How we work
We are using a methodology called Human-Centered Design that allows and encourages an empathetic perspective of the world, where people act as both the central source of direction and the key benchmark for the viability of a solution.
By taking a HCD approach, we seek to understand the problem by requiring actual contact with the people involved in the challenge, to understand their behaviors, motivations and hurdles. Ultimately, to be human- centered is to consider complex systems from the perspective of the people who will use or be affected by them.
By investigating the experiences, motivations, and painpoints of the individuals that make up the immunization data ecosystem, we are gaining grounded, specific insights and understanding the root causes behind their challenges. We are doing it through the following HCD techniques:
In-depth contextual interviews
Conducting individual in-depth interviews with healthcare workers and decision makers at their place of work at the facility, sub-national and national levels, allows us to understand participants’ needs, emotions, expectations, and environment, but also to reveal formal and informal networks and hidden motivators of specific actors. We not only ask questions, we engage participants with bespoke activities to solicit responses through not just storytelling, but story visualisation.
Observation
Shadowing and observation of immunization clinics and participants in their work environment allows us the unique opportunity to cross-check a participant’s words versus actions within a system. Observation gives us the lens we need to validate the findings from interviews.
Iterative and collaborative data analysis
Data that is collected during the study is rigorously analyzed through an interactive and iterative process called ‘insight generation’. This is a HCD approach to data analysis, bringing together researchers and stakeholders to gain deeper meaning to the data that has been collected. From this analysis, themes and patterns emerge to shed light on the problem we are trying to solve.