Ethnographies of Unimagined Possibilities: Toward a Conversational Paradigm for Human-Centered Design Research

Abstract

Relying on Krippendorff's description of “authentic conversation” we describe the ethnography of unimagined possibilities in the intersection of ethnography and human-centered design research. Possibilities are what inspire human-centered designers to create products, practices, and services that could satisfy currently unimagined yet real needs and desires. Although possibilities are not observable as such, they can be constructed in conversations of designers and other stakeholders. Hence, they can become extensions of real situations that are co-constructed as new realities.