Just discovered Tricia Wang’s really super blog, Cultural Bytes, thanks to Experientia‘s blogpost on Ethnography’s contribution to values in technology design and use. She’s blogging her way through her research on the socio-cultural contexts of technology usage in low-income communities and migrant communities in Mexico and China. Lots to learn!!

A couple of months ago former Nokia ethnographer Tricia Wang gave a talk at the Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, CA, and she just posted the slideshow and the abstract on her blog.

“My talk today is about how I came into my research at Nokia wanting to answer the question: how can ethnographers contribute to the product design process of a mobile device? Ethnographically grounded research for technology use is a method that aims to reveal users’ values, beliefs, and ideas. Nokia was one of the first mobile companies to concertedly hire ethnographers as part of its design process, In the mid to late nineties, Nokia changed the mobile industry forever by creating affordable, user friendly phones. More than a decade later, the hardware mobile phone market is nearing saturation. With Nokia transitioning from a company that produces hardware to software, how can ethnographically driven research provide strategic insights for this shift?”

Here’s her slideshow:

I’ve been quiet here but have been reading. And playing games – I think I am quite addicted to some of them – Alphattack is my current fav and I’m determined to crack level 18 on hard to get the award. And I’m trying to get back sculpted arms!!!

I find myself opening GoogleReader less often these days – I seem to be getting most of my info off Twitter. I’ve more or less stopped using delicious (when did they delete the dots from their name???). Moreover, conversations that used to happen on blogs are moving to Twitter too.  It continues to amaze me how effective 140 characters can really be.

I thought I’d share some links here on what I’ve found interesting and thought-provoking, some of which I have tweeted over the last few days:

1. Google Analytics Maximized – Deeper Analysis, Higher ROI and You I learnt a lot!
2. Fantastic collection of the best of blogging in Anthropology in 2008 – Parts 1 and 2
3. Web 2.0 and Transience -Manu questions what it means for brands to ‘engage’ in social media ending with “Perhaps the more meaningful discussions lie in figuring out how the basic pillars of web 2.o – connecting, sharing, collaborating-  can be used to build brands. The ‘How to use Twitter/Facebook for Marketing/PR’ are based on tools, and that would mean that we’ve been confusing tactics for strategy.”
4. Asfaq questions the social media echo chamber
5. Shefaly throws light on language as a challenge for global businesses
6. This made me smile – a satire on Satyam Chairman’s trial by Web 2.0
7. Top 20 iPhone applications for bloggers, designers and freelancers
8. Peter has an amazing set of links to great writing at his post which is meant to attract writers for his new project with Forbes – Network 18 magazine. Smart strategy Pete!
9. Stuart’s really honest review on Phweet - there are plans for a revamp – keep watching!!!
10. A good round-up of statistics and milestones on the mobile phone market in India in 2008
11. Social Mobile applications Myth and the LongTail - “There have been many positive blog posts calling 2009 the “Year of Mobile”. I think they could be right. I also think 2009 is going to be the “Year of the Searcher” (see my earlier blog post). As I argued back then, let’s never forget it’s the users of our tools who we answer to. Social change happens on the ground, often through them, and not online.”

Meanwhile, help Gaurav Tandon, who’s bravely battling AML (a type of blood cancer).  And, thanks Stuart for updating my blog to WordPress 2.7 – takes a bit of getting used to but is a much neater-looking interface!