Cultural Immersion in South Africa: Building Communities through the Lens of Technology
Have you ever heard the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child?”
Or maybe you’ve used the phrase, “We are in it together,” or, “These are my people?”
What we are essentially saying is that we belong together, and community matters.
We are currently living in the technology age, so how and where does technology fit into the community-which is important in South African culture-and why does it matter?
Ubuntu: I am
Because we are
Research Goal
Learn how to help build safe and supportive online communities for marginalized populations, which in turn helps build safe online communities for all.
What makes community-based products successful? And what is the role Technology plays?
How can we better design these products for marginalized users - like those who identify as LGBTQ+ and refugees?
We conducted an exploratory study in South Africa through cultural immersion to find our answers.
Our Approach
Cape Town, South Africa
N=8 In-depth Interviews with users of online communities who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or refugees
Utilized our subject matter expertise in inclusive research and design to craft a research plan that explored the challenges related to online community engagement and interaction, while ensuring that we attended to the sensitive nature of the topic.
Conducted by our South African researcher who had deep understanding of cultural context.
We started with secondary research to contextualize our work. We needed to understand the sociocultural, historical, and environmental context before jumping into research.
By conducting an exploratory study through cultural immersion, we were able not only to hear but also to see and experience the cultural nuances of what our participants shared, as well as connect with them in a meaningful way.
Our Insights
Culturally, being part of community is extremely important, so much that there is even a word to describe this belief: Ubuntu - I am, because we are. This means that a person cannot exist on their own as community is intricately a part of what makes them a human being.
Even though South Africa passed laws that support LGBTQ+ people, discrimination still occurs. And being a refugee and LGBTQ+ in South Africa makes it more challenging to be accepted and more likely to experience discrimination.
The main drivers for finding community among these marginalized users are shared experiences, interests or intentions, while building communities involves feeling supported and cared for.
Community is built both online and offline; online is about discovery, organizing, and maintenance; in-person is about deepening the connection and relationship.
Participants who have less of their needs met compared to the others are more vulnerable and thus are more likely to withdraw from communities if they do not feel like they have support when dealing with harassment and abuse. Those who are less vulnerable are less likely to leave a community if they experience a lack of support, but their satisfaction with the community with decrease as will their perception of the community.
Community Benefits
User Journey
Pain Points
Conceptual Model for Healthy Online Communities
Impact
Provided a deep understanding of how communities are built and what leads to community growth/breakdown among marginalized groups in South Africa.
Tactical and foundational recommendations on how to create inclusive community-based technology.
Novel inclusive design principles which we have integrated into our proprietary inclusive design measurement strategy and scorecard (a tool we can apply to the products and services we consult on).
Cross-cultural findings inspired new questions and ways of thinking among our team about how to build inclusive virtual communities and products.