A presentation at UX Waterloo in in Waterloo, ON, Canada by Eriol Fox
UX research and ethnographic design for humanitarian technology. Peace building Crisis response http://bit.ly/EF-UXWaterloo @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Content warnings. Violence against women, the Manchester arena bombing, radicalisation of youth and terrorism, natural disasters, colonisation, racism, education/ social status prejudice. Some slides will have ‘No photos/copies please’. Please do not take photos/copies of these slides. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Hi, I’m Eriol. (Ehh-roll). They/Them pronouns. 10 years in digital product design and UX. 7 years in humanitarian / third sector. 3 years in (FL)OSS. PhD student researching Humanitarian OSS and Design. I’m a human rights centred designer. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Helping people raise their voice and those who serve them to listen and respond better We were able to map all the health facilities in Kathmandu Valley before the earthquake, which will undoubtedly help the relief workers’ ability to deliver supplies and help save lives. A tool to help other teams reach each other everyday and in a crisis. On any device. No photos/copies please
developing countries, global south, emerging markets, third world, aid reliant, the next billion, new readers, socially excluded, migrant population, global margins, the west,economic peripheries, poor, sub-
Isooko. Peace Building + Tech. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Isooko’s aim “ Isooko explores the potential of digital technologies to support peace through testing and development in Rwanda and Kenya.” You can find more info at isooko.eu @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Dispatcher. Crisis Response + Tech. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Dispatcher’s aim “ Can technology help people create and maintain resilience in times of crisis? What kinds of technology aids rather than overwhelms? ” You can find more info at bit.ly/ush-dispatcher @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Why Rwanda and Kenya? “ Rwanda’s history with Genocide led to a number of social policies and projects that worked on peace. Kenya’s history of tribal/political conflict allow exploration into crisis. ” @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Grant funded activity is… …often restrictive, prescriptive and at it’s worst ‘proposal first’ instead of ‘human first’. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Academia ≠ Practice What works in the ‘lab’ doesn’t always work in the field. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Living Labs Methodology. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Public + Civil Society Orgs What works for public might not work for CSOs. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
‘Public’ User Journeys. Personas. Stakeholder mapping. Rapid prototyping. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
‘Civil Society Orgs’ (CSO’s) Defining peace. Understanding User Journeys and Personas. Tech tool demos. Impact mapping. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Flexibility within boundaries. Be willing to adapt activities for good reasons. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
‘Aid’ Language. Countries used to an ‘aid’ presence are ‘non-profit’ language proficient. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Working with trauma. Practice working with difficult subject matter allows better handling of it when witnessed. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
facebook.com/polycomdevelopmentproject Working with trauma in design activities. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo No photos/copies please
@erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo No photos/copies please
No photos/copies please @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
No photos/copies please
Homework* Think of a deeply upsetting event in your life and try to begin to ‘Journey map’ this event. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
How did we make sure we did this ethically? ~ Researchers went through the same process ~ Researchers examples built a compassionate connection ~ Attendees notified pre-workshop of subject matter ~ Psychological support on site ~ Confidentiality ~ Researchers were supported post workshop @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
No photos please Schooling your reaction @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Surprising subjects can arise. Many subjects come into play when conducting research: History, culture, politics, poverty. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Can I relate to you? ~ Race/Ethnicity ~ Perceived Gender/Sex ~ Social Status ~ Interest/Circumstance ~ Education @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
‘Deep ethnographic’ vs ‘dip-in, dip-out researcher’ @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
No photos please Deep ethnographic. Kathmandu living labs @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Team Rubicon UK and SARAID Community resilience team @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
‘Dip-in, Dip-out’ researcher. Dispatcher by Ushahidi. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
‘Dip-in, Dip-out’ researcher. Isooko public workshop. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Stay safety, stay healthy. Take burner phones, extra devices, do interviews in pairs or threes @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Doing your own field study in an emerging market. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Practice on your next holiday* ~ Community research online ~ Photography ~ Ask taxi drivers about your topic @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo *Optional. This activity may frustrate who you’re on holiday with
Reports and Guides. Leaving no one behind: Lessons from the Kerala disasters https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/69992 Safe sisters - Digital security challenges faced by women human rights defenders. https://safesisters.net/resources/ The Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project https://www.hrbdt.ac.uk/publications/ @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Conferences + Events ~ Rightscon ~ Internet Freedom Festival ~ Mozfest ~ Peace tech labs ~ Tech4Good @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Human rights Centred Design community. https://hrcd.pubpub.org/ An initiative that brings together people at the intersection between human rights and design, tool development, and user education. All efforts aim to foster and extend the community. @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Resources and tools. Electronic Frontier Foundation eff.org AccessNow accessnow.org Advocacy Assembly advocacyassembly.org Code for America - Qualatative research guide AXIS tools - https://usable.tools/guidebook/ Design Justice Network - https://designjustice.org/ @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Books! @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Thanks folks. noti.st/eriolfox linkedin.com/in/eriolfox github.com/Erioldoesdesign medium.com/@EriolDoesDesign @erioldoesdesign @uxWaterloo #uxWaterloo
Eriol has been working in the non-profit, humanitarian technology sector for the past two years immersed in how to build technology products and services that empower and give access to people in the global south or ‘developing countries’ often around difficult topics like Genocide, Democracy, gender-based violence and in difficult circumstances such as informal settlements (slums) and areas where radicalisation is high. This is a summary of how to approach difficult topics when researching these areas or these countries along with some tips for those looking to work or learn more about how to conduct UX research in these places.
for free. You
can too.