I am sure every one has a common question? Why is this important?
The numerous problems that fact the world today and our little bit to do what we can to make he world a better place. Perhaps the most important thing when dealing for social impact solutions is having patience. This could be either while doing the research or while doing any design activities. And I say this , because these are what we call Wicked problems. The few of their characteristics being too many loose ends, many directions to take it forward, always n+1 ways to solve it and no matter how much you do, it is not enough could lead to frustration. A location visit is highly recommended as this helps in multiple ways. Although there is a very probability that you will find some newer problems. But then some will take precedence. These above steps help in identifying the core. This becomes extremely important when dealing with the kind of solutions that you want to solve. However when you goes to a location, one needs to sympathize with the existing situations. One should not allow the frustration of the lack of facilities show in any manner. Talking to the different stake holders helps and It is really important to speak to all of them. Like in this project, even though this is for children, it is important to talk to parents, teachers and others in the society. And so when one does that they become a story teller. Images are powerful to not only find information, but also talk to others about it at a later stage. Smaller problems should also be identified. These at times could be the root cause of the problem. For example here, some children went to school only for the free meals. Interesting point to think about. Often designers are hesitant to try out conventional methods. I think one should not hesitate to apply existing methods like contextual inquiries, ethnography, personal interviews, group discussions with the locals. However, always be culturally sensitive. If people are not willing to have their photographs taken, do not take it. Take permission before approaching people with whom its not ok to talk straightaway. Especially with women and other females in other cultures.
Once the above is done and the designers start to think of user groups, in such kind of situations, it often becomes important to understand this difference between the target groups and the affected groups. What you are designing (in my case a website) might not be directly used for the the affected group (the children) but for a totally different group of users (the target group. People like you and me).
As a designer and also a person interested in bringing out the change, one need to understand this simple point. Money is NOT the only way your design solution can be of help. Think about other things like providing things, how about books, or supply of stationery, or your old clothes. How can others help without giving money. Not all people are in a position to help financially. Think how you can get them involved too. And sometimes it could just be as simple as spending time with the affected groups and realizing that all they need is someone to share their dreams and to show them the paths how to get to their dreams.
When dealing with the solution, provide he possibility of collaboration. This can be attained by providing the rightful information in the right manner. One should not be afraid to collaborate with people from varied disciplines. Like in this project, I have been collaborating with people in education, design, computer science, sociology and of course the local resources.
Contribute in whatever way possible. Use your money, time, skills. Give feedback to people who are working in the field and spread the smile.