Where is my Colour?: A Case Study from the IT for Change Collaboration
SCOPE: This is a participatory design project developed in collaboration with IT for Change (ITfC), a Bangalore-based NGO that promotes the use of information and communication technologies to transform socio-economic conditions in rural India. The project aimed to empower adolescent girls, referred to as Kishoris, in four villages of Mysore district by strengthening their self-esteem, autonomy, and agency through creative educational modules.
ROLE: I led the design and prototyping of an activity-based learning kit tailored to the specific socio-cultural context of these villages. My responsibilities included conducting field research, developing ideation frameworks, prototyping educational tools, and facilitating feedback sessions with Kishoris to ensure the design was relevant and impactful.
Mulluru is a village 41 km from the city of Mysore. The Karnataka state government reffers to this region an extremely backward.
"The rationale behind this project is that in a context where the socialisation of girls has traditionally focused on enforcing their submission to male authority in all aspects of life, investments in 'critical education-for-empowerment' processes become vital to re-kindle their thwarted leadership potential."
Source: Strengthening adolescent girls' leadership capabilities: Outline of training curriculum, IT for Change, July 2016
PROBLEM: The Kishoris, though aware of their educational needs and aspirations, lacked the confidence to negotiate with authority figures, such as male teachers and village elders. This challenge was compounded by societal barriers, including gender-based discrimination and limited access to digital resources.
OPPORTUNITY: Through collaboration with ITfC, we identified an opportunity to create offline, interactive learning tools that would empower the Kishoris to develop negotiation skills and agency. The focus was on designing an activity that could be facilitated without digital devices, encouraging the girls to take ownership of their learning in the absence of ITfC facilitators.
SOLUTION: The core solution was the development of the activity kit, Baṇṇada han̄ cike ("Where is my Colour?"). This colour-trading game was designed to help Kishoris practice negotiation and problem-solving in a relatable context. The game’s structure required participants to trade coloured cards and resolve real-life problem scenarios through team-based discussions.
BUILDING AN EMPOWERMENT TOOL: FROM IDEA TO IMPLEMENTATION
We started with immersive field visits to understand the daily lives and socio-cultural environment of the Kishoris. This was followed by a series of ideation sessions, where we developed initial concepts for interactive activities. I led the prototyping of Where is my Colour?, testing it with the girls to gather feedback and refine the design.
RESEARCH: Our research was driven by the need to design a tool that could foster a sense of accomplishment and independence. We observed that the Kishoris were quick learners but struggled with expressing themselves and negotiating in social settings. The activity was designed to address this gap, focusing on real-life scenarios that would resonate with the girls' experiences.
INSIGHTS: Key insights from the research included:
Confidence Gap: While the girls were aware of their educational needs, they lacked the confidence to approach male authority figures to ask for resources like computer labs.
Limited Digital Access: Digital devices were available only during facilitated sessions, necessitating an offline solution that could be implemented by the Kishoris themselves.
Negotiation as Empowerment: The activity needed to simulate real-life scenarios where the girls could practice negotiation and decision-making, building their confidence in dealing with societal challenges.
IDEA: The idea was to create an offline, play-based activity that would enable the Kishoris to negotiate and resolve real-world problems in a supportive, team-based environment. The activity would simulate everyday challenges, encouraging the girls to express their opinions and collaboratively find solutions.
PROTOTYPING AND TESTING: The initial prototype was a simple color-trading game designed to encourage negotiation. After testing the game with the Kishoris, I gathered feedback that highlighted the need for more relatable scenarios and a larger group format to better resonate with their real-life experiences. Based on this feedback, I refined the game to incorporate problem-solving elements tied to critical life issues such as marriage and education—topics that strongly connected with the girls' day-to-day challenges.
The iterative design process allowed us to adapt the game in ways that made it more meaningful and impactful for the participants.
"Where is My Colour?" was amongst the seven shortlisted modules which were successfully implemented by the ITfC’s team.
CONCLUSION: The "Where is My Colour?" project exemplifies how participatory design can empower marginalized groups by addressing their specific needs and challenges. Through iterative design, field testing, and continuous collaboration, we created an effective tool that fosters negotiation skills and confidence among the Kishoris. This tool provides them with a means to navigate their socio-cultural environment with greater autonomy, helping them build the skills needed to confront societal barriers and advocate for themselves.
