A sense of irritation
Anthropology and ethnographic interviews are key elements in human-centered design and crucial to how we explore a topic at the Ida Institute. After more than 14 years and more than 250 videos, I am still amazed by how our documentaries can provide insights that help audiologists in the clinics and students in the classroom understand their clients’ communication needs.
When I visited John and Gill in Colchester in UK, Gill had a profound hearing loss. Even though they have a strong supportive relationship, honest conversation around Gill´s hearing loss revealed that it clearly was putting a strain on their relation. Close relationships are affected by the way hearing loss disturbs the natural give-and-take of conversations; it interrupts the connectedness of the interactions.
An eyeopener
After each interview, I always ask the participants to reflect on the in-depth conversation. Pay attention to Gill’s words at the end of this video.
-Hans Henrik Philipsen, Chief Anthropologist at the Ida Institute