"What seems natural in one culture may not be in another,"
- Don Norman in The Design of Everyday Things.
Traveling to the border of Thailand alongside a qualified team, I immersed myself in the culture of Burmese migrants who experienced occurrences of domestic violence (D.V.) in daily life. The goal? Break the cycle of violence. The challenge? Navigating a complex web of social, cultural, language, and generational constraints. This project utilizes design thinking to create a solution that resonates with such a unique and vibrant community.
Researcher & Designer - In this project, I interviewed community members and leaders, developed and discussed the Most Viable Product (MVP) with a multifaceted team based on research, and presented the solution to stakeholders.
This project taught me a lot about what it meant to design for everyone.
Public Health Summer Project - July to August 2019
User Research, Double Diamond Method of Design, Anthropological Observation, Mind Maps, Prototyping
The Bann Pae Loa Kone village, filled with undocumented Burmese migrant factory workers, were experiencing domestic violence - a public health issue under our definitions. Field learning and deep listening showed me that under a cultural lens: domestic violence was seen as more of a family issue, rather than a Public Health issue. The goal became to foster loving homes and peaceful gathering practices.
A trifold pamphlet highlighting local resources.
This solution aims to educate the community, make resources more accessible, and is cost efficient.
This map shows the location of Mae Sot - home of the Bann Pae Loa Kone village, which houses undocumented Burmese migrant factor workers. This community represents just a small piece of the 90k Burmese refugees living across Thailand.
of these refugees live undocumented, constantly facing the risk of exploitation and deportation.
are forced to pay out-of-pocket for healthcare, often refraining from treatment due to fear and finances.
Citizenship and lack of documentation concerns lead to significant consequences:
It creates barriers to accessing healthcare, leading to higher risks of illness.
It creates a silence and fear towards seeking help, pushing individuals towards harmful practices or delayed treatment.
It restricts access to education, limiting the ability to improve lives to their highest potential.
These factors contribute to the cause of domestic violence, but are not meant to be a total reason as to why it happens. The task now? Empathize with the community and create a solution that resonates.
Source: Lectures from Public Health in Migrant Communities (Aj. Brendan 7/8/19)
My research methodology on the field focuses on two tactics:
observations during a homestay, and interviews with experts and locals.
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A homestay allowed me to observe the community functioning in natural living situations.
This is important especially when designing a solution meant for another culture.
Interviews gave power to the community to work with designers to identify the problem - to collectively own the result. Interviews were given to both experts and locals to attain a well-rounded perspective of knowledge and experiences. A total of 12 community interviews were conducted.
How old are you? What grade are you in? Where are you from? How many people are in your family?
What does your dream family look like? What is the role of a partner? What is the meaning of an "unhealthy relationship"? What resources do you know of?
What resources do you know of? How could you prevent occurrences of D.V.? Why do you think D.V. happens?
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"Law prioritizes DV over legal status, but migrants think
they cannot seek help out of fear of deportation."
- Lawyer from Lighthouse, working on legal support for migrant communities
Creating personas helped identify frustrations, opportunities for improvement, and true needs and motivations of the community.
The primary target audience for this project is the women of the Bann Pae Loa Kone village. Due to the sensitivity of the topic, I recognize some of the data from observations and interviews may be limited. It takes time to develop trust. For this reason, while the issue of D.V. may impact all village residents, we targeted the design towards the most affected group to start.
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The Bann Pae Loa Kone village, filled with undocumented Burmese migrant factory workers, were experiencing domestic violence - a public health issue under our definitions. Field learning and deep listening showed me that under a cultural lens: domestic violence was seen as more of a family issue, rather than a Public Health issue. The goal became to foster loving homes and peaceful gathering practices.
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Commonality: Strategy for tackling the root cause of domestic violence,
while involving the community in devising a solution.
The MVP in this mind map was a pamphlet outlining local resources. This solution increases accessibility to resources, educates the public, and is available at a low cost.
1st Iteration
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2nd Iteration
This 2nd iteration utilizes more of the white space to balance out the content better. A clear content hierarchy is shown to distinguish between different resources more intuitively and effectively.
Written in Thai.
Written in Burmese.
A trifold pamphlet that is portable, easy to use, and cost efficient. Each pamphlet is written fully in English, Thai, or Burmese. The images show one side of each simply for aesthetic purposes. As a most viable product, this solution aims to
Communicative icons and imagery are utilized to bridge the gap between languages and educational backgrounds.
Local resources are highlighted, along with contact information so that help is more accessible.
Prevents any implication that there is a “problem” in the community by focusing on protection of the people.
The pamphlet states that all resources listed are accessible even to undocumented immigrants.
The pamphlet serves to empower the Burmese immigrant community to support those directly affected by domestic violence.
Multilingual accessibility: By offering the pamphlet in English, Thai, and Burmese, we overcame the language barrier to ensure this information reaches a wider audience within the community.
Promoting understanding: The pamphlet provides clear, concise information about D.V. resources available and support options. This can empower individuals to seek help when needed.
Breaking the silence: It may serve as a conversation starter within the community, prompting individuals to discuss D.V. openly and seek support. This can help break down the stigma surrounding D.V. and encourage more help-seeking behaviors.
Portability and cost-effectiveness: The design of the pamphlet makes it readily accessible and easily shared within the community, promoting a wider spread of information and resources.
Collaboration with local organizations: Supporting the adoption of the pamphlet, while including local organizations in the design process can further enhance the pamphlet's reach and effectiveness.
With all these qualities, this solution has the potential to significantly benefit the community in their fight against instances of D.V.
The biggest constraint to this research was the language barrier between the target audience and designers. On top of that, the sensitivity of the topic led to an apparent discomfort between the community and our interpreters. There was still a lack of trust and emotional disconnect in these discussions. From this, it was difficult to define exactly what D.V. means to the people. We also only spent two weeks in these homestays, and lacked D.V. specific training. How did I know the people I was designing for fully trusted me? It was difficult to dig deep and uncover direct information about instances of D.V.
In the future, I would definitely spend more time with the community, or work with a team that is formed directly from the community. This could lead to more accurate information and research, further leading to designs that better resonate and stick with the people of the village.
Regardless, I am eternally grateful for these experiences. To stay with a village who was willing to host a group of students who knew close to nothing about their language or culture. Thank you to the Bann Pae Loa Kone village for your hospitality and kindness. These are moments I will cherish for the days to come, and lessons I will take with me throughout the entirety of my career!
[Summer 2019]