ANTHMETHGRP2-2425-MINGYAN-JI

[Last modified: November, 27 2024 11:44 AM]

The multimodal expand our research possibilties by thinking creatively not just presenting our reserch through the language. Allowing the anthropologists access to the different layers of meanings, which is less bias and cover more phases.

I really like the example given during the presentation, The guardian’s 1986 ‘Point of View’ Advert. The positioning of the camera showing the different point of view, which can easily altered the viewers’ ways of seeing. This challenging people’s sterotype how we approach images, its also clearly showing that the one way approach is problematic and can easily create bias and wrong representations.

Through my pilot research, my question is how do multi-sensory experiences shape consumption behavior. The Multimodal can be eaily adapted into this reserch question. I can collect datas through diverse sensory and visual modalities, and how it affecting the consumption behavior. For example, I can present and showing the interlocutors with different smells, make them telling a story, and videoing how they feel, their facial expression when they talking, their sentiments. I think the multimudal can help decrease the bias and push us to look and analyse things in different ways.

[Last modified: November, 20 2024 04:52 PM]

Selecting yarn is the most exciting part of starting a knitting project. There are so many types and colors to choose from, offering endless possibilities for combinations. I touch and feel almost every yarn on the shelf—some are soft and fuzzy, with delicate hairs along the yarn, while others are made of synthetic materials, thin and slightly rough to the touch. I find myself captivated, wanting to test all the color and material combinations. I spent nearly half an hour pondering in front of the shelf, placing my favorite colors together, imagining how they would transform into fabric.

Finally, I settled on two yarns: one purple and one green. I wound both yarns onto the tension mast to begin. I love how the tension mast holds the yarn—it reminds me of a cricket’s delicate tentacles.

Next, I selected 40 needles for my project and brought them into their working positions. I firstly chose the green yarn as the base for my textile. I carefully wrapped the yarn around each needle and threaded it into the carriage. Then, I moved the carriage across the needle bed to create the first row of stitches. With my palm facing inward, I guided the yarn to ensure it stayed in the carriage.

After completing the first row, I noticed the carriage was difficult to move due to excessive tension. I adjusted the tension setting, and the operation became much smoother. Once I had completed the first five rows of stitches, I inserted a punch card to guide the color pattern for my knitting. Then, I added the purple yarn into the carriage. The purple yarn followed the punch card’s pattern, intertwining with the green yarn to create the design.

From this point, my task became more repetitive—moving the carriage back and forth across the machine. Each movement created a single row of stitches. After about 20 minutes, my arms started to feel sore from the constant motion. It reminded me of the time I did pottery throwing years ago. Despite being a similarly repetitive craft, I felt a deeper connection with pottery. There was something about the sensation of touching the clay—its softness and the delicate balance of force required. You couldn’t press too hard or too lightly; it was a continuous dynamic movement that demanded both focus and intuition.

In contrast, using the knitting machine felt more like a dialogue with the machine itself. I didn’t experience the same tactile connection or emotional engagement. Instead, my focus was more on the anticipation of the finished product—imagining what the final piece would look like. The process itself felt monotonous, and I found myself eager to see the result rather than enjoying the act of creation.

 

[Last modified: November, 13 2024 09:29 AM]

Write a 400 words reflection on the political dimensions of your piolot research project. Does the project design include any political positions, orientations or assumptions? does your own positionality interact with these political dimensions? What are the potential political implications and outcomes of your research findings?How might your methods be adopted to account for these political elements?

my research question is: how do multi-sensory experiences shape consumption behavior. Multi sensory can create personlized consumer experiences, attracting different demographics based on sensory preferences. This personalization can help increase consumer loyalty and deeper psychological connection with the product.

The focusing on how multi sensory experiences shape consumer behaviours has significantly reflect on consumerism, highlighting that how the market utilizing consumer desires, and utlize it, manipulate it by the market. For example, i have interviewed one of my friend who work in the climbing industry, there is a brand adpting the nature quality into the fingerboard by just adding a layer above the wooden fingerboard made by stone. The texture and the weight create by it elevated the original value of the fingerboard, and the price for it improved significantly. This type of “naturn adapted” fingerboard does not have any additional function than the traditional one. Consumers buying for its “nature” quality, its well taught story telling. It grasp the psycology of a climber, that attracted by the feeling of nature, even at home. This rasing some questions: how much agency do consumers truly have when their sensory experiences are truly curated by the market? How can consuemrs become more aware of these sensory influences and make more mindful purchasing decisions?

Moreover, the sensory experienes can reinforced gender norm. through by tailouring sensory cues, such as colors, scent, sounds and tactile experiences, to aligh with traditional gender sterotypes. For example through visual and color, pink or any other lighter color aimed at woman. blue and darker colors targeting male consumers. These visual elements perpetuate binary gender distribution.

Last but not least, my methodology for the reserch would be engage with variety of communities by having deep interviews and observations. i think it would be interesting by interview a same group of people who buying the same product, and listening to their stories, compare and contrast each of their stories to see its similarity and differences in between.

[Last modified: October, 30 2024 02:11 PM]

Based on your notes, write a 400 text that renders the atmosphere, with emphasis on the main keywords you identified as the most interesting. You can accompany the text with the sketches that you have made while in the field. Reflect on the relation between the experience of taking notes, identifying the main story you want to tell, and on how the notes helped your memory.

My two classmates and I conducted fieldwork at the Tavistock bus stop betweenRussell Square and Euston. We expected to interact with people at the bus stop, but after sitting there for some time, we realized it was only for tourist buses. As a result, we focused mainly on observing people across the street and the surrounding environment. The note-taking experience was relaxed, as doing it together made it feel like a normal activity, reducing any embarrassment. The presence of three of us changed the dynamic—any onlookers seemed less likely to question our behavior, and the semi-enclosed bus stop provided a level of disguise, allowing us to observe without drawing much attention.

To the right of the bus stop is a hotel, where a family stood outside for a long time. The child kept climbing up and down her father, seeking his attention and hugs, though he appeared tired and tried to put her down gently without upsetting her. Observing them, I was struck by the subtle “push and pull” dynamic, revealing aspects of kinship as the parents managed their roles, balancing interaction with their child and the demands of travel in a foreign country. In contrast, the child seemed carefree, focused only on her immediate needs, oblivious to the complexities her parents navigated.

Observing people using transportation around us, I noticed that delivery riders frequently passed by, often appearing random and free in their movements. Many had multiple tablets mounted on their bikes, frequently checking or scrolling on screens while riding, which made me feel nervous for their safety. This behavior reminded me of criticism in Chinese media regarding delivery workers, who often ride hastily to meet strict delivery quotas, leading to accidents and public frustration. Some blame the riders for their lack of caution, while others point to the systemic pressures they face from companies, requiring high delivery counts each day, which contributes to their stress and risky behaviors.

[Last modified: October, 23 2024 11:52 AM]

Write a reflective piece about your own positionality to your research question, drawing on the readings and discussions in class. Are there things you would change about how you might design your research to account for your positionality?

I have rephrased my design question a bit into how do multi-sensory experiences shape consumption behavior.

I personally really enjoy utilizing my senses to experience the world and to feel the environment around me. Instead of hearing the story behind the brand, i would more remember the sensation it brings to me. Is it soft? is it warm? or how it smells like. it brings up imaginations and add layers to the brand stories.
At the same time, as the designer, i think i am more approachable to the design communities to understand how designers work out to attract consumers through design. i think this is the easiest way for me to start with, but also i would also going to different shops to observe and experiences by myself. However, when talk about the sensory experiences, it is more subjective that i might have biases through my research, i would hang out with my friends and conduct an informal interview by chatting with them how the different senses you get from different consumption environment.

For the second point, I might focus more on the variety of strategies that use the senses as tools in the consumption environment. I want to study how different people, such as those with varying gender identities or cultural backgrounds, have distinct sensory preferences. I’m curious about which sensory experiences resonate more strongly with specific groups and which might not appeal to them as much, as well as what seems to attract all of them and create a multicultural environment. I aim to compare and contrast these differences. I’m particularly interested in exploring the relationships between these sensory strategies and how they connect with different demographics.

[Last modified: October, 16 2024 11:52 AM]

Write a short (400 word) ethnographic “vignette” based on your observation exercise. Tell a story that you encountered in the field, describe the situation, what happened, why is it linked to your research topic etc. You can include audio, visual or other materials. Try and write in such a way as to concey the experience of “being there” to the reader.

During the observation period, I visited several different stores to see how each of them engaged in storytelling and naturally conveyed their brand values. My observations can mainly be divided into two categories.

Firstly, I visited several home goods stores. Some of them utilized the space to create a homely atmosphere, engaging multiple senses—contribute to the interaction with the environment. These elements gave a strong first impression of what the store aimed to convey, whether it was a sense of coziness, warmth, or luxury.

For instance, in one of the cozy stores, the space was divided into smaller sections, which made me feel enveloped in warmth. The soft textures of the furniture, made from linen or cotton, added to the approachable and inviting atmosphere. In contrast, when I visited a more luxurious home goods store, contemporary artworks adorned the walls, the style was minimalist, and the spaces were larger and more open. This created a sense of distance, encouraging me to adjust my attitude to engage with the space accordingly. Through these two experiences, it became clear how two different brands told their stories in completely different ways.

On the other hand, some brands adopt powerful, strong, and concise language in their advertisements to reflect their brand values. For example, I visited a store selling bedding, where the atmosphere led you directly to the section that best suited your needs, focusing more on functionality. One brand, “Sleepmatch,” used bold, prominent fonts with the slogan printed on the wall: “Let Sleepmatch find your perfect mattress.” The message was clear—the audience could understand its purpose in just a second. It was straightforward, powerful, and efficient. Moreover, the use of high-contrast colors is also crucial here, as it helps draw the consumers’ attention and encourages them to interact with the brand.

During this observation activity, I found that whether through language or creating an atmosphere, both approaches can effectively convey a brand’s storytelling. However, the common factor is that the message needs to be clear and easily understandable, quickly matching the consumers’ needs. Consumers don’t have the time to ponder the meaning; the brand’s message must be immediately accessible.

Lastly, I did not have the opportunity to interact with consumers directly to understand their purchasing psychology. I believe this would be the next step for my research.

 

[Last modified: October, 9 2024 01:11 AM]

For my pilot ethnographic project, I plan to explore the impact of storytelling on consumption behavior and its psychology behind modern society.

My interest in this topic stems from the rapid rise in popularity of Jellycat last year, driven by store employees personifying each toy, and giving each one a unique wrapping ritual before purchase. Storytelling has transformed what was once just a product into an experience, embedding the product into a larger narrative, purchasing more than just a transaction. It makes consumers feel that they are participating and becoming involved in the story. This creates a deeper connection between consumers and the brand. This creates a deeper connection between consumers and the brand. Moreover, I am also curious about the psychology behind consumer behavior and what the main reasons are that drive people to pursue this experience.

Research Question:

To explore this topic, I would discuss the following questions further.

1. How do stories associated with products affect consumers’ emotions and make people feel attached to them?
2. How does design play an important role in conveying the story to consumers?
3. How does storytelling in consumer experiences reshape the way people treat and share the product?
4. How do shared stories and narratives attract buyers?
5. What kinds of storytelling are more successful today, and why is that the case?
6. Why do consumers buy for the sake of stories?
7. How do consumers gain satisfaction from this? Do they gain genuine long-term satisfaction from it?
8. What happens to the product at the end of its life? Does it create any sense of indifference compared to other products?

Methods:

Interviews: I will conduct in-depth interviews with individuals to explore their personal experiences related to purchasing products associated with storytelling. This will allow me to gather qualitative insights into how these narratives influence their decision-making and emotional connections to the products.

Participatory Interventions: I will select specific locations for observation, and observing the interactions and experiences related to storytelling in real-time. Additionally, I will explore online platforms and social media to analyze and compare different storytelling techniques used by brands.

Potential Findings:

1. Arnold, Japutra., Yuksel, Ekinci., Lyndon, Simkin. (2022). Discovering the dark side of brand attachment: Impulsive buying, obsessive-compulsive buying and trash talking. Journal of business research, 145, 442-453. Available from: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.020

1. Frank, Lindberg. (2022). Struggle of the story: towards a sociocultural model of story world tension in communal consumption. Journal of marketing management, 39(5-6), 498-519. Available from: 10.1080/0267257x.2022.2108487

1. Beris, Artan, Özoran. (2019). Manifesto storytelling: a new method of organizations.  15(1), 277-308. Available from: 10.17550/AKADEMIKINCELEMELER.595074

[Last modified: October, 1 2024 05:57 PM]

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