The IGSD Digital, Data and Innovation group welcomed visiting speaker Susan Wyche (Michigan State University) to give a talk on “Accompaniment in Human-Centered Design: From Digital Interventions to Community and Dialogue”
Prof Whyche argued that the idea of accompaniment can strengthen co-design practices in the fields of Information and Communication Technology and Development (ICTD) and of global health. Drawing on research in Kenya, she presented two projects that show how accompaniment offers another way of approaching design, one that prioritizes listening, mutual understanding, and long-term impact over problem solving and the development of novel technologies. The first project uses an HCD approach to develop an intervention that supports Kenyan youth with Type 1 diabetes in managing their condition. The second project is a Michigan State University course that connects students with peers at Kenya’s Egerton University to collaborate on design projects. In doing so, it critiques globally unequal geographies of knowledge production and explores more reciprocal and just collaborations models.
Dr. Susan Wyche is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University and a faculty affiliate of the university’s African Studies Center. Her research focuses on Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) and ICT4D. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, USAID, and the Mozilla Foundation.