unobtrusive technology, the observed subject ceases to become aware or constantly reminded that the observation taking place and can "act naturally".
We are currently gearing up for international assignments and will definitely be using these new devices for these benefits. And not having to carry unwieldy recording equipment through international airports and customs is an added bonus!
Topics: Customer Anthroplogy
