I've mentioned Jan Chipchase's Future Perfect weblog many times before, but for those of you that still haven't made it a regular read here's a short interview with Jan from BBC News.
As principal researcher for Nokia Jan is tasked with answering a seemingly simple question: how do people use their mobile phones? Along the way, however, his weblog provides an eye-opening education in the power of observation and insight, as well as a deep appreciation of the cultural nuances a global brand like Nokia must navigate.
To uncover the "secret stuff" that drives human motivation, Jan leaves no stone unturned: from interface design, language and user experience to parking lots, restaurants and comic books, it's all part of one fascinating process. I don't know much about research, but isn't this the perfect kind of research?
"I specialise in human behavioural research. It often starts with a very simple question like 'what do people carry?'.
"This is interesting to Nokia because we want to put things in people's pockets - something of value.
"If you can understand one element of that value then you can understand people's motivation."
Mr Chipchase takes a team - designers, psychologists - into different countries around the world, to look at people's lives in different contexts.
"I want to understand what people do and why, and pretty much in every context. We want to know the secret stuff as well."
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