Conducting Ethnographic Research Using Remote Channels of Communication
Much like everything, COVID-19 has adversely affected the field of research. With the onset of this pandemic, there are ethical and safety concerns that have risen around undertaking qualitative and human-centred research. At a time when enough emphasis can not be placed on minimum physical contact and practice of social distancing, ethnographic or field research seems to be a remote possibility. However, understanding the challenges faced by the most vulnerable and high-risk populations becomes necessary in such dire times to ensure the system is able to curb the spread of the disease, manage the pandemic in the most humane manner, and support the vulnerable populations through these testing times.
We recognize this challenge as an opportunity and have identified, adapted and reconstructed methodologies to explore innovative ways to collect qualitative data.
We are currently designing a study to ascertain how vulnerable families are experiencing the impact of this pandemic and to gain a deeper understanding of how a crisis affects multiple facets of vulnerability.
Methods of remote and auto-ethnography are well established and offer ways to extend research initiatives to communities. Vihara has fortified these methods with a human-centred design approach to get more authentic data by means of engaging with the participants longitudinally, uncovering their challenges over the course of our engagement which may range from the more tangible external ones to those which are more intrinsic and personal.
We have adapted our research methods and tools to document people’s daily experiences, change in decision-making patterns, behaviours and practices while they are living through this pandemic. In these times, it is also necessitated for us to understand the participants’ coping and adaptive capacities, their response to this external threat, and the factors that define it. An HCD-led extended engagement when designed well allows us to do just that.
This remote ethnographic study will be conducted by means of the extensive cellular and digital network to abide by the prescribed norms of safety and social distancing. While basic calls is an obvious go-to, the penetration of digital technology, data and smartphones, allows for a novel opportunity. There are new forms of engagement that can now be imagined due to the widespread use of WhatsApp other social media apps. They can allow for easy sharing of audio notes, photos and videos, but also for both one-on-one and group interactions, opening a possibility of making the exchange more enriching for both researchers and participants involved. The better designed this two-way interaction is, the higher likelihood of participants staying with the study for a longer engagement. Having said that these, of course, need to always align with the focus of the study and be ethically grounded. Our extensive experience of working with the communities and expert research teams equip us to have this necessary foresight to design the research accordingly and take necessary actions while the study is conducted.
The conundrum here is with regards to an entire population set that may not have access to basic feature phones, or the internet, or low digital literacy, especially for women. We are aware that, using certain channels of communication has an inevitable risk of skewing the sample. We propose to tap onto our partner networks and on to our contacts in the frontline health workers and community influencers built during the previous field studies.
We are able to identify and engage with a diverse set of respondents. This process also assists in building a rapport which is essential to capture authentic information remotely. Our planned interactions cascade from introductions and consent to building trust and connections with the respondents, moving to in-depth interviews, or multiple-engagements over weeks or check-ins over months. The extended interactions can help the respondents to build on areas of inquiry over time, and also by means of small recognition tasks reflect back on them with the research teams, a process we are able to otherwise do through design research/ participatory tools. Using these nurtured repositories.
The different channels established for conducting research can be used for rapid testing of communication content being developed for awareness and behaviour change. Different Whatsapp Groups/ networks can be used to co-create and test audio-visual content for information comprehension, retention, and alignment with different user groups. Vihara can put together an evaluation framework to establish a basis for evaluating content as per the platform they may be designed for. As an offline-online model, rapid User Testing and Response Groups can be facilitated and managed with support from partners. These would be run in controlled environments and monitored remotely through virtual video calls.
Vihara Innovation Network uses behavioral science, program design and new approaches to learning to ensure effective outcomes in public health, climate change and entrepreneurship development. We work with organisations & people who are invested in change, who bring their own deep expertise & curiosity about the world and who collaborate quickly and easily to bring meaningful things to life. We are just an e-mail away at info@vihara.asia.
