SCIENCE OF DESIRE

ANTE (2006) BUSINESS WEEK, 6/5/ 99-106

In the 30's, social sciences were used to deal

with worker productivity and morale. Now ethnographers (  a wing of anthropology that spends much of it's time on case studies) is becoming extremely important. Why do you like a product or service?a Do you want it changed? If so, how?

This is asked of individuals. Anthropologists are considered odd ducks in the corporate world, but they are now tolerated. Numerous innovations have come from ethnographers either watching people or talking to them. The importance here is that consumer is king.

Toyota wondered why Yanks wanted pick ups in which they rarely used the back end and and wanted it to be clean. Retail anthropologist noticed that there is a specific length between the left counter and right counter. If the distance is too long or too short, the consumer feels uncomfortable.

Anthropologists are now part of the corporate setting and engineers hate them.