At Here I Am, during project kick off we create a set of ‘Rules of Engagement’, defining the best ways to understand, involve and respect the actual humans we are designing for, throughout the HCD process.

It’s a very simple, but rarely done step. How we gather this information is driven by advice from participants and local partners. It can be in virtual sessions, or submitted individually via phone calls or even SMS.

The Rules of Engagement are the following (these rules may change in accordance with each individual project):

How to reach them?

• Type of phone
  • Smart phone? Feature phone?
• Ownership of phone
  • Is it owned? Shared? Borrowed?
• Access to WiFi
  • Do they have access to WiFi or will they have to rely on their data for the engagement?
• Channel and platform usage
  • SMS? WhatsApp? Email? Facebook?
• Digital Literacy
  • Beginner? Intermediate? Advanced?

Safeguarding notes: From the information received above, note down any safeguarding concerns or actions to be considered

When to engage them?

• Convenient time for engagement (Their local time, note time zone)
  • Which times of day and days of week would best suit them?
• Amount of time available
  • Can they afford to spare 45 minutes? Or is 15 minutes more realistic?
• Core daily commitments
  • Do they attend School? Do they work?
• Additional home commitments
  • Do they have tasks within the home at specific times?
• Appetite for involvement
  • Are they happy to be involved on multiple occasions?
• Permission requirements
  • Whose permission do they need?