Hair Loss and Empowerment
Participatory research and design project | 1 week timescale | Role: Researcher and Designer
Brief:
Design a way to intensify how we experience human hair.
Embarking on a project focused on hair, our team recognized the widespread and personal impact of hair loss, prompting us to delve into dedicated research with a sense of reverence. Acknowledging the sensitivity of the topic, we employed participatory design methods to ensure a careful exploration. Engaging individuals who experienced hair loss and professionals in the field, we sought to understand its emotional, social, and practical dimensions.
Research Strategy:
- Reach out within our network to find people willing to share their stories with us (directed storytelling)
- Generate insights from the data gathered
- Host workshops and/or facilitate further participation, testing and exploration with participants
Directed Storytelling and turning data into ideas
Utilising convenience sampling for this project was a strategic choice.
We had only a week to engage with participants who would be interested and willing to follow the journey of the design, without any rewards offered. Additionally, and more importantly, for such a sensitive topic, we needed to rely on the trust already established with these people. We knew that the more comfortable they would be talking to us, the richer the insights would be.
Once completed, our directed storytelling interviews were a fantastic source of data, and we cherished the stories our participants told us. Each was recorded and transcribed ready to be read and reviewed by the team.
Turning our scribbles and highlights across the qualitative streams into numerical data was done methodically and systematically until trends began to emerge.
The key themes identified through the directed storytelling were:
Finding acceptance with your situation, through the highs and lows
Talking to people in a similar situation was an empowering experience
Generating ideas that broadly intersect with the main ideas and insights was done as a brain-dump; there are no bad ideas, because they can all spark something new for someone else.
The favoured ideas that came from the process were:
- A soundscape of empowering messages to convey a community of support was in existence
- A hosting a photoshoot for people encountering hair loss, to give them the power to show themselves as they see fit
- A letter writing exercise to address their hair and how they felt about it
The concept behind each of these was to foster a community of support that someone could reach out to, should they want to exchange experiences with another person in a similar situation.
Participatory Design
Instead of choosing for the participants what we thought would best suit them, we instead invited them to weigh in on the ideas generated.
There was reluctance to attend or engage with a photoshoot, however the concept about being empowered through multiple medias, and sharing their experiences with someone who might need support was well received.
We asked the participants to share either:
- two notes, one a love letter to their hair, and another a breakup letter
- a voice recorded message of the written letters
- an image of themselves where they felt comfortable with their hair, regardless of whether you could tell there was hair loss visible.
Most participants shared with us all three at their own willingness, and agreed to trial the use of these in two ways.
Trial one: A workshop for an in person exchange
The first trial was facilitated as an in-person exchange of thoughts, ideas and support, in a loose workshop format.
Participants wrote their notes at the table, and then exchanged and read others around the table. They then discussed how their experiences, how they felt, and what had helped them.
Trial two: Facilitated anonymous exchange
The second trial was facilitated as an anonymous exchange of the love and breakup letters in the form of the handwritten notes, and the voice recordings.
Participants had submitted their content, and once ensured it was anonymous, was distributed by the researchers to fellow hair loss sufferers also participating.
The recipients had time to read and listen to the messages and respond back how they felt about hearing the messages, and pass on anything in return if requested.
Participant Feedback
We asked for feedback at this stage to find out how each trial was viewed by the participants.
It was a great experience to listen to another person talk about their hair, as it made me think there might be a community of people going through the same thing, and they just need someone to listen and understand.
Just listened to the audio, and while listening to it I felt like I can connect with this person as I seem to be in a similar situation and relationship with my hair. I really just wanted to reassure this person that they are beautiful no matter what; when she said “please don't leave me” I could almost feel the sadness and that the hair loss is causing her and I wanted to be there for her to get through this journey.
The audio files were interesting - sounded like the same person was having a dichotomous experience. That resonates with me. I’m grateful to my hair because it makes me feel confident. But similar to the person from the audio file, it’s heartbreaking to lose it (potentially, momentarily), and have some confidence with it.
Whilst the in-person exchange had good outcomes, the anonymous version seemed to have pulled at the heartstrings of each participant, and made them value this stranger and connection to them emotionally. On this basis, we moved to the final outcome.
Final Outcome
Our final outcome was a postcard, which on one side has a photo of a person with hairloss, and the other, space to record thoughts about your hair.
Reflection
The overwhelming success of this project was just talking to people, hearing their thoughts and feelings and putting that in a safe space for others to engage with.
We felt that incorporating participatory design methods into the design process would be instrumental in cultivating a more meaningful and validated design outcome. By actively involving our participants in more than just primary research, we tapped into a wealth of diverse perspectives and insights. This collaborative approach ensured that the final product resonates with the actual needs and preferences of the intended audience.
Through interviews and interactive sessions, we not only gathered valuable input but also fostered a sense of ownership among participants. This inclusive process lead to a more empathetic and user-centered design, ultimately resulting in a solution that is not only well-informed but also resonates authentically with the people it is designed for, enhancing its overall effectiveness and relevance.