Practicing Thoughtful Human-Centered Design Across Africa

Words by Tosh Juma & Ichung'wa Gichuki | Visuals by Nakhanu Wafula

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Since the launch of IDEO.org 's Nairobi studio in 2017, we’ve been exploring the edges of what community-led, human-centered design can achieve in East Africa and across the continent. Every project has enriched our Human Centered-Design (HCD)? approach, offering new perspectives on thoughtfully and effectively engaging with different communities.

Intentional and thoughtful community engagement is crucial for creating lasting social impact solutions, especially in Africa, where profound diversity defines the continent. Home to 1.4 billion people, each region is rich with a myriad of languages, cultural practices, and social norms. This variability extends to infrastructural challenges, resource access, and economic conditions. The landscape is complex, necessitating customized community engagement practices that honor these realities and consider the nuances of the sectors we’re engaging in, be it sexual and reproductive health, financial empowerment, or agriculture. It's a continuous process that demands sensitivity, respect, and genuine collaboration.

After refining our methods for seven years, we're building a playbook designed to equip changemakers with strategies to foster meaningful connections when working with communities throughout Africa. In turn, we hope it helps you develop more impactful solutions. We look forward to sharing the playbook with you soon, and in the meantime, here is a preview of some of our key learnings.?

Interested in a digital copy of our playbook? Drop us a note here.?

Community Entry: Understanding Cultural Practices and Nuances

Entering a community begins with humility and recognition that communities are the experts of their own realities. It requires shedding assumptions and expectations every time. What does thoughtful community entry look like?

1. Understand Values Before Arriving: Values, beliefs, and customs vary widely, even amongst neighboring communities. Developing a thorough understanding of a community’s values before entering its space will help foster a sense of inclusivity and trust in early interactions.
2. Identify leadership models and decision-making processes: Understanding a community's decision-making process and identifying influential figures are crucial for effective engagement. Knowing key customs, such as the acceptability of starting direct conversations in a family home versus the necessity of obtaining letters of introduction from a regional chief, is essential before arrival. Establishing trust with leaders at the beginning of an engagement is critical for collaboration and alignment.?
3. Know Your Stakeholders: From community influencers and authority figures to young enthusiasts and potential skeptics, identifying the motivations and reservations of each stakeholder is critical to building a healthy dynamic. In our playbook, we outline the most common archetypes we encounter and how best to engage for favorable outcomes.

Thoughtful Engagement: The Heart of Design

Given the economic disparities, access to resources, and unique infrastructure challenges in Africa, prioritizing sustainability in the design process is paramount. Through thoughtful and inclusive co-creation, we can design resilient solutions, bolster local capacities, and empower communities to manage and adapt strategies over time. What does this look like?

1. Prioritize Local Dialects: Use accessible language and adapt to local dialects to promote meaningful dialogue among all community members. This helps to create inclusive and active participation from all corners of a community. Language accessibility also applies to visual communication: use relatable graphics and pictures that align with their values and beliefs.?
2. Adapt to Local Realities: Develop modular or customizable strategies that consider the availability of natural and technical resources and the environmental landscape. This will help build resilient and relevant strategies that leverage local assets and take into account infrastructural challenges.?
3. Emphasize Co-Creation: Local knowledge and expertise are invaluable when designing in unique conditions. Engage community members as equal partners in the design process to foster ownership over a solution, achieve stronger buy-in, and to craft sustainable solutions.?