QualiData Research Inc

From Odder Jobs: More Portraits of Unusual Occupations Nancy Rica Schiff, Ten Speed Press, 2006. (www.tenspeed.com)

Ethnographers

East Hampton, New York

Husband and wife team Hy Mariampolski and Sharon Wolf have made curiosity about other people's habits pay off. Transitioning from an academic career in sociology in the late '70s, Hy put his analytical skills to work improving consumer products and authored a text on the subject, Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion. Sharon joined the business, QualiData Research Inc, in 1987 after a career in corporate marketing. Now the couple spends their days inside peoples homes observing how homo sapiens perform such everyday tasks as cleaning their bathrooms, killing ants and cockroaches, taking showers, or barbecuing hot dogs. Recently, Hy and Sharon went international with their powers of observation, embarking on a cross-cultural study of laundry practices that took them into homes in Istanbul, Barcelona and London. The key to their work is asking good questions and paying attention to responses as they spot people s frustrations when performing daily activities. Their aim is to come up with new or improved products that make life easier.