Photos from the Field: Afghanistan

frog's Executive Creative Director for Global Insights Jan Chipchase is currently in Afghanistan doing a research study with generous support from the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion. He is working with a nimble local team to explore topics around mobile banking, known in the industry as mobile money — a presentation he recently gave to the US State Department on the subject can be found here. This is the third in a series of dispatches from his field studies.

A 5:30am start to the day to a drive down to Jalalabad for a number of interviews in the city and surrounds. There are a few spots on the mountainous route that trigger nervous smiles — where the scars of convoy attacks by the Taliban are visible on the road — but mostly it's a fantastic ride into Afghanistan’s outdoors, with the occasional wait behind the beautifully ornate Pakistani trucks.

With the election in Afghanistan only a month away – candidate posters now cover much of the street signage and infrastructure. This round-about was reborn as a poster site on the outskirts of Jalalabad.

The research crew takes to motorcycles as the only way to beat the Kabul traffic. We would otherwise slowed by the concrete barriers, roadblocks, poor state of roads, and a keen local set of first-come/first-serve road rules.

ISAF/American critical stencil art in the Tainani neighbourhood of Kabul. Stencils are widely used for advertising services here. These are the first examples I’ve seen of more political material. They are apparently widespread and done by a non-local graffer.

A twenty year old Sony calculator wrapped by a carpenter-made casing, and still in use by its one owner — a Mazar e Sharif cloth trader.

Stepped out of a series of ad-hoc interviews with hawala agents, to find this gent punting this 1910 hundred rouble banknote to the currency dealers in the local bazaar. There’s something about negotiating a deal in front of all and sundry — will the foreigner pay over the odds? What are the odds? (Pretty sure I paid over the odds, heh).

It’s an apt momento for a study into emerging money practices — the Badakhshani farmer says it was in his family for four generations.

Four way dice.
 

Room with a view.

All images by Jan Chipchase.

Follow more field updates from Jan on Twitter: @janchip

Executive Creative Director of Global Insights Jan Chipchase oversees frog’s global user research practice, working with clients to turn insights into innovative solutions for business challenges. Jan joined frog from Nokia, where as a principal researcher he studied behavioral patterns that informed the development of new products based on emerging consumer trends. You can follow Jan on @janchip.