What was the research process we engaged in?
To address the complexity and depth of our research questions, we were on the ground in our pilot site area over the span of several months gathering thick ethnographic qualitative data. The process began with support from Design Singapore’s Good Design Research Grant and concluded with the development of a narrative-based engagement strategy.
What we found was that some of these narrative patterns clearly led to people being more open to taking care of their own health – and even the health of others around them. While other narrative patterns seemed to cause people to be less open – even closed off – to the idea that they could make new choices around their health.
This insight that there were narrative patterns in the way of people taking action (or non-action) on an issue of consequence to them is often unexplored. There is also the possibility that these narrative patterns could apply beyond Jurong and beyond the issue of health itself.
Because of this, we believed this was sufficient to pause the research at this point to iterate the insight into a simple model that anyone could integrate at the very beginning and all throughout their community engagement/development process.
Anyone who is working with a community to solve issues together will always face the challenge of diverse – even constantly changing – behaviours.
We wanted to develop an engagement strategy that any individual could use to develop a better understanding of the diverse, changing stories that lie beneath.
When we begin to acknowledge the diversity of stories present in a community, we can begin to relate and better support our diverse stakeholders to take action on what matters.
Our Journey
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