Read the whole interview, more importantly read his blog.
Snippets:
What exactly do you do, Jan?I work for Nokia Design. It’s a group of 250 people worldwide in Nokia that includes psychologists, industrial designers, materials experts, and people like me, anthropologists. We use human-behavioral research to think about how the future might turn out.
How do you approach your research?
We have maybe a dozen techniques for engaging with people from the local culture. We do street surveys. Typically, I buy a bicycle and cycle around the city with a translator. If we see something interesting, we get off and we engage. Last year, I think I bought 10 bicycles. At the end of the study we give them away to people.
I know last year’s TED conference speakers were recorded. Their presentations put online. I’m going to try and hunt down this one.
Don’t forget to visit his NRC site.