Advancing the Value of Ethnography

Advancing the Value of Ethnography

EPIC2023 Friction | Chicago

At EPIC2023 we grappled with and harnessed friction for all its complex and productive powers.

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Download the full EPIC2023 Proceedings

PDF includes papers and case studies (594 pages).

Case Studies

Case Study

Researcher Positionality and Identity Validation: Framing a Demographic Questionnaire

Antonia Holton-Raphael et al.

Case Study

Applied Qualitative Research in Software Companies of LATAM Industrial Sector

Salvador Suniaga

Case Study

Friction into Traction: A Case Study of Friction in Strategic Ethnography

Ken Anderson & Maria Cury

abstract decorative image Case Study

Building Ethical Software Solutions by Challenging Tech’s Obsession with Efficiency

Aziria D. Rodríguez Arce

Case Study

Friction in Equity Work for Product Development: Getting Unstuck

Marina Kobayashi et al.

Case Study

Ethnographic Practice in a 100-Year-Old Corporation in a Highly Regulated Industry

Djuana Stoakley & Aaliyah Shareef

Case Study

Observing Friction Through Experience Prototyping in the Postpartum Period

Raelynn O'Leary et al.

Case Study

Intentional Stakeholder Feedback for a Federal Research Program

Briana Lang et al.

Case Study

Smartphones and the Future of Remembering: Frictions, Problems, and Pathways

Charlie Strong & Saeideh Bakhski

Case Study

Intergenerational Living: Thai Cultural Frictions and Taboos in Changing Times

Adisorn Supawatanakul & Piyathep Tanmahasmut

Case Study

Radically Restructuring Adolescent Sexual Health Counseling Interactions

Amanda Geppert et al.

abstract decorative image Case Study

The Transformative Power of Friction: Inclusive Community Centered Visioning in Manhattan’s Chinatown

Priyanka Jain et al.

Case Study

Navigating Adoption by Global South Users: The Case of Wikimedia Volunteers

Camille Kramer-Courbariaux et al.

Case Study

Signals from Conflict-Affected Audiences in the Digital Communication Landscape

Capri Burrell & Sara Parvanezadeh Esfahani


Papers

Paper

Grounded Models: The Future of Sensemaking in a World of Generative AI

Tom Hoy et al.

Paper

Toward an Ethnography of Friction and Ease in Complex Systems

Benjamin Chesluk & Mike Youngblood

Paper

Friction in Government Forms: Identifying Opportunities for Innovation

Nadine Levin et al.

Paper

The Sound of Friction: How to Do Things with Listening

Michael G. Powell

Paper

Frictions in the Experience of Using Hearing Aids with a PC & Accessibility Design

Emory James Edwards et al.

Paper

The Uncommon Good: Making Room for Radical Transition Imaginaries

Azra Sungu et al.

Paper

Favoring Friction: Examining Hotel Browsing and Buying through the Lens of the Bazaar

Simon Roberts et al.

Paper

In Pursuit of Authenticity: Commodified Community, Curated Experience, and Fandom

Logan McLaughlin

Paper

The Ethnographer in the Machine: Everyday Experiences with AI-enabled Data Analysis

Suzanne Walsh & Jaroslava Pallas-Brink

Paper

Local Frictions, Design Anthropology, and the Energy Transition

Gijs Van Leeuwen & Abhigyan Singh

Paper

Frictions in the Future of Work

Madison Van Oort

Paper

Future-Making in a Technology Company

Irem Tekogul & Carlos Teixeira

Paper

Childbirth Practices in the Global South and Destructive and Constructive Friction

Juliana Saldarriaga et al.

Paper

Fluid Friction: The Case for Friction in Public Safety Design

Joshua Burraway

Paper

Friction by Machine: How to Slow Down Reasoning with Computational Methods

Anders Koed Madsen et al.

abstract decorative image Paper

Entangled: On the Social and Ethical Friction of Fieldwork

Kate Sieck

Paper

Adding Friction to Mandatory Reporting: The Case for Survivor-Centered Research

Sarah Fathallah et al.

Paper

Interconnections along the Ethical Canadian Diamond Supply Chain

Linda Armano


Learning Week (Tutorials, Talks/Seminars)

Talk/Seminar

A Critical Moment for Global Change: Ethnographers Acting on Climate and Sustainability

Melissa Gregg et al.

Talk/Seminar

Deciding How to Decide with Research

Chris Butler

Talk/Seminar

Navigating the Realities of Self-Employment

Shelley Sather et al.

Talk/Seminar

Collective Wisdom on Where We've Been & Ethnographic Practice in the Future

Elizabeth Anderson-Kempe et al.

tunnel Tutorial

How to Work Responsibly with Emerging Technologies

John Payne

Tutorial

From Users to User Ecosystems: Applying Systems Thinking to Ethnography

Mike Youngblood et al.

Tutorial

Ethnofutures Techniques for Strategic Decisions

Jan English-Lueck et al.

Tutorial

The Science of Storytelling

Liz Lewis

Talk/Seminar

Research Portfolio Workshop

Marc LaFleur & Alexandra Mack

Talk/Seminar

Knowledge Management Principles for Researchers

Emily DiLeo

Talk/Seminar

Automate Yourself to Work on What You Love

Lisa Kleinman et al.

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Career Pivots: Market Research & Brand Strategy

Cato Hunt et al.

Talk/Seminar

Career Pivots: Service Design

Shelley Evanson et al.

Talk/Seminar

Career Pivots: Strategy & Foresight Consulting

Rebekah Park et al.

Talk/Seminar

Equity-Centered Leadership

Shakima Jackson-Martinez

Areal view of earth with clouds partially covering ocean and land Talk/Seminar

From Insights to Intuition: Transforming the Role of Research

Asif Baki

Talk/Seminar

Foundational AI: Navigating a Shifting Terrain

Rogério De Paula et al.

Tutorial

Thinking & Communicating with Visual Frameworks

Erin Hackett & Mujtaba Hameed

Tutorial

Strategic Foresight Methods for Innovation

Sam Ladner