Democratised Ethnography for Collective Intelligence in Design Practices

This paper identifies three pillars crucial for democratised ethnography – collaborative practice, collective intelligence and the strategic use of methods and tools – and examine the epistemological and practical tensions arising from the constraints of industrial contexts and the introduction of new methods and tools. We examine the role of emerging technologies, which introduces new possibilities for support while also prompting a critical reflection on interpretive depth, epistemic accountability and the very nature of critical dialogue. Democratised ethnography, we argue, offers not only broader access to the benefits of ethnography but also redefines how knowledge is shared, negotiated and cultivated across teams and industries where ethnographic approaches are applied.