Hello! My name is Christopher Dettbarn, but you can call me Chris! I am a professionally certified, aspiring UX designer who leverages an anthropological background to create user experiences that are uniquely human focused. I graduated from James Madison University where I tailored my studies around anthropological theory, psychology, and sociology.

Now I know right now many of you are saying something along the lines of, “I’ve heard of psychology and sociology, but what in the world is anthropology and what could it possibly have to do with UX design?”, but have no fear - I promise to give you an explanation and I promise they go exceedingly well together!  Very broadly, anthropology is the study of humans. More specifically, anthropology delves into what makes humans (get ready for this…) human. That means I studied things like how human language shapes social behavior and our understanding of the world around us, how human cultures have developed to support and are formed by different values and norms,  how humans have evolved and adapted to their environments from prehistory to the modern technological era, and what I believe to the most interesting and important aspect of anthropology: how to combine all of those concepts and outwardly synthesize and apply them to create insights and develop solutions in real-world settings.

Essentially, what excites me the most about anthropology is this ability to look outwards. Anthropological theory can be applied to law, medicine, economics, you name it – but of course my interest lies in how it can be applied to the development and improvement of user experiences in the context of modern technology. That’s why when I discovered UX design I knew I had found my niche. I recognized that many of the same anthropological methodologies and skills I had developed could be directly applied to improving user experiences. Things like quantitative and qualitative research methods, participant observation, and data analysis translated into user interviews, persona development, and journey mapping. The overlap was seamless, and in my belief, it’s what makes my approach to UX so uniquely human focused. I concentrate on conducting user research that looks beyond surface level annoyances and gets to the root of genuine user pain points. What kind of person is your target user? What outside factors (the language they speak, the values they hold, any technological preconceptions they might harbor) influence their expectations of and experiences within your app or website? These are the kinds of questions whose answers make a substantial difference when trying to connect with a potential user and design specific, insight-based solutions that meet their needs. It’s these kinds of questions that a UX designer with a background in anthropology specializes in answering.