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Unconscious Competence

unconscious competence: otis goes to penn mac

 


Overview
As an introduction to ethnographic and observational research, students in my first-year studio class were asked to observe and document the steps of any skill performed with unconscious competence. I chose to observe interactions at the cheese counter of Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Macaroni Company. I was originally drawn to the idea because I was intrigued by how accurately deli clerks measure weights of foods on the first attempt. I wanted to uncover what strategies might be used to gain this kind of accuracy.

 

Process
I spent approximately six hours over three days observing people buying cheese at Penn Mac. After hours of study, the cognitive process of the customer and the overall form of the interaction proved to be highly interesting areas of inquiry. Otis Goes to Penn Mac is an attempt to present the overall process, along with some of the motivational and decision-making factors involved on the part of the customer.

Solution
By presenting the scenario in a narrative form, I was able to highlight the key ideas in a fun and engaging manner. I found that my classmates and professor connected with the story more than I had anticipated, and were easily able to draw out the key findings from my observations.


Full booklet (13.9 MB)