QRCA Views Summer 2024

Ethnographic research allows us to observe behavior in natural settings, uncovering deep insights that traditional methods often miss. By blending into the environment with unobtrusive recording techniques, I can capture genuine reactions without participants feeling observed. This approach helps businesses better understand their customers’ decision-making processes, leading to practical solutions. In one project, we identified over 80 improvements for a restaurant chain—some small, others transformative—ultimately enhancing the customer experience in ways that executives often hadn’t considered […]

Review of How to Know a Person by David Brooks, focusing on the importance of empathy and deep connections in understanding others. […]

I don’t have a green thumb, and while my husband gets all the credit for our many thriving plants indoors, we struggle with our outdoors landscaping. So, a friend who is obsessed with gardening is helping us visualize some problem areas outside to provide us with a renewed sense of surroundings for our home. She doesn’t just plant and enjoy. Rather, she is constantly trying new plants, moving things around in her yard, and learning as she goes—all the while enjoying a refreshed look at beauty all the time. […]