Community-engaged research is all about collaboration—bringing together the insights, experiences, and voices of those who are most affected by the issues we study. But how do we ensure that this collaboration is not just inclusive but also deeply impactful? Enter design thinking and LEGO Serious Play, two methodologies that can revolutionize how we approach participatory design in research.

Design Thinking: A Human-Centered Approach

Design thinking is a powerful framework that emphasizes empathy, ideation, and iteration. It’s about understanding the people you're designing for and co-creating solutions with them, rather than for them. When applied to community-engaged research, design thinking encourages us to involve community members at every stage, from defining the research question to interpreting the results.

Imagine you're working on a project aimed at improving access to mental health services in a rural community. Instead of starting with a set of assumptions or pre-defined questions, you begin by engaging with the community—hosting workshops, conducting interviews, and really listening to their concerns and ideas. Through this process, you might discover that transportation is a major barrier, leading you to explore solutions like telehealth services or mobile clinics. By applying design thinking, you're not just conducting research; you're co-creating solutions that are directly informed by the people who will benefit from them.

LEGO Serious Play: Unlocking Creativity and Collaboration

LEGO Serious Play takes the principles of design thinking a step further by providing a hands-on, creative way to explore complex problems. It’s a method that encourages participants to build their ideas using LEGO bricks, making abstract concepts tangible and fostering a deeper level of engagement and collaboration.

Let’s say you’re conducting a workshop to understand how a community perceives a new public health initiative. Instead of traditional brainstorming, you use LEGO Serious Play to have participants build models representing their thoughts and feelings about the initiative. One participant might build a model showing a wall, symbolizing perceived barriers, while another might create a bridge, representing hope and connection. These models then become the basis for a rich discussion, revealing insights that might not have surfaced through conventional methods.

Why These Methods Work for Participatory Design

Both design thinking and LEGO Serious Play share a common goal: to democratize the research process, making it more inclusive and reflective of the community’s real needs and desires. They help break down power dynamics, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.

• Empathy and Understanding. Design thinking begins with empathy, ensuring that the research is grounded in the lived experiences of the community.
• Creativity and Innovation. LEGO Serious Play unlocks creativity, allowing participants to express themselves in new ways and surface insights that might be missed in a traditional focus group or survey.
• Collaboration and Co-Creation. Both methodologies foster collaboration, ensuring that the research process is not just about collecting data but about co-creating knowledge and solutions with the community.

Practical Tips for Implementation

Both design thinking and LEGO Serious Play share a common goal: to democratize the research process, making it more inclusive and reflective of the community’s real needs and desires. They help break down power dynamics, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.

• Start with Empathy. Spend time in the community, listen to their stories, and understand their challenges before you even begin to design your research.
• Co-Create Your Research Questions. Involve community members in defining the research questions to ensure they are relevant and meaningful.
• Build to Think. Incorporate LEGO Serious Play into your workshops to help participants visualize their ideas and encourage deeper engagement.
• Iterate and Refine. Use feedback loops to refine your research approach as you go, ensuring it remains responsive to the community’s needs.
• Reflect and Share. At the end of the process, reflect on what you’ve learned together with the community and share the results in a way that’s accessible and actionable for everyone involved.

Conclusion: Leveling Up Research through Design Thinking

By applying design thinking and LEGO Serious Play to community-engaged research, we can create a more inclusive, creative, and effective research process. These methodologies not only help us gather better data but also empower communities to take an active role in shaping the research and the solutions that emerge from it. In the end, it’s about building better research—together.

This approach not only strengthens the quality and impact of the research but also fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment within the community. So, the next time you embark on a community-engaged research project, consider bringing design thinking and LEGO Serious Play to the table. You might be surprised at the depth of insight and creativity that emerges when everyone has a seat—and a brick—in the process.