Improving healthcare support for rural communities in India
Lead Research Organisation:
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Department Name: Cardiff School of Art and Design
Abstract
The main aim for the project will be to explore how a multidisciplinary partnership, bringing together user-led design skills with technical and medical expertise, can help improve healthcare support for rural communities in India. Currently, the number of health workers in rural India is below the minimum level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO proposed several strategies to improve the resources for health in areas such as rural India including how to harness information and communication technology (ICT) more effectively, and how to build "greater resilience and self-reliance in communities". This project will explore how user-led design research methods such as 'design thinking' can be used to harness ICT more effectively to create new solutions that are culturally and contextually appropriate, affordable and effective.
Design thinking uses methods such as rapid ethnography to understand people's everyday lives including their behaviours, motivations, beliefs and values. Design thinking also uses fast prototyping of ideas and gaining feedback from end users and stakeholders. The aim of 'design thinking' is to generate several possible solutions that meet the needs of users, but are also technically feasible and economically viable.
The project is a collaboration between the Cardiff School of Art and Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University; the Schools of Engineering and Medicine at Amrita University, India; and the Centre for eHealth at the University of Agder, Norway. The project will also harness knowledge from key participants and stakeholders in India including healthcare workers, non-governmental organisations, governmental policy makers and technology companies.
The objectives for the project are to:
1. Understand and document the current situation and challenges faced in rural villages in India with regards to healthcare, including the cultural context.
2. Establish a multidisciplinary research network of international experts in the fields of user-led design, medicine, computer science and technology to share knowledge and exchange ideas in relation to healthcare support for the developing world.
3. Train researchers and health workers in India on how to employ user-led design research methods such as 'design thinking' to generate new ideas and possible solutions.
4. Run an interactive 'design thinking' workshop with key stakeholders and international experts to discover key challenges and opportunities; generate ideas for possible new solutions; and evaluate their potential benefits as well as their feasibility and viability.
5. Create a plan for developing possible solutions further, through future collaborative projects.
6. Disseminate findings from the project to the academic community, policy makers, the healthcare community in India, and technology companies.
The longer-term aim is to develop and deploy ideas generated from the research in several rural communities in India to improve their healthcare support. The plan is to use the insights gained from the project to apply for a large collaborative project grant.
The project will strengthen the capacity for research and innovation at Amrita University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Agder. In addition, the project will train volunteer health workers, and non-governmental agency workers, who are working with rural communities in India, in how to gain insights and generate new ideas to improve healthcare provision. Insights gained from the project will be shared and discussed with the National Rural Health Mission in India and the state government in Kerala, in relation to possible policy implications, and opportunities for further development. The project will also show how multidisciplinary networks, combining international and local expertise from a range of complementary fields, can be used to tackle very complex problems such as healthcare provision for rural communities in India.
Design thinking uses methods such as rapid ethnography to understand people's everyday lives including their behaviours, motivations, beliefs and values. Design thinking also uses fast prototyping of ideas and gaining feedback from end users and stakeholders. The aim of 'design thinking' is to generate several possible solutions that meet the needs of users, but are also technically feasible and economically viable.
The project is a collaboration between the Cardiff School of Art and Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University; the Schools of Engineering and Medicine at Amrita University, India; and the Centre for eHealth at the University of Agder, Norway. The project will also harness knowledge from key participants and stakeholders in India including healthcare workers, non-governmental organisations, governmental policy makers and technology companies.
The objectives for the project are to:
1. Understand and document the current situation and challenges faced in rural villages in India with regards to healthcare, including the cultural context.
2. Establish a multidisciplinary research network of international experts in the fields of user-led design, medicine, computer science and technology to share knowledge and exchange ideas in relation to healthcare support for the developing world.
3. Train researchers and health workers in India on how to employ user-led design research methods such as 'design thinking' to generate new ideas and possible solutions.
4. Run an interactive 'design thinking' workshop with key stakeholders and international experts to discover key challenges and opportunities; generate ideas for possible new solutions; and evaluate their potential benefits as well as their feasibility and viability.
5. Create a plan for developing possible solutions further, through future collaborative projects.
6. Disseminate findings from the project to the academic community, policy makers, the healthcare community in India, and technology companies.
The longer-term aim is to develop and deploy ideas generated from the research in several rural communities in India to improve their healthcare support. The plan is to use the insights gained from the project to apply for a large collaborative project grant.
The project will strengthen the capacity for research and innovation at Amrita University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Agder. In addition, the project will train volunteer health workers, and non-governmental agency workers, who are working with rural communities in India, in how to gain insights and generate new ideas to improve healthcare provision. Insights gained from the project will be shared and discussed with the National Rural Health Mission in India and the state government in Kerala, in relation to possible policy implications, and opportunities for further development. The project will also show how multidisciplinary networks, combining international and local expertise from a range of complementary fields, can be used to tackle very complex problems such as healthcare provision for rural communities in India.
Planned Impact
There will be several direct beneficiaries from the proposed multidisciplinary research project. These include healthcare workers, university researchers, non-governmental organisations working with rural communities in India, the rural communities themselves, policy makers and technology companies developing healthcare solutions for rural India. The project will also generate a range of new ideas for possible solutions to current healthcare problems identified during the research. The longer-term aim is to develop and deploy ideas generated from the research in several rural communities in India to improve their healthcare support. The plan is to use the insights gained from the project to apply for a large collaborative project grant.
The research project will enable the sharing of knowledge and the exchange of ideas between different disciplines and strengthen the international research networks for all project collaborators. The project will strengthen the capacity for research and innovation at Amrita University by sharing knowledge on how user-led design research methods, such as 'design thinking', can be used to understand the needs of people in rural communities in India as well as the needs of key stakeholders in the healthcare provision, and then how to translate those insights into viable and feasible solutions. Other international experts will also share their knowledge on how to design and develop remote healthcare systems, and how other developing countries are tackling healthcare challenges. In addition, the research project will train volunteer health workers, and non-governmental agency workers, who are working with rural communities, in how to gain insights and generate new ideas to improve healthcare provision.
The project will show how multidisciplinary networks, combining international and local expertise from a range of complementary fields, can be used to tackle very complex problems such as healthcare provision in the rural communities of India, particularly when they are structured around an effective innovation process such as 'design thinking'. The research project will also strengthen the capacity for research and innovation at Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Agder in Norway as they will gain important insights into the challenges faced by rural communities and health workers in India; gain a deeper understanding of how to further improve design thinking methodologies; and discover new challenges that need further research and development.
All material generated from the project will be made publicly available online. This includes insights gained from the research including the current challenges faced by rural communities in India, policy implications, ideas for new healthcare solutions and training resources from the innovation workshops. Material will also be translated into Malayalam and Tamil so that local groups can use the information more easily. Insights gained from the project will be shared and discussed with the National Rural Health Mission in India and the state government in Kerala, in relation to possible policy implications, and opportunities for further development.
Other indirect beneficiaries from the research are organisations in the UK, India and Norway (and beyond) working in international development, including researchers, policy makers, non-governmental organisations, healthcare providers and technology companies. All collaborative partners will use their extensive networks to share the findings from the research project at various networking events and discuss the wider implications for other research projects and collaborations. Work from the project will also be published in internationally peer-reviewed articles.
The research project will enable the sharing of knowledge and the exchange of ideas between different disciplines and strengthen the international research networks for all project collaborators. The project will strengthen the capacity for research and innovation at Amrita University by sharing knowledge on how user-led design research methods, such as 'design thinking', can be used to understand the needs of people in rural communities in India as well as the needs of key stakeholders in the healthcare provision, and then how to translate those insights into viable and feasible solutions. Other international experts will also share their knowledge on how to design and develop remote healthcare systems, and how other developing countries are tackling healthcare challenges. In addition, the research project will train volunteer health workers, and non-governmental agency workers, who are working with rural communities, in how to gain insights and generate new ideas to improve healthcare provision.
The project will show how multidisciplinary networks, combining international and local expertise from a range of complementary fields, can be used to tackle very complex problems such as healthcare provision in the rural communities of India, particularly when they are structured around an effective innovation process such as 'design thinking'. The research project will also strengthen the capacity for research and innovation at Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Agder in Norway as they will gain important insights into the challenges faced by rural communities and health workers in India; gain a deeper understanding of how to further improve design thinking methodologies; and discover new challenges that need further research and development.
All material generated from the project will be made publicly available online. This includes insights gained from the research including the current challenges faced by rural communities in India, policy implications, ideas for new healthcare solutions and training resources from the innovation workshops. Material will also be translated into Malayalam and Tamil so that local groups can use the information more easily. Insights gained from the project will be shared and discussed with the National Rural Health Mission in India and the state government in Kerala, in relation to possible policy implications, and opportunities for further development.
Other indirect beneficiaries from the research are organisations in the UK, India and Norway (and beyond) working in international development, including researchers, policy makers, non-governmental organisations, healthcare providers and technology companies. All collaborative partners will use their extensive networks to share the findings from the research project at various networking events and discuss the wider implications for other research projects and collaborations. Work from the project will also be published in internationally peer-reviewed articles.
Publications
Loudon G
(2018)
Design Research for Change
Martinez S
(2018)
eHealth activists: the lifeline for remote rural villages in India
| Description | The project has had four main achievements: 1. New knowledge generated: The project has enabled a deeper understanding, by all project participants, of the cultural and linguistic diversity of rural communities in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, particularly indigenous communities, and the impact that has on their healthcare and livelihood needs. In addition, the project has helped provide a deeper appreciation of the value system of indigenous communities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As a result, the project has identified key new projects to develop in the short term to help improve the healthcare of the indigenous communities of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 2. Increased research capability: The project has increased the research capability and skills of key practitioners and researchers working with indigenous communities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in terms of gaining an understanding of the importance of using 'design thinking' methods; the importance of forming multidisciplinary teams; and in how to practically apply these design thinking methods to improve the healthcare support for the indigenous communities. Key practitioners and researchers trained in the project include staff and students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, covering areas such as engineering, social science and agriculture; doctors, healthcare workers and other staff from Amrita SeRVe (a non-governmental organization in India set up to help rural communities develop the skills they need to be prosperous and self-reliant); and doctors and medical students from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS). It is important to note that members from the indigenous communities themselves were also trained in how to use these design thinking methods. 3. Improved research methods: By applying the design thinking research methods throughout the project, key insights were gained on important factors to consider when working with indigenous communities in India. These insights have been documented and presented at the AHRC Indigenous Methods workshop in Brazil in March 2019. 4. New networks established: Several new networks were formed as a result of the project. The main new network including Cardiff Metropolitan University (with its skills in user-led design methods); the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering and the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; the non-governmental organization Amrita SeRVe; the Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital in Kerala; and the Centre for eHealth at Agder University in Norway. Other networks were also formed with commercial organisations in India, such as Tata Consulting Services (https://www.tcs.com/) and Lattice (https://www.thelattice.in/) who are interested in helping to develop the clinical solutions needed. In addition, key connections were made with policy makers in government at the state level in Kerala and at the national level in Delhi to explore how best to move forward with the project. New networks were also established through participation at the Indigenous Methods workshop in Brazil in March 2019 5. A deeper understanding of the needs of Indigenous communities in rural India and in other places around the world through the research project undertaken in India but also through participation at the Indigenous Methods workshop in Brazil in March 2019 that helped to build a deeper understanding of the challenges and the need of supporting research with indigenuous communities around the world. |
| Exploitation Route | The multidisciplinary team plans to work towards the following objectives moving forward: 1. Develop solutions for how to take the speciality healthcare to rural communities. 2. Develop tools for empowering healthcare workers, based in the rural villages, to screen villagers for healthcare problems. 3. Creation of a technology platform to allow the sharing of best practice, in terms of supporting healthcare and well-being, between rural communities. 4. Furthering sharing of knowledge on the challenges and need of supporting research with indigenuous communities around the world. For objectives 1 and 2, it is planned to engage with the leading industries in India working on the development of healthcare solutions. This work initially started during the project workshops and has since continued with further detailed discussion and planning. The new solutions developed will be based on a new eHealth framework. The new eHealth framework has been designed based on the needs of the healthcare infrastructure of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, the needs of primary care and specialist doctors at Amrita, and critically, on the needs of rural communities in Kerala. The team shared their insights and knowledge of working with indigenous communities at a four day international seminar event about Indigenous Engagement, Research Partnerships, and Knowledge Mobilisation from Tuesday 19th-Friday 22nd March 2019, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The four-day seminar provided a better understanding of current research practice (including challenges and uncertainties) in this area and in turn identified areas where good practice is established or additional work is required. The broader aim is to ultimately help to shape and guide research practice within the broader cross disciplinary research community and funding ecosystem. A further workshop in this theme is planned in London on the 11th May 2020. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Environment,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://www.indiaruralhealthcareproject.org/ |
| Description | The findings developed from the research networking project are being used in several ways. Firstly, a new multidisciplinary team has been established, including Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences; Amrita SeRVe; Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital and key technology companies, to develop new eHealth solutions for, and in collaboration with, indigenous communities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The social, health and economic impact of these new eHealth solutions will be shared at a later date. However an immediate impact has been the inclusion of indigenous communities themselves in helping to set the agenda and plans for their healthcare needs. In 2022 broader insights from the research were shared as part of the publication 'Indigenous Research Methods' and also through a talk to the Tribal Design Forum. As a consequence, a new research project is currently being developed with indigenous communities in Kenya with a plan to submit a new AHRC funding bid in 2023. Another immediate impact has been a new initiative started by one of the indigenous communities involved in the research project (from the Wayanad district of Kerala), where they have leased land near to their village (with the help of the healthcare worker supporting the village) to start farming. This initiative came from ideas and best practice shared in the workshops. The reasons for starting the farming activity was threefold: 1) to create income for the villagers; 2) to give them a sense of purpose, as many of the male villagers were unemployed; and 3) to indirectly help improve their health and well being. Studies in another village had found that alcoholism and malnutrition reduced significantly when they introduced such activities (with malnutrition and alcoholism being two of the major health problems in the tribal communities in Wayanad). The findings of the research were shared at the Indigenous Methods workshop in Rio de Janeiro in March 2019 along with other research projects across the world. This helped start a discussion on how research should be undertaken with indigenous communities around the world. Consequently, I have participated in three more online international events on developing Indigenous Research Methods, culminating in me writing a book chapter/article for a new book called Indigenous Research Methods, which is a reflective piece on the Indigenous Methods workshop and events, proposing new modes for future engagement at a policy, planning and implementation levels. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Design Thnking Training Course for Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Key staff working to improve the healthcare of rural communities in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India, gained training on how to apply user-led design research methods, such as design thinking to better understand: the current healthcare challenges in rural communities (particularly indigenous communities); the impact of culture, infrastructure and other factors on their healthcare; and to generate new solutions that are desirable, feasible and viable. The training also helped participants realise the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration to effective address all the challenges. |
| Description | RCUK Indigenous Methods Case Study award |
| Amount | £4,958 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/R003882/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2018 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Title | Design Thinking Research Tools |
| Description | The main research method used for the project, 'design thinking', is not new to the design community, but was new to Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and other key groups in India involved in the project. Therefore this project established a new way for conducting collaborative research at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Design thinking is a user-led design research methodology that uses methods that stem from anthropology, such as rapid ethnography, to understand people's everyday lives including their behaviours, motivations, desires, beliefs and values. Rapid ethnography is also used to describe what meanings people place on objects, products, services, cultures, events and histories; and to describe how objects, products and services are used. In addition to understanding people's everyday lives, design thinking is also about the fast prototyping of ideas and gaining feedback from end users and stakeholders. Design thinking demands multi-disciplinary collaboration to gain a range of perspectives and insights. The aim of the 'design thinking' process is to generate a number of possible solutions that meet the needs of users, but are also technically feasible and economically viable. It is important to note that the application of the design thinking research methodology throughout the project highlighted new insights in terms of key factors to consider when working with indigenuous communities in India. These insights have been documented and will be presented at the Indigeous Methods workshop, organised by the AHRC, in Brazil in March 2019. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The main impacts from the use of design thinking in this project are: 1. The gaining of an understanding on the current situation and challenges faced in rural villages in India with regards to healthcare, including the cultural context. 2. The formation of a multidisciplinary research network of international experts in the fields of user-led design, medicine, computer science and technology to share knowledge and exchange ideas in relation to healthcare support for the developing world. 3. The training of researchers and health workers in India on how to employ user-led design research methods such as 'design thinking' to generate new ideas and possible solutions. 4. The generation of ideas for possible new solutions; and an evaluation of their potential benefits as well as their feasibility and viability. |
| URL | https://www.ideo.org/ |
| Description | Healthcare support for rural communities in India |
| Organisation | Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our contribution was to help Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham understand how user-led design research methodologies, such as design thinking, can be used to help design culturally and contextually appropriate healthcare solutions for rural communities in India. Design thinking is a user-led design research methodology that tries to gain a deeper understanding of the role of culture and context in the design and use of products and services. Design thinking uses methods that stem from anthropology, such as rapid ethnography, to understand people's everyday lives including their behaviours, motivations, desires, beliefs and values. Rapid ethnography is also used to describe what meanings people place on objects, products, services, cultures, events and histories; and to describe how objects, products and services are used. In addition to understanding people's everyday lives, design thinking is also about the fast prototyping of ideas and gaining feedback from end users and stakeholders so that the resultant solutions are appropriate, usable and effective. Design thinking demands multidisciplinary collaboration to gain a range of perspectives and insights. The aim of 'design thinking' is to generate a number of possible solutions that meet the needs of users, but are also technically feasible and economically viable. We have been undertaking internationally leading user-led design research for over two decades for blue chip companies such as Apple, Ericsson and Samsung to help in the design of new technology products. We also have half a decade of experience in developing healthcare solutions in developing countries using 'design thinking' approaches (including Malawi, Zambia and Namibia) in collaboration with the School of Medicine at Cardiff University. One of our main contributions to the partnership, through the AHRC project on 'improving healthcare support for rural communities in India', was to provide training on how to use design thinking methods to help generate new and appropriate solutions for rural communities in India (with a particular focus on indigenous communities in the Kerala state of India). Training was delivered to members of the indigenous communities themselves, as well as healthcare workers, doctors, academics, students, commercial companies and policy makers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering (DECE) at Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, India has been leading research together with the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi and Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital, Wayanad in how to improve the sustainable health and well-being of rural communities in India. They have also been exploring how information and communication technologies (ICT) could be used to assist the community health volunteers, for example through the use of intelligent mobile based ICT systems, or by connecting to doctors in neighbouring clinics or specialist hospitals in the urban cities. In this project they provided key technical and medical expertise, as well as sharing the knowledge and experience of working with rural communities in India through their collaboration with the non-governmental organization Amrita SeRVe. In addition, they had access to, and strong relationships with, volunteer healthcare workers working in rural communities, as well access to the communities themselves. Amrita organised visits to four rural communities as part of the project, and also helped organise two key workshops ran during the project. They also had links with industry and government officials to explore the business and policy implications of ideas generated from the project. |
| Impact | 1. Understood and documented the current situation and challenges faced in rural villages in India with regards to healthcare, including the cultural context. 2. Established a multidisciplinary research network of international experts in the fields of user-led design, medicine, computer science and technology to share knowledge and exchange ideas in relation to healthcare support for the developing world. 3. Trained researchers and health workers in India on how to employ user-led design research methods such as 'design thinking' to generate new ideas and possible solutions. 4. Ran an interactive 'design thinking' workshop with key stakeholders and international experts to discover key challenges and opportunities; generate ideas for possible new solutions; and evaluate their potential benefits as well as their feasibility and viability. 5. Created a plan for developing possible solutions further, through future collaborative projects. 6. Disseminated findings from the project to the academic community, policy makers and the healthcare community in India, as well as other key groups such as technology companies. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | eHealth and user-centred design |
| Organisation | University of Agder |
| Country | Norway |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have been working with the Centre for eHealth at the University of Agder for several years in relation to applying user-centred design methods to the design and development of new eHealth solutions. This has included tools for the rapid prototyping of new solutions as well as ways in which new concepts and prototypes can be tested and evaluated duing the design and development process. In the context of the AHRC project on 'improving healthcare support for rural communities in India', we linked up the team at the Centre for eHealth with the team at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and led the collaborative project, sharing insights on the healthcare needs, challenges and opportunities of rural communities in India. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Centre for eHealth and Care Technology at the University of Agder in Norway are internationally leading experts in remote healthcare solutions covering aspects of user-centred design and technology research and have successfully deployed mobile health solutions across Norway in collaboration with local health authorities. In the boarder collaboration with us, they have shared their knowledge, techniques and user-centred design methodologies for designing and developing new eHealth solutions. They have also shared their experience of the practical implementation of such systems in Norway. During the AHRC project on 'improving healthcare support for rural communities in India' they shared their knowledge with Amrita (and us) and also participated in all the main workshops during the project, sharing their knowledge and expertise in eHealth and user-centred design with all the other participants. This helped to shape what eHealth solutions would be feasible and viable during our discussions. |
| Impact | 1. Established a multidisciplinary research network of international experts in the fields of user-led design, medicine, computer science and technology to share knowledge and exchange ideas in relation to healthcare support for the developing world. 2. Trained researchers and health workers in India on how to employ user-led design research methods such as 'design thinking' to generate new ideas and possible solutions. 3. Ran an interactive 'design thinking' workshop with key stakeholders and international experts to discover key challenges and opportunities; generate ideas for possible new solutions; and evaluate their potential benefits as well as their feasibility and viability. 4. Created a plan for developing possible solutions further, through future collaborative projects. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Challenges in Indigenous Research Webinar and Publication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The online launch of the Indigenous Research Methods book publication as a result of the 3-year Indigenous Research Methods programme. An online presentation of the book, followed by a discussion with the authors (I was one of the authors) and Paul Heritage (the book's editor). Each author had 5 min to talk about their think article followed by questions and a conversation around the challenges for indigenous research in the next 10 years. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://peoplespalaceprojects.org.uk/en/publications/indigenous-research-methods-publication/ |
| Description | Creative Thinking and User Centred Design workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The two-day interactive 'design thinking' workshop involved 30 participants and was held at the campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, India in May 2018. The focus of the workshop was to train staff and students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and healthcare workers from Amrita SeRVe, in how to use 'design thinking' methods and techniques for idea generation and exploration. The workshop covered methodologies for user insight such as rapid ethnography, including techniques in observation, participation and semi-structured interviews; methodologies for idea generation including participatory design and brainstorming techniques; and methodologies, techniques and tools for fast prototyping and user testing. Participants also practiced these methods and techniques during the workshop by applying them to a healthcare challenge. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.indiaruralhealthcareproject.org/workshops/ |
| Description | Design Research for Change Showcase at London Design Fair |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our project work on 'Improving healthcare support for rural communities in India' was part of the 'Design Research for Change' showcase at the London Design Fair in September 2018. The showcase presented a range of projects funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council over the last few years that applied design-led approaches to challenges faced in society. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.designresearchforchange.co.uk/showcase/ |
| Description | International Seminar on Indigenous Engagement, Research Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilisation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | In 2018, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) invited current and previous GCRF award holders to bid for funding to produce reflective pieces in conjunction with the indigenous researchers and communities with which they were working. 12 collaborative projects were selected, and the PIs and Indigenous partners from 10 different countries (Brazil, Colombia, India, Mongolia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Dominica) were brought together at the Indigenous Engagement, Research Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilisation in Rio de Janeiro in March 2019. The seminar looked to explore research partnerships between indigenous and non-indigenous partners, with a particular focus on culturally sensitive knowledge exchange, equitable co-creation and mobilisation for meaningful impact. The 3-day event was hosted by People's Palace Projects, Queen Mary University of London (PPP, QMUL) and the Indigenous Association of the Kuikuro people in Xingu (AIKAX), on behalf of AHRC and ESRC. There were a wide range of partnerships, approaches and disciplines represented, as well as interdisciplinary discussions, workshops and presentations; the seminar offered a rare opportunity for an open discussion around the opportunities and challenges facing indigenous and non-indigenous researchers working in this field and the institutions that support them. The projects and partnerships differed across geographies and disciplines, but there was a consensus that the various research projects sought to legitimise indigenous knowledge and to challenge issues of social injustice. Despite these intentions, all participants had faced a variety of challenges in the co-design and co-production of research projects between non-indigenous and indigenous communities. The group asked themselves what are the rules of the game? How is partnership defined, given the global structural and systematic inequalities around finance, access and the circulation of knowledge? It was agreed vehemently that there is a need to find effective mechanisms of engaging research partners from the global north in a discussion about the meaning of collaboration and partnership in this context. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://peoplespalaceprojects.org.uk/en/projects/indigenous-research-methods/ |
| Description | International Workshop on Rural Healthcare in India |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The two-day interactive 'idea generation' workshop involved 30 participants and took place at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore, India. The aim of the two-day workshop was to highlight key challenges and opportunities with regards to healthcare support in rural India; to generate ideas for possible new solutions; and to evaluate their potential benefits as well as their feasibility and viability. Participants at the two-day workshop included doctors; researchers at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; representatives from leading technology companies in India who are developing healthcare solutions; staff from Amrita SeRVe; government advisors; and representatives from Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Agder. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.indiaruralhealthcareproject.org/workshops/ |
| Description | Reflections on The Role of Human-Centred Design in Indigenous Research to the Tribal Design Forum based in India |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The talk was to the Tribal Design Forum - the only community of multidisciplinary designers and creative professionals from the various tribes in India set up in 2021. The community has been created to build a network of tribal designers who seek to explore ways of contributing back to their respective communities through design. I was asked to share details of my work in India with indigenous communities and to share my thoughts and reflections in terms of best practice to help inspire their community of designers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.tribaldesignforum.com/event/human-centred-design-in-indigenous-research/ |
| Description | Webinar on Indigenous Research Methodologies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The webinar was an opportunity to address the increasing number of UK-based scholars working transnationally and internationally among Indigenous peoples, to inform the international development research community, across disciplines, on challenges when engaging with indigenous communities whilst ensuring co-production of knowledge and effective knowledge mobilisation, and to help identify areas where good practice is established or additional work is required. The 2-hour online event brought together 57 participants and was an opportunity to learn how indigenous partners are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to draw the agenda for the next events in 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://peoplespalaceprojects.org.uk/en/projects/indigenous-research-methods/ |