The workshop is a crucial space for designers to collaborate, a place to bring ideas to life. Workshops have many moving parts, from safety guidelines to shared work spaces and technicians to new users. So what actually goes on in workshops? What do people say about using the space and collaborating? How do shops work? And what aspects of "the workshop" need improvement?

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In collaboration with classmate Mark Celestina, we sought to better understand "the workshop" through an ethnographic-style to research and three different analytical lenses: spatial analysis, artifacts and atmospheres cross-analysis, and temporal density. Each approach provided valuable insights into possible future improvements.

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Ethnographic-style research is an approach derived from anthropology for shorter-term research periods. The University of Virginia defines it as a research approach where "data are collected through observations and interviews, which are then used to draw conclusions about how societies and individuals function" (Ethnographic Research, University of Virginia, n.d.).

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References: 

University of Virginia. (n.d.). Ethnographic research. Human Research Protection Program. https://hrpp.research.virginia.edu/teams/irb-sbs/researcher-guide-irb-sbs/ethnographic-research