Menlo High-Tech Anthropology: The key to bridging organizational purpose and user-centered design
Overview
In this interactive workshop, a select group of AME VIP members will be introduced to Menlo Innovations' High-Tech Anthropology® process and apply its user-centered discovery and design methods to explore opportunities for enhancing the AME membership experience.
Originally developed to create software that is intuitive and widely adopted, the High-Tech Anthropology process has broad applications beyond software development. Its people-centered approach helps organizations improve products, services and processes while identifying new opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
The workshop is delivered in three interconnected parts. During Part I, participants will learn the fundamentals of High-Tech Anthropology, including observation, interviewing, synthesis and iterative solution design, while practicing the techniques through interactive exercises. In Part II, participants will apply these methods by gathering feedback from AME members during the conference to better understand what members value and identify opportunities to increase engagement and participation. During Part III, participants will work alongside Menlo facilitators to analyze their findings, develop recommendations and present their insights to AME leadership.
Key Takeaways
Participants will leave with practical experience using High-Tech Anthropology methods, a deeper understanding of the AME member experience and a toolkit of user-centered techniques that can be applied within their own organizations to drive continuous improvement, strengthen customer focus and support innovation.
- Apply interview and observation techniques to better understand user needs and goals.
- Analyze discovery findings to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
- Develop and communicate data-driven recommendations that support continuous improvement.
Eric Cook is a Senior Consultant and High-Tech Anthropologist® at Menlo Innovations, where he serves as a user researcher, UX designer, educator, business analyst and process consultant. He specializes in helping organizations build consensus by balancing business objectives, stakeholder priorities, development timelines, market dynamics and end-user needs throughout the design and development process.
Since joining Menlo in 2015, Eric has partnered with organizations ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries, including biomedical, insurance, automotive, social media, retail, B2B, financial services, legal services, shipping and logistics.
Before joining Menlo, Eric held faculty positions in higher education. He served as Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Programs at University College Dublin's School of Information and Library Studies and later as a Lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Information.
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Priya is a High-Tech Anthropologist® at Menlo Innovations, where she works at the intersection of consulting, business and user research to design intuitive, user-centered software solutions. She partners with clients to understand user needs, align stakeholder priorities and translate complex challenges into effective workflows.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Priya brings an interdisciplinary background in marketing, economics and human-centered problem-solving. Before joining Menlo, she worked in New York City, where she gained experience in audience insights, brand strategy and marketing.
