“In my presentation, I will explain how underlying social and cultural values act as drivers for perspectives on work and play, specifically in five different countries: United States, Germany, France, China and Japan,” says Chastain. “I will address the differences in generational values with regard to work and play in the mainstream of these countries, while citing new trends being driven by influentials.”

Chastain specializes in Cultural Anthropology. She works and plays globally spending a great deal of time in people’s homes learning about their daily lives, values and culture. Her focus is on linking social and cultural values to actionable insight in order to drive new innovation.

“People work and people play. In what proportion, whether they link the two, and under what circumstances they might link the two, depends in large part on their social and cultural values,” submits Chastain. “Global trends in work and play are linked not only to these social and cultural values but to changes in values over time.”

The About, With and For Conference (www.aboutwithfor.com) is a collaborative forum offered by the Institute of Design that addresses issues within design research. It will be held at Chicago’s Navy Pier from October 28-29 with this year’s theme focusing on how products and services, arrived at through user-centered design research, make people's lives more playful as they spend more time working.