Our research project got selected for the 28th Annual Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference (EQRC).
We presented our work at the conference in Vegas on 1-2 Feb 2016.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Savannah, Georgia has been recognized as the most romantic city of the South, and the fourth most romantic city in the United States. Its historic atmosphere, its small city charm and its closeness to the river lure in visitors and locals alike. On the other hand, Savannah also has an overall crime rate that is 27% higher than the normal average and was even named 7th on the list of worst possible cities to live in.
Throughout this research project we wanted to understand the complicated culture of sustaining love in the specific setting offered in Savannah. Ethnography and contextual research gave us the tools to do just that. We hoped to discover how, and if, the love culture infiltrates the environment, the restaurants, the river and the squares of the city.
INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS
We kick started the quarter by learning about artifacts and traditions that were specific to different cultures. This turned out to be not only a very interesting exercise but also a very insightful one. Norms and rituals vary from place to place and can be understood differently by many. In order to understand a culture, we must study it in its normal state and setting. Ethnography and contextual research give us the tools to do just that.
After learning about what ethnographic research is we were given the opportunity to choose between different topics to study in Savannah. Our team chose the ‘Culture of Falling in Love in Savannah’ as the start of our research process. We learned about different types of research and set off our process with secondary research as a way to guide our topic into the right sources of further information. After having a better general idea, we used primary research to understand our subjects and context. The process was not always linear or perfect. We made mistakes and learned how to solve them, making the process one much richer. Following is our detailed process, and the conclusions to which it led us.
FINAL OFFERING DESCRIPTION — A Guide for your Heart in Savannah
A comprehensive guide for everyone’s heart in Savannah. It includes maps and activities like walking tours for recovering from breakups, or slow dating plans to meet new people, that have been tailored as much for the user as for the city itself. It is directed to locals and tourists.
As a result of our primary research, we had a lot of information about how Savannah influences the process of creating and sustaining love, and also about how people feel during the different stages of love: falling in love, sustaining love, looking for love and losing love. Furthermore, we discovered how the use of certain areas of the city was determined by the sense of safety and how that sensation was associated to the absence of light or people, to the sensation of loneliness. Having all this data, we decided to create a guide to people’s heart based on activities involving key city areas that could influence on people’s feelings. These activities were also though as business opportunities to local industry around love. We used the results from cultural probes and interviews to create maps around romantic and unromantic places in the city. We gathered all this information together as a “Guide for your Heart in Savannah” a pocket book with the essentials to enjoy the thoughtful Savannah while discovering, sustaining or recovering from love.
