Remote research & design primer
September 2021
What is remote �research & design?
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How do we do remote �research & design at Dalberg?
Case studies of remote �research & design methods �at Dalberg
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What is remote �research & design?
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What is remote �research & design?
Remote human-centered design research is in many ways similar to standard HCD. It relies on the same foundational philosophy of human centricity, is highly participatory and oriented towards co-creation, and is deeply interpersonal.
The biggest difference is the medium of interaction. Rather than physically going to participants’ communities, homes, and businesses, we join them remotely, through audio and visual connections.
Digital tools, such as video conferencing and collaborative documents, enable teams and partners to creatively come together, even when remote from each other. However, to use them successfully, we must understand what these tools can do, and when and how to use them.
Fortunately, DD has experience with remote HCD. In the past, we have supplemented in-person research with remote methods when travel was not feasible, or the project context and budget did not allow for in-person research.
We have created a remote HCD toolkit to enable teams to conduct research and design without being physically present with research participants.
Our toolkit covers all HCD methods that are applied in a project (conducting research, testing concepts and prototypes, synthesizing outcomes, co-creating with teams).
It draws on best practices from in-person HCD research, while recognizing the technical and behavioral constraints and opportunities that come with digital channels. We’re presenting this guide in a format that we hope is accessible to you, and anchored to the different use cases you’re likely to face.
What is remote research & design?
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Advantages
It’s a more flexible �approach to research �Remote research does not require a “sprint” based model where a team is forced to maximize its time in the community to conduct as much research as possible.
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What is remote research & design?
Remote human-centered design has some advantages over in-person HCD
It can save on time because �travel is not necessary�Teams no longer have to travel long hours, resulting in better work-life balance, and more time to learn from experts and secondary resources.
It can save on costs by �reducing travel budgets�The remote approach cuts down on the costs associated with travel, but this is sometimes offset by higher samplings costs and longer timeframes for activities like research design
It can improve some �aspects of sampling�Remote research can allow for larger sample sizes and a greater diversity of locations and participants, as no travel is required and interviews can be shorter and more flexible.
It can provide longitudinal �insights more easily�Remote research can enable greater use of longitudinal methods, to capture insights over time.
It is unequivocally better �for the environment �Reduced travel and carbon emissions, and the use of virtual research materials instead of paper-based toolkits, help protect the environment.
It can improve �participant anonymity�Remote research allows for easier anonymity, which can make participants feel more comfortable opening up, especially about taboo topics.
It can improve convenience �for participants�Remote interviews can be scheduled more easily around participants’ availability and daily routines.
It can provide more opportunity for client participation�Clients can participate in sessions more easily, by simply dialing in, rather than having to travel, which takes more effort.
It can provide greater opportunity for capacity building�Remote research approaches can involve teaching HCD and general research skills to recruiters, fixers and enumerators (who are based in target communities), or training a remote field team.
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Constraints
Participants’ digital literacy and access may reduce reach�Some participants lack the skills, technology or telecommunications connectivity needed to meaningfully participate in remote research. Capacity building can help, but �not always.
It may be challenging to establish rapport with participants�Developing a trusting, open relationship with participants remotely requires different approaches and a skilled �interview team.
Improvisation is more limited, �but just as important�Because of a limited ability to read body language and environmental cues, as well as limitations of digital tools, improvising with different approaches in real-time is �more challenging.
Getting consent may take �more time and care �Getting consent digitally can be tricky, and even more so when recording, transcription, and translation are involved, or when the research is executed by a third party.
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What is remote research & design?
Remote human-centered design faces some constraints that in-person HCD does not
Some segments are �unreachable digitally �Certain target segments can be difficult or impossible to recruit without on-ground field staff, due to digital literacy and access challenges, or the difficulty of building trust remotely.
Controlling quality across digital�sessions requires more care�Consistently achieving the same level of depth and quality across interviews can be more challenging. Aligning on the ‘new normal’ of quality beforehand is important.
Driving active participation and engagement can be harder �Conducting exercises and interactive activities is difficult, putting more emphasis on traditional interviewing and discussions.
Behavioral observation and media capture is more limited �The ability to directly observe and learn from participants’ environments is more limited and requires special approaches. Audio and visual documentation of their settings is more constrained
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Implications on our notion of resourcing, quality, & outcomes
access to technology and digital literacy may make it harder to reach some groups and require low-tech research and co-design methods.
Visual storytelling will be limited. In-context research and design provides opportunities to audio-visually capture people’s experiences, and elevate learnings through visual storytelling. Remote research and design may greatly reduce this scope, particularly in the absence of technical equipment and partners in community to facilitate the process. However, this also presents the opportunity to have participants more involved in telling their own stories, including them in the creative process (e.g. asking participants to share images of their surroundings and lived experiences).
Effective synthesis with distributed teams will require more time. Bringing along distributed team members and clients will also require greater rigour in documentation as well as synthesis.
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What is remote research & design?
Understanding participants context will need deliberate investment. Because our teams will not be in peoples communities, homes, and businesses, we will need to rely on local partners, especially interviews with community based organizations, or use ‘show-and-tell’ approaches to fill� the gaps.
High quality learnings will require more interactions. Participants may not be willing to spend 2 consecutive hours on the phone for interviews, so teams may need multiple sessions and/or participants to deepen the scope �for learning.
Representative sampling will require greater investment in recruiting and care in research design. In-person research teams have greater control over who they engage and how they pivot quickly to find participants as learnings evolve. We typically rely on local recruiters and community partners who recruit from their communities and can adapt in real time. Restrictions on movement may decrease their efficiency and agility. Moreover, limitations in participants
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How do we do remote research & design �at Dalberg?
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Process overview
The before, during and after of
remote research and design
At Dalberg Design, any remote research and design project that we embark on will span the following three phases:
1. Plan & prepare
2. Research & design
3. Synthesis
In the follow section, we’ll take you through each of these phases in detail and give you a sense of what you should consider as you work towards your goals. Along the way, we'll provide some tools, tips, case studies and resources that can help you kick start this process.
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How do we do remote research & design at Dalberg?
The remote nature of research and design requires planning that enables teams to collaborate remotely. This needs quick and creative workarounds to finding ways to reach the right set of participants, and conduct research and collaborate across stakeholders to align on directions emerging from outcomes.
SYNTHESIS
RESEARCH & DESIGN
PLANNING
While the practice of research and design remains the same in a remote scenario, it calls for the team to adapt the approach based on context, geography, digital infrastructure, etc. Certain methods may or may not lend well to being practiced remotely, as opposed to in person. It requires teams to find new ways to define research methods and outcomes for a project.
Note: Some intermediary synthesis happen in this phase. Refer to Section 3: Synthesis for details.
All great learnings can see the light of day when the space for reflection and processing is created. When clients, teams and participants are remote, it can be harder to feel a sense of direction. Synthesis in remote engagements becomes even more critical to downloading learnings, pivoting approaches, bringing along clients and moving towards outcomes.
RESEARCH & DESIGN
PLANNING
SYNTHESIS
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Get into the right mindset, before we get to research
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Let project context drive methods�Think not just about the participants’ context, but the project’s context as well. Some methods allow for more discretion. Some allow you to observe digital behaviors. Some lend themselves well for longitudinal research. Consider what your project would benefit from when selecting your methods.
Rethink your approach
You may have strong in-person research skills, but this will only get you so far as you transition to digital-enabled remote research. Think about how digital tools influence dialogue, collaboration, and outcomes differently than being in person.
Make mental health a priority
Many of the conversations and topics we explore in interviews deal with sensitive personal information that may be emotionally charged. Prepare to provide support to participants and team members who may be distressed.
Make clients remote-ready
When research is remote, it is easier for clients to be involved with all parts of the process. Set up norms with them, clarify roles and align on expectations early on, to make sure you collaborate smoothly.
Meet your participants where they are
People have varying degrees of digital literacy, access, ownership and comfort. These digital realities also impact offline dynamics. For instance, a woman using a shared or surveilled phone might be more guarded. Learn about people’s online and offline contexts before you select your tools.
Think differently about time.
It can be harder to hold participants’ attention in remote sessions, and tech hiccups may need to be factored in. Factor this into planning the duration of sessions and the size of group sessions.
Prepare for tech to fail
Tech challenges are inevitable, and often beyond our control - connectivity drops, electricity is unreliable, WiFi fails. While there are steps we can take to minimise the risks, it helps to have contingency plans for things that could go wrong, so that you are better able to adapt in the moment.
How do we do remote research & design at Dalberg?
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Get into the right mindset, during research
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People behave differently online
For some people, a screen is intimidating, and can make them hesitant to contribute. For others, a phone call from home feels more natural, and they open up readily. Recognize that people behave differently in digital settings, address participants’ concerns, and ensure that they feel at ease.
Get personal, remotely
Unlike in-person, you can’t read body language and tone as clearly during remote communication. Get to know participants ahead of time, put more effort into building rapport, and make sure participants feel heard and reassured even without �nonverbal cues.
Treat data and privacy with care
People’s data is especially vulnerable when digitized, and your remote research might involve new types of personal data (e.g. WhatsApp numbers and social media profiles). Consent can also be harder to take virtually, so build in privacy and consent processes in advance.
Test, iterate and learn
Be intentional about experimentation. Test your tools and technology before you begin, and use your first few sessions to try different research approaches, lines of inquiry, and activities. Learn actively, and refine for subsequent sessions. Create a safe space to fail by being gracious to yourself and your team.
Put extra effort into setting the context
Without an in-person introduction or visual signs, details about who you are and where you are from can be confusing. To establish trust and ensure participants’ expectations are realistic, be clear and transparent about the purpose of the session, and consider having a pre-call to help with context setting.
Be careful of situational bias�If conducting research during crisis scenarios, such as Covid-19, questions around a participant’s feelings of security or ambitions are likely to be influenced by the current scenario. Frame your activities and discussion guides with this in mind.
Repetition is key, so is time for silence
Be ready to repeat and rephrase questions at different times during remote interviews, particularly around more challenging lines �of inquiry. People also need time to process and reflect, respect silence.
How do we do remote research & design at Dalberg?
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How do we do remote �research & design at Dalberg?
Planning
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Chose methods �& design activities
Select the methods that best match your research goals and remote capabilities, and create the tools and materials you will need
Test-run�your approach
Test your chosen research activities and technology setup with a group of participants and iterate your approach
Recruit�participants
Weigh all available options and resources, and find the best one for recruiting participants
Prepare �research schedule
Prepare a schedule that makes effective use of the available time by determining the opportunities and constraints of the project’s timeline
Assess �literacy
Assess digital and language literacy, participants’ familiarity and access to digital tools, and the need for translation services
Align on goals, roles� & limitations
Get everyone, from the clients to the core team members, to agree on roles, research goals, remote capabilities, opportunities �and limitations
Disclaimer: steps featured are intended to be done simultaneously rather than linearly
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Prototyping methods
Test ideas, concepts and prototypes developed with your participants and iterate them based on findings
Co-creation methods
Collaborate with participants to explore and bring to life ideas that can improve a challenge or situation they are facing
Prepare
Get your team and participants comfortable and ready with the tools and tech support they need
Foundational �research methods
Learn about specific challenges, experiences or contexts from your participants
Research �& design
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How do we do remote �research & design at Dalberg?
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Affinity mapping
Ideally, remote affinity mapping requires teams to work together in real-time and engage through a mix of digital tools.
Daily downloads
At the end of every few remote research sessions, take a moment to regroup with your research partner or reflect on your own.
Synthesis
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Insight statements
In the absence of a collaborative space, assign clear roles to sustain the insight writing process.
How do we do �remote research & design at Dalberg?
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Case studies of remote research & design methods at Dalberg
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Interviews for efficacy of India’s Covid-19 relief package
For our first phase of research, we completed 48 interviews. With the country under lockdown, these were entirely remote, via phone calls.
Interviews lasted 30-50 minutes. We also did some shorter sessions (20-30 minutes), which were useful in getting targeted inputs.
We did not have a lot of difficulty holding attention during the interviews, though it took a few initial moments in each call to get accustomed to volume and lags.
We chose not do activities in our interviews, because they would have demanded more time. Since the purpose of this research was to combine with a DA survey, the kind of insights needed were more specific, too.
LEARNINGS
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Case studies
The team (virtually) presented early findings from the first round of research at a Secretaries meeting
PROJECT CONTEXT
Dalberg is leading a rapid, multi-round study across 15 Indian states to capture the cumulative efficacy of government entitlements in helping Below Poverty Line (BPL) families navigate the financial impacts of Covid-19. We are combining a large-scale survey of 18,000 BPL households (conducted via the phone) with qualitative human-centered design (HCD) research with 100 people.
METHOD
Interviews
TOOLS USED
Phone call
“Remote interviews can be spread out differently. There’s no need to recruit in one go, because unlike in on-ground research trips, every minute of the day is not important.”
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USAID DPV ring �group discussion
Starting conversations about sexual health can be challenging. For this project, the design team engaged with young women with no firsthand experience with antiretroviral (ARV)-based prevention options, including the DPV ring. The team had to creatively uncover how to support ring introduction and use, and looked holistically at young women’s SRH lives to find parallel insights.
In the immersion phase, to understand existing needs, behaviors, barriers and opportunities, the team created local WhatsApp Lady Chat groups.
The WhatsApp focus group helped the team unlock additional insights from young women participants, and to find out what topics young women were interested in discussing and what types of information they needed, and lacked.
The group had chat challenges, with simple questions about life, beauty, health, and relationships. Women shared back answers and pictures.
The DPV team also connected the group with local counselors and facilitators who were providing services to adolescents.
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Case studies
This research method also validated that in certain contexts, such as urban and peri-urban South Africa, women were receptive to lightly moderated peer-to-peer support communities.
LEARNINGS
Lady Chat WhatsApp groups were a way to unlock additional research insights. Have a look at the DPV design guide to learn more about the project.
PROJECT CONTEXT
USAID and the International Partnership for Microbicides sought to use human-centered design to increase and sustain use of the daprivirine (DPV) ring – the first long-acting, woman-controlled method for reducing the risk of HIV infection – by better understanding and engaging young Sub-Saharan African women (18-24) and their influencers in the patient journey. User research was conducted in South Africa and Uganda, and we produced a guide to create design concepts and tools to increase the adoption and sustained use of the DPV ring.
METHOD
Group discussion
TOOLS USED
WhatsApp group
“Intimate conversations �take trust and time.”
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Card sorting for FHN: �tech adoption for LMI 50+
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Case studies
After two initial rounds of contextual research and prototyping sprints, we facilitated a series of remote research sessions to validate the LMI 50+ identified fintech user journey with a bigger and more diverse pool of participants from the rural US landscape.
The recruiting team we hired, Dynata, reached out to their community, and had people respond to questions on a screener. They then select participants based on the screener, and helped them set up the tech (computer, phone line, iTracks software) at their end.
We used the iTracks software for all of our sessions. Similar to Zoom, the software allows you to poll people, comment, share screen, and have participants, observers, facilitators, and a tech person on a call.
We created a card sorting activity where participants voted and shared stories on: their most pressing financial challenges; preferred and trusted channels to learn about financial products; favorite sources to visit when researching a financial product;
preferred tools and methods when learning how to adopt and use new technology; most used and preferred devices when managing finances.
The activity led to highly engaging conversations between participants when comparing their opinions and sharing their stories. It informed the final user journey and product agnostic recommendations.
LEARNINGS
The card sorting activity was used to get participants to vote and share stories on their financial challenges, trusted channels and preferred tools and devices. Explore the research tools they used in the digital sessions here.
“One of the downs of this research sprint was that the only evidence we got was the screenshots of the call, and none of the beautiful portraits we were able to take in the in-person interactions. I think a final report with only video call screenshots loses its magic.”
PROJECT CONTEXT
Dalberg worked with the Financial Health Network and AARP Foundation to improve digital financial service design for low- and middle-income Americans over the age of 50, a big and often overlooked segment in the fintech market. Over the course of 4 months, we conducted deep dive human-centered research and product feature prototyping with ~100 participants drawn from urban and rural communities across the United States. Through this research and subsequent design efforts, we developed product-agnostic recommendations for tailoring fintech design to the LMI 50+ segment and applied principles for improving the user experience across all phases of the customer journey, from discovery and adoption to navigation and sustained use.
METHOD
Card sorting
TOOLS USED
Google Suite, iTracks (by Dynata)
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Ecosystem mapping for �Lagos Business School
As part of our training for LBS on research and prototyping, we did a training on ecosystem mapping. For the training, we had Dalberg team members simulate the role of Nigerian interviewees, while LBS training participants facilitated the research exercise.
We carried out the activity just like you would normally do ecosystem mapping. The ‘outline’ section of the Mural board listed a series of steps to help the facilitator orient themselves around the map.
The simulations were carried out with one person serving as the facilitator to lead the questioning, one note taker, who would drag the noun cards and write notes on stickies (all on the Mural board), and one person as a backstop, to ask questions around any gaps or missing pieces, as well as to take handwritten notes behind the scenes.
The activity worked just as well in a remote setting – maybe even better, without the hassle of laying out the physical cards. But this simulation was a niche setting, in that both the interviewer and interviewee could
be connected on Zoom and Mural, and both were experienced and comfortable with the tools.
LEARNINGS
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Case studies
Access the Mural board that the LBS team used for ecosystem mapping here.
PROJECT CONTEXT
The Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services (SIDFS) initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and based in Lagos Business School, established a Prototyping Lab with the mandate of supporting financial service providers (FSPs) to bring innovative products and services to currently underserved segments. Dalberg Design created a toolkit and training as part of the lab, to introduce a customer-centered design process that will support FSPs to design innovative, commercially viable products and services that satisfy the needs, motivations, and aspirations of their customers.
METHOD
Ecosystem mapping
TOOLS USED
Mural, Zoom
“I actually really think that this being remote was good. It forced us all to sit here for the day and really focus, and each of us was able to practice the exercise.”
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Digisoko DVA support �journey mapping
In this phase of remote interviews with DigiFarm Village Advisors (DVAs) and delivery partners, we did a journey mapping exercise to capture DVAs’ journeys in each phase - awareness, onboarding & training, day-to-day and progression in role.
This helped us understand how to optimize and support the DVAs in specific activities. It also provided an opportunity to identify potential support mechanisms that could be introduced along the DVA’s journey.
For most interviews, screen sharing was not possible because of technology constraints, so participants could not see the journey maps. Instead, we used the map template as an anchor for the discussion. While we had a conversation with DVAs about their journeys, the team collaboratively built out the map on Mural.
The Dalberg team comprised of three people - one to lead the session, one to document, along with a fixer, who translated.
We also did the journey mapping exercise with stakeholders and partners. Here, we were able to screen share the Mural template as it was being completed, and they followed along visually. When we recapped after each section, we made sure to ask them whether they felt the journeys had been correctly mapped.
LEARNINGS
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Case studies
The team used this Mural template to anchor conversations on journeys in their phone interviews.
PROJECT CONTEXT
AgriFin has spent the last four years supporting the development of the DigiFarm product with partner Safaricom, by developing and implementing their product roadmap. As the product matures and implements its market access platform, DigiFarm has implemented a field force model – DigiFarm Village Advisors (DVAs) to help achieve its goals to increase farmer productivity, income, resilience and active use of platform services, as well as to increase women’s participation levels. The DVA service was launched in October 2018 and has gone through several iterations of development.
METHOD
Journey mapping
TOOLS USED
Mural, Zoom audio call
“When you’re on a call with a participant, you are even more conscious of time. This means that you really need to focus your discussion very quickly while the person is still engaged, as it is more difficult to command their full attention virtually.“
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RAF LL & Shell Foundation client pathways scenarios
While we moved ahead with our research on client pathways as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, we adapted our approach to capture the effects of the crisis on the lives of the rural households we were investigating. We also captured data points related to COVID-19 behaviors and attitudes longitudinally- taking a baseline-endline approach.
In order to probe participants on transition points in their life, which can be abstract to think about, we came up with a few short, hypothetical scenarios that participants may have be facing. We chose these scenarios in a brainstorm session with the clients.
After we read out the scenarios to participants in the interview, we probe to understand what they would do if this happened to them, gauge attitudes and potential strategies that people may use to address the scenarios.
We will use the scenarios once again in the second end-line phase of the research, which will take place during or after the peak of the pandemic. This will help us assess the actual shocks that occurred, and any attitudinal shifts.
LEARNINGS
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Case studies
The team created 10 hypothetical scenarios to probe during interviews. Find more details in their research guide.
PROJECT CONTEXT
This project with RAF LL and Shell Foundation seeks to understand whether and how rural households transition through 4 priority pathways from the Rural Pathways Model, in order to equip stakeholders with a broader range of resources that can drive effective and inclusive social mobility. The project takes a blended longitudinal approach of 2 rounds of qualitative + quantitative research, at the early stages of the pandemic and during or after the pandemic, to assess change over time.
METHOD
Scenarios
TOOLS USED
Phone call
“People have come across more comfortable and open on the phone than many in-person interviews we’ve conducted in the past. It might be participants are more familiar with sharing information with a stranger over the phone than having them in their house.”
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Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, we were unable to go in the community to test our prototypes, and pivoted to 2 remote prototype testing sessions instead.
Our participants for both sessions were 3 members of the PCI field team, who had assisted us in previous rounds of research, and implement similar programs in rural Bihar. Reaching new participants was not feasible due to the lockdown.
We used a WhatsApp group to coordinate the sessions. We shared a single PDF with all the prototype collateral (in Hindi) on the group, sent out just before the call began.
The call was an audio conference call using the Zoom toll-free number. Some dialed in through the Zoom line, and those who found it challenging were added via regular conference call by a Dalberg team member. Our PCI clients also joined the session.
One Dalberg team member led the session. We went through the prototype collateral PDF together, one image at a time, and asked questions from a discussion guide. Participants shared their critiques in a free flowing conversation, and we verbally ideated on how challenges could be solved. These one-hour
sessions helped us fill gaps and build more nuance into our prototype design. The call was recorded through Zoom, and one team member wrote notes.
LEARNINGS
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Case studies
“We learned that even in non-Covid times, interactions like these can be pivotal to add the extra nuance to our detailed design when budget is limited for multiple in-person trips.”
Visual material for program prototypes were shared with participants via WhatsApp, and probed deeper on a call using this discussion guide.
PROJECT CONTEXT
Dalberg is working with PCI to develop interventions to increase men’s engagement in family planning and nutrition, to improve outcomes in rural Bihar. The interventions will lead to a 3-month pilot and will leverage the women’s Self Help Group (SHG) network, which works with the state’s rural livelihood mission. The remote prototyping session took place while we were in the process of developing detailed designs for 2 prioritised prototypes, both of which were in a medium-fidelity stage.
METHOD
Medium fidelity �prototype testing
TOOLS USED
WhatsApp group, �Zoom audio call, phone call
Medium fidelity prototyping for Gates-PCI Male engagement
As the pandemic progressed, we continued to apply and evolve our remote research methods and tools across projects.
You can read more about additional case studies in this document. We have captured process learnings from 11 different projects spread across various geographies and sectors. This is not an exhaustive list, and will be updated to include examples and methodological innovations as they continue to be implemented. Sample screenshots from the additional case studies document below.
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Case studies
Additional case studies
Thank you!