I've been flooded with a lot of questions lately, especially: What exactly is anthropology, and how does it relate to design? In this article, I'll do my best to provide answers and shed light on this intriguing connection.

While the idea of bones and artifacts is partly true, there is more to the discipline. 

What is anthropology? 

Well, it isn't just about digging up ancient bones, and exploring ancient burial sites and artifacts as many of us, including myself, may have believed before delving into the field. This understanding of anthropology is relatable because we may have had limited interactions with anthropologists, and from a young age, we were conditioned to learn more about career interests like being a doctor, teacher, engineer, or pilot. 

While the idea of studying bones and artifacts is partly true, there is more to the discipline. Anthropology is a social science that takes a deep dive into what it means to be human in all its diverse forms. Basically, it explores every aspect of human life (past to present), including ideas, beliefs, values, customs, and habits. And to get a good sense of the field, it's important to understand that anthropology is divided into four subdisciplines, each with its own distinct area of focus. 

..anthropology is divided into four subdisciplines, each with its own distinct area of focus. 

Moreover, anthropology is not only a theoretical endeavor but also practical and interdisciplinary. Through applied anthropology, we study human cultures, beliefs, practices, and social structures, and use what we learn to address real-world issues and challenges.

Besides, academia and research institutions, anthropologists work in various sectors, including

• Government and public policy

• Healthcare and public health

• Education and cultural institutions

• International development

• Urban planning and design

• Human resources and organizational development

• Tech

• Market research and consumer behavior

• Media and communications

Now let's dive into the exciting world of design anthropology.

So, what is design anthropology?

It is an emerging branch of anthropology that applies research to explore how people's lives and perspectives influence the design of “things” like products, experiences, and interventions. It's all about understanding how culture and human behavior impact design. Before I get into what design anthropologists do, it would be helpful to provide a brief overview of how this field came into existence.

Design anthropology emerged from the convergence of applied anthropology and design. From the 1980s, forward-thinking practicing anthropologists began collaborating with tech companies like Xerox PARC, IDEO, and Microsoft. Their goal was to bridge the gap between designers and engineers by employing research skills to comprehend people's needs and their interactions with technology. This groundbreaking work brought a fresh perspective to anthropology, revealing that consumers and users possess the agency to challenge the dominant narrative shaped by mass marketing and manipulative capitalism ( also see Wakhungu, Miller). 

Likewise, the field of design was undergoing its own transformation. Rather than perceiving designers solely as creators and innovators who relied on their own imaginations and experiences, an incredible shift occurred. Designers started embracing new approaches where the inspiration for products, experiences, and interventions came from the needs and views of consumers, users, or beneficiaries. Designers began considering how people's ideas and behaviors determined the success or failure of their designs and the broader societal impacts of their creations ( also see Wakhungu, Miller). 

What do design anthropologists do? 

In this era of anthropology, we, design anthropologists, have been invited to the cool fusion of research, empathy building, and design. In other words, we look deep into the thoughts and the ways of life of consumers, users, or beneficiaries (if you dealing with social impact projects), and link their needs to the products and strategies of organizations we work with.

As we design and conduct research to understand the behaviors, and cultural norms and how they influence design, our work is excitingly varying but typically involves:  

• Creating personas/segments that represent different types of consumers/users, their goals, motivations, and challenges. These personas help designers and stakeholders understand users better and make designs that meet their needs.

• Advocating for consumers/users by bringing their perspectives and insights into the design process. 

• Facilitating ideation sessions to generate design ideas and concepts based on consumer/user research findings and align the design solutions with user needs.

• Evaluating how usable and user-friendly prototypes or existing products are, and providing feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Kenyans and Africans are greatly underrepresented in the field of design anthropology 

Design anthropologists can be found in various organizations, including tech companies like Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Apple where they help understand consumer/user needs, behaviors, and cultural context to create user-friendly products and services. Market research and consulting firms such as PWC, Nielsen, etc., and Safaricom, a local telecom company, are also known for having design anthropologists to study consumer behavior, and cultural trends, and provide insights for businesses. Moreover, international development agencies like UNDP, UNESCO, and UNICEF also hire design anthropologists for cultural preservation and social impact projects. In many of these organizations, design anthropologists carry titles such as user experience (UX) researcher, design researcher, design strategist, ethnographer, innovation manager, consumer insight specialist, cultural interpreter, social impact designer, and more.

Certainly, design anthropology allows us a unique opportunity to understand, and weave together the threads of human experience to shape a brighter, more inclusive future. For those seeking to carve their own path in this extraordinary field, inspiration abounds in case studies and stories of practitioners. Although Kenyans and Africans are greatly underrepresented in the field of design anthropology, the works of visionary business and design anthropologists like Marietta Baba, Alison Clarke, Christina Wasson, and Christine Miller, just to mention a few, offer a great insight into the power of this emerging field, and how ethnographic research is being used to address the most pressing problems in our society.

Design anthropology is not just another trendy buzzword; it's a game-changing force for leaders in business and social impact programs. 

Design anthropology is not just another trendy buzzword; it's a game-changing force for leaders in business and social impact programs. As mediators, cultural and design anthropologists would help ensure that the design solutions benefit both users and organizations: our expertise can enable you to forge a harmonious balance between consumer/user needs and your goals.

Final thoughts

As I have learned, anthropology is an effective discipline for anyone interested in understanding people and the diverse cultural landscapes of our world, and within it is design anthropology: offering limitless possibilities for innovation and profound impact.