Recruiting Vulnerable Populations
TYPE
Research Project
COMPLETED
Spring, 2022
OVERVIEW
To modernize an application platform, we must first assess what’s working well and what isn’t. Identifying and understanding the challenges will help to develop an improved experience that avoids replicating existing issues.
Team
A small team of design researchers who use human-centred design (HCD) methodologies to better understand and communicate our client’s lived experiences. We generate ideas and co-design recommendations that are evidence based.
Introduction
Over 80 immigration clients, both in Canada and internationally, were interviewed to understand their challenges and needs throughout the application process: from seek, when the client is looking to come to Canada, to move forward, after they’ve received a decision. These insights were plotted across a journey map, highlighting areas with the greatest challenges, paired with recommendations that could benefit the client and the organization.
Methods
Background research and an as-is state map | semi-structured interviews | affinity and journey mapping
Two rounds of interviews were conducted: the first, with clients who’d applied to Canada through various immigration programs, the second, seeking to capture the missing voices of the first iteration, looking for hidden barriers that might affect vulnerable groups disproportionately.
Recruitment:
It became apparent that recruitment methods needed to be different for the second set of interviews. Our team relied heavily on the involvement of our internal partners and external service providers. The service providers helped illustrate a broader context of the challenges clients face when applying for programs, and they recruit clients who may not have been reachable otherwise.
Outcomes
journey map | report and recommendations
A journey map was created to highlight the specific stages in a client’s immigration journey where they encountered the biggest pain points. Those pain points were risk-assessed, indicating the potential impact on a client’s ability to properly apply.
Some challenges clients faced proved to be additionally difficult for vulnerable clients; enough to stop them from applying.
All challenges clients faced were recorded in a client insights report which supplemented the journey map. The report included observations from affinity mapping and key insights which were shared with decision makers.
Lessons Learned
Engage early to reach the right people in the right way at the right time.
- Consider the best channels to reach marginalized groups
- Engage early and often
- Challenge assumptions and challenge them in the early stages of planning
- Think about and implement accessibility needs in advance of interviews