Toolkits
A Co-Creative technique that involves participants to initiate discussion, thoughts and ideas. Different tool kits like emotional/ sensitizing/ experience/ story line/ cognitive tool kits allow participants to express their thoughts through artifacts/workbooks that the toolkit is comprised of.
“An important part of generative techniques are toolkits for expression. These toolkits are carefully developed by the research team to support the participants in a pre-determined activity such as recalling memories, making interpretations and connections, seeing and explaining feelings, or imagining future experiences.”
Nature & context
Co-Creative, User Research
Resources
Materials for tool kits, toolkit construction plan, stationery, notes, recorder, camera, instructions for participants.
Procedure
Before: Understand the context and identify designs that can help initiate communication or provoke thoughts for the participants. If constructing tool kits, conduct extra research to ensure that the resulting design is relatable for the participants involved (in the cultural context). Prepare some open ended questions to lead the conversation in the right direction. Recruit participants relevant to the context (as many as needed).
During: Deploy tool kits to participant(s) and record extensive notes giving attention to details, especially in relevance to the community and culture. Take ample photographs relevant to the context.
After: Quickly conduct an analysis, right after, of the notes, and pictures as well as other records generated like videos and voice notes and record/annotate your insights. Send out a thank you note to the participant(s).
Use Case
In the beginning research phases of the waste management project, after secondary research we deployed tool kits to understand participant's view of packaging waste. We used all the 5 tool kits to understand the source to the end of packaging waste. By choosing diverse set of participants and constructing tool kits specific to each set, we understood people’s intentions towards packaging waste. For instance, the emotional toolkit was designed to understand how participants felt about discarding plastics and card boards and how aware they were about the social and environmental impacts of this waste.
Sense Making Data
As a research technique, focus needs to be not on the object itself but its property such as While non-verbal cues are to be recorded, key data is about how the participant interacts with the tool kit and their practices and not about the participant.