Design thinking for marginalised groups

It has long been said that design is critical to satisfy unmet needs of people at the ‘base of the world income pyramid’ or ‘BOP’[1]. In other words, in order to change things for the betterment of society, design practice must have a human dimension. Co-creation is frequently referred to as necessary to enhance adoption and continued use of solutions by people from marginalised communities.[2] One of the channels to consult stakeholders and facilitate co-creation is Design Thinking.  

Design Thinking is a set of strategic and practical procedures employed by designers to drive innovation and services within businesses and social contexts. It is employed in equal measure by Fortune 500 companies across the world and grassroots non-governmental organisations. 

ReAct spoke with Anjali Kelkar, Founder and Director of Studio for Design Research (based in Hong Kong) about some of her insights around design thinking and user research where it touches upon issues faced by migrant worker communities. “User research is usually the start of any Design Thinking activity. It is a way to reframe knowledge. Typically, we know and understand 80-85% of the issues facing workers (our target user) and research validates this, but there’s a 15% piece that we don’t have visibility over prior to consultations with them in their context. And the magic lies in uncovering that 15% and reframing all our findings to find new ways of addressing the challenge”, she says. 

Increasingly, organisations are developing tools to provide migrant workers greater access to remedies via new technologies such as blockchain and applications ready for download from the Apple or Play store. Anjali however cautions that amid these new technologies, the rightsholders should always have some consultation and be part of the co-creation of any functionality, so they are not lost in the conversation.

“It is critical to conduct multiple stakeholder ethnographic research to understand the multiple touchpoints where products and services will be used and who the form and function are really for”, she adds. 

ReAct is looking forward to exploring these new modes of reframing problems from engaging with workers on the co-design and co-creation of platforms that give them a voice. 

[1] Papanek, V., and R. B. Fuller. 1972. Design for the Real World. London: Thames and Hudson. 

[2] Santosh Jagtap (2022) Co-design with marginalised people: designers’ perceptions of barriers and enablers, CoDesign, 18:3, 279-302, DOI: 10.1080/15710882.2021.1883065