Customer
Anthropology
For fun and profit
Matt Beaudet
Matt@cellfyre.com
Oct. 8, 2013
What is customer Anthropology?
User Centered Innovation
Customer Focused Innovation
User Research
Participatory Design
User Centered Design
Field Study based Design
“Customer Anthropology is a set of tools that
can allow you to understand your customer,
test your assumptions, and innovate”
What I did before
Tali
Qubit 2.0
Countess
Qubit
Safe Imager
SYBR Safe
Microarray Kits
Panomer Products
ULYSIS Labeling Kits
Oligo labeling kits
SYBR Gold
Hired
Realized
the
customer
mattered
IDEO
Thoughtless
Acts?
Observations on
Intuitive Design
The Art of
Innovation
ABC Nightline –
IDEO Shopping Cart
What I do now
CEO
- Early stage startup
- Spin-out from UO
- Disruptive drug
discover platform
Board
President
- Tech Incubator
- Eugene based
- IT, Gaming, Brewing,
Biotechnology space
and equipment
Consultant
- Customer
Anthropology
- Innovation Guidance
- Sales Support
Today
• Understand you customer!
• Knowing your customer is a never ending iterative process
• Prototyping is the easiest (and cheapest) way to
understand your customer
• Customer anthropology makes you faster and gives you a
distinct edge
Why is this important?
“Customer Anthropology is a set of tools that
can allow you to understand your customer,
test your assumptions, and innovate”
Why is this important?
Linear methodology
Linear methodology
Linear methodology
Linear methodology
Horror stories
Iterative methodology
Iterative methodology
Iterative methodology
Who is the customer?
“Customer Anthropology is a set of tools that
can allow you to understand your customer,
test your assumptions, and innovate”
• Have a clear understanding of who your customer is
and what you want to get/understand from them
Customer persona framework
Public Institutions
• Trust data
• Rely on scientific
journals for education
• Somewhat snobby
• Trust their gut
• Rely on scientific
meetings for education
• Bold and Brash
“Hot Shots”
“Altruists”
Science
Driven
Ego
Driven
“Lab Rats”
• Trust process
• Rely on training for
education
• 9-5 worker
Private Institutions
“Climbers”
• Will try something new if it
will give them an advantage
• Relies on 1:1 meetings for
education
• Aggressive
What are the tools?
Observational Tools
Prototype Tools
This can (and should) be applied everywhere
• Bossman
• Straightforward
• Scientific
Vision hemocytometer
• Corporate Man
• Strategy
• Product line placement
• “Real customer”
• Branding savvy
• Value of cognitive dissonance
iCounter
Countess
Duchess
What are the tools?
Iterative prototyping
Interview/Survey Tools
Q&A?
• What is the best way to prototype my
product/project?
• How can I make time for this when I am
running flat-out already?
• Is IDEO as cool as everyone says it is?
• What is the biggest way to screw up
customer anthropology?
• Are some people better at this
than others?
• What is cognitive dissonance again?
• 48hr crash coarse in startups
• UO Student - $39/weekend
• Incubator space and
community mentoring
• Tuesday open night 4-7
Memoto / Narrative
What are the tools?