MJ Product Development Guidelines
From MicroJustice
The following best practices can be helpful when Microjustice products are developed.
Contents |
[edit] General
- See the Base of the Pyramid Protocol for general ways to develop products for people living on very limited resources. The Microjustice Initiative is committed to using this method and cooperates with the Base of the Pyramid lab at Tilburg University.
- There is an extensive literature on Legal Empowerment (references needed).
- See also Microjustice, a paper by Maurits Barendrecht and Patricia van Nispen, with some guidelines for developing Microjustice.
- For development of products in the area of conflicts, see Dispute Resolution System Design
[edit] Development of Self Help Products on a Website
Some initial guidelines, that have proven their value in practice are the following.
[edit] What should the product achieve?
- Have the goal in mind: The information will be placed on a website. It must be understandable for the target group. With this information, the client will be able to solve the problem, preferably by him/herself, if necessary with assistance. That is the goal.
- Determine the target group. For instance people who have to survive from day to day, subsistence farmers (poorest of the poor); poor with some assets; richest of the poor (simple stone houses, very simple cars). Everybody is interested in protecting some assets, but it is important to determine the target group precisely. Moreover, the members of the target group should have access to internet in their vicinity, within walking distance, with somebody who can help them to understand the information.
- Determine what the product may achieve for the clients. See the existing sets of questions. Use the BOP Protocol for this as well.
[edit] The perspective of the client
- Put yourself in the shoes of the client. If you are thinking about documents that he needs to provide, think about him/her, trying to imagine where he has these documents. He will have a place in his house, or somewhere else, with important documents. How can he recognize the right document? How can he check whether a document exists? If a copy is needed, how does he normally make copies?
- Write down the steps for the process from this perspective. What acts should the client undertake?
- Imagine which questions the client will have. Try to answer these.
[edit] Writing the texts
- When writing the texts, always put yourself in the position of the client. Take her perspective. Imagine you have her skills. How does she read texts, and tries to understand information? Every poor person has ways to deal with texts. In Bolivia, where many people speak local languages like Aymara at home, they may still be able to read Spanish themselves. Or have a family member who reads Spanish texts. Imagine what type of conversation they will have when they do this joined effort of deciphering your texts.
- Writing so that lay people can understand it is very, very difficult. So do not expect from yourself that you can do it right the first time. Some questions you may ask yourself during the second, third, ... twentieth revision: For each word, is there a simpler one? For each sentence, can it be shortened?
- Test the text with the target-group. Ask members of the target group to summarize the information. What does he/she find difficult to understand?
[edit] Which Steps Should the Product Contain?
If you start from the existing situation (see Microjustice Products for this situation) write down what the steps are. Then try to improve from there. Bring yourself in a creative mood. Ask yourself, and discuss with your team in a brainstorming session:
- Is the procedure really necessary?
- Are there other ways to reach similar results (in terms of what the client really wants/needs to achieve in his/her life)?
- Is each step necessary?
- Are there shortcuts possible?
- What are the most difficult, time-consuming, costly steps?
- Can it be done easier, or cheaper?
- How? Who has to cooperate with this?
If you have to develop an entirely new approach (see Microjustice Products for this situation): Start from the needs of the client and design a new product. Ask clients how they cope with this need. Brainstorm with them about the following questions:
- How can they get what they need?
- How have they coped with this problem until now? What could be improved?
- Usually the needs of the client will be that someone else behaves differently: a neighbor, a family member, an employer, a school, the police, somebody requiring documents. Are there other ways to change this behavior?
- What is the easiest way to obtain the desired result for the client? What is are the steps?
- Is each step necessary?
- Are there shortcuts possible?
- What are the most difficult, time-consuming, costly steps?
- What can be done easier, or cheaper?
- How? Who has to cooperate with this?
