2.2 An Overview of Research Approach into Social Integration
Given the interconnectedness of the social, economic, and political necessary for integration to happen, more than one standalone intervention was most likely required. Jeannotte’s (2008) model on the elements of social integration showed the basic and enhanced levels of an individual’s needs to be fulfilled, the kinds of investments required, and the outcomes these investments would lead to.
As Alan Cooper (2015), founder of design studio, Cooper, said, “Trying to change a complex system with simple solutions always backfires.” For such complex issues as immigration, it might be easy for unintended consequences (Merton, 1936) to occur, be it due to ignorance, errors in analysis, overlooking long-term interests, or having a self-defeating prophecy. To avoid causing harm or delivering design solutions that had little or negative impact on users, the human-centered double diamond design process could be employed to discover user needs and develop solutions (Betts & Bloom, 2014).
Carnegie Mellon’s work on Transition Design (Impact Design Hub, 2015), provided some guidance on the design approach to take:
Recognising the duration of this research project might not allow for user engagement over periods of time long enough to achieve system-wide, radical change, a “design for social innovation” approach would perhaps be appropriate — to challenge existing paradigms of anti-immigrant sentiments pervasive in society. Co-design tools were once again recommended for empowering users with the necessary tools to advance social integration in society.
The research project’s duration would also most probably not allow for all aspects of integration depicted by Jeannotte (2008) to be tackled. Therefore focusing on coming up with key design principles would make this research useful for future design researchers when they working on social integration issues. What might be the key design principles required for social integration interventions to work?
