How do we get inspiration? How do you get away from your own world and experience another? How do we question our values and beliefs? One way to broaden your horizons and generate original ideas is to explore the, ‘Exotic in the Everyday’ Have you ever had a really bad hangover and started to see the world in a different way? Sometimes this state of being (basically you’re over sensitised) makes you notice things you’d never usually see. I don’t recommend this as a research technique but should you find yourself in this situation, make the most of it. Take notes, take photos, whatever. But also drink lots of water and eat something.
Seeing the world in a different way bring up what I call the exotic in the everyday. This can also be achieved by going to another country where everything can be exotic (Alain de Botton’s book; “the Art of Travel” has a great chapter on this). Things stand out to you in a way they don’t to people who live in that country, maybe it’s an ashtray, a table leg, a taxi interior or it’s in the manners and customs of the place.
So to find the exotic in the everyday; we can visit other people’s everyday world. Or we can find ways to explore our own. Here are some ways I’ve tried:
1. Take photos or get someone else to take them.
2. Take a friend with you.
3. Go to unusual shops.
4. There’s something about travel.
5. Go abroad.
1. Take photos or get someone else to take them.
Photos of a scene or place, can help you see things wouldn’t have noticed while you were actually there. This is partly because our brains make up a lot of what we see. They produce the edges of our vision on-the-fly from memory and supposition. Don’t trust your eyes too much. In photos we can study a scene in a different way. Notice the details, construction, behaviours and all the little hacks that hold the world together. Obviously video can do this too; but I find you need to look at it pretty closely. I think it’s best left for when it’s really needed, like in videoed user observation.
Sometimes photos that other people have taken can be even better, as you have no memories associated with them and are more able to question their content. These can just be your friends’ or colleagues’ photos or ones taken by a user (as used in the Probes cameras). Look for the details in photos. Ask questions, look at construction, adaptation, for signs of wear and tear, and signs of behaviour. This is hard to do with most magazine and stock images as they are too well posed and cropped. Quick snaps are often best for inspiration.
2. Take a friend with you.
Getting a friend to come along with you on a research trip can be very useful, especially when the place you are going is foreign to them. If they are from a another country or even just another town they will notice things you take for granted. Chris Downs and Joe MacLeod used a similar technique in their ‘Catalyst Ethnography’ project. The pair visited Chris’s home town and were welcomed into the community as everyone knew Chris As a stranger observing talk between Chris and his friends, Joe was able to see behaviours that Chris might not notice or think significant. Giving cameras to people new to your location would be tying the technique 1 (above) in with this one and could be very useful. You could ask them to photograph things they find unusual, but it can be even more , productive if you can ask them why they took pictures of certain things.
Rory Hamilton 2006
"This might seem exotic to you;
but it's what I see everytime I leave the house."
