Reports: Latest

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Empathetic technology: an interview with Ben Bashford

Ben Bashford is a designer whose work focuses on bringing empathy into our relationships with technology. He spoke to Canvas8 about how subtle design cues can be used to create systems which behave less like machines, and more like friends.

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Culture luxe: breaking into emerging luxury markets

With the rapid expansion of luxury brands into Asia, BRIC and other emerging markets, there is a pressing need for luxury retailers to communicate more meaningfully with diverse audiences and to understand differing cultures and attitudes.

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Aspiring connoisseurs: the evolution of the Chinese luxury consumer

Chinese consumers are buying up luxury goods both domestically and abroad at an unprecedented rate, and there seems to be no limit to the growth in their luxury purchases. But the question remains – why do they buy?

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Luxury mobile phones: all in the best possible taste?

In only 33 short years the mobile phone has gone from yuppie lightsaber to everyday technology. But is there space for luxury in such a broad and rapidly evolving category? And, if so, what form will it take?

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Social media, technology and sport

Sport is seeing an increased desire from fans not just to watch, but also to participate and interact. This has been facilitated by digital technology, which gives fans access to their favourite teams in ways that were previously impossible.

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The implications of open data: an interview with Rufus Pollock

Dr Rufus Pollock is the founder of the non-profit Open Knowledge Foundation. He spoke to Canvas8 about the implications of making knowledge open for consumers and businesses, and the value of open data in developing a coherent CSR strategy.

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Getting away from it all: the changing face of festival branding

A new generation of consumers is looking to escape the ubiquitous 'sponsored experience' that characterises many festivals. At the same time, brands are becoming more attuned to the needs and attitudes of festival-goers.

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Self & System

After hovering in academic and design circles for decades, systems thinking is going mainstream. Recent technological developments are now giving us a tangible, global picture of how we as individuals fit into a broader ecosystem.

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The city as an identity anchor

The city has achieved a status in contemporary culture as a focal point for counteracting the Global Mindset that has emerged. This report explores the role of the city as an increasingly important aspect of our identity.

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Technology and trust in China: an interview with Tricia Wang

Tricia Wang has spent over ten years observing the impact of technology on human interaction and behaviour. She speaks to Canvas8 about how Chinese internet users disseminate information online, and issues around trust and sharing.

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Evolving home lives: an interview with Stefana Broadbent

Stefana Broadbent is an anthropologist who researches the impact of digital culture and new technologies on our behaviour. In the following interview she discusses the consequences of the evolution of home, work and family life.

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The darkweb and proactive privacy seekers

The seeming indifference of giants like Google and Facebook to user privacy concerns could be driving net users to an increasingly viable alternative; the dark net. Kate Mew documents the emergence of an Identity Game.

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From metrosexuality to inclusive masculinity

Dr Mark McCormack undertook ethnographies of three groups of male sixth form students in the south of England, developing a picture of the role that masculinity and sexuality play in their day-to-day existence.

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Democratising innovation: an interview with Fabian Hemmert

After his talk at the Lift conference on democratising innovation, we spoke to Fabian Hemmert of the Design Research Lab in Berlin about his mobile design research work with underprivileged kids, women and seniors.

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Online retail in Latin America: Mexico

In the second part of his report on e-commerce in Latin America, Ulysses De La Torre discusses the key differences between the Brazilian and Mexican markets, and examines the opportunities that are available to online retailers in Mexico.

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Online retail in Latin America: Brazil

In the first part of a two-part report, Ulysses De La Torre looks at the dominant trends in Latin America's fast-growing e-commerce market, and presents an overview of Brazilian online retail.

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Currency futures: an interview with David Birch

David Birch is one of the foremost experts on digital money issues. We spoke with him after his talk at Lift12 on the long future of finance in an interview which touches on Bitcoin, Facebook Credits and banking with your supermarket.

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New and booming: spending power in Canada

Canada's large immigrant population and economically powerful older generation present clear opportunities for brands. But the full potential represented by the changing face of the typical Canadian consumer has yet to be fully realised.

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Forever Now

How has nostalgia been affected by the digitisation of culture? People are using the internet to focus on curating their own histories, viewing every moment as ripe for potential documentation and attempting to create an online legacy.

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Self-gifting beauty shoppers

Recession-hit shoppers have learned to do more with less over the past few years. Now, they are seeking small indulgences – a pat on the back for a savings job well done, using special offers from retailers such as gift cards or coupons.