Could traditional research methods be missing the big picture?
Could visual techniques be used to elicit different, more nuanced information than standard survey and interview tools?
What could LEGO™ contribute to our understanding of contemporary international development challenges?
These are some of the questions University of Queensland researcher Dr Lauren Leigh Hinthorne is exploring as part of her postdoctoral studies.
Dr Hinthorne, based in UQ’s Centre for Communication and Social Change in the School of Journalism and Communication, has a background in political science with an emphasis on international development and conflict transformation.
While conducting field research as part of her doctoral studies, she designed and piloted an innovative visual research tool for exploring how ordinary people understand their socio-political environment and relate these perceptions to specific policy goals.
Other research projects have examined implementation of the Kimberley Process in post-conflict Sierra Leone and the effectiveness of international food aid.
The particular expertise Dr Hinthorne will be developing over the course of her postdoctoral fellowship is on the metamethodology of visual research practice and how a range of visual research and communication tools can improve local stakeholder engagement in development initiatives.
One of her current research projects includes the development of a participatory model-building exercise adapted from the Lego Serious Play methodology .
“What’s not to love about research that requires playing with LEGO™,” Dr Hinthorne said.
LEGO Serious Play is an innovative, experiential process most commonly used in organisational and strategic management.
It evolved from research demonstrating strong links between cognitive and manual activity.
“In short, the Lego Serious Play process consists of a progressive sequence of model-building exercises that encourage participants to think abstractly about complex problems using the iconic, plastic LEGO bricks," she said.
"Participants then share their models with others sitting around the table, creating opportunities for self-expression, effective dialogue and shared understanding.”
Dr Hinthorne is currently conducting pilot research that explores the utility of Lego Serious Play as a participatory situation analysis technique.
Moreover, in stark contrast to conventional, top-down approaches to needs assessment and project planning, the technique piloted in this research recognises that project stakeholders – East Timorese cattle farmers in this case – hold particular expertise about both their current situation and obstacles to achieving a more sustainable livelihood.
“It also acknowledges that many people, particularly those with low literacy skills or minimal formal education, may not be readily able to articulate this expertise.
"The structured process of building models allows participants ample opportunity to reflect on their position or perceptions individually.
"When the time comes for discussion everyone has had a chance to think through what they might want to say.
“The physical model serves as a prop that can be used to help demonstrate complex relationships or nuanced information.”
In addition to this ongoing research, Dr Hinthorne has facilitated workshops using Lego Serious Play with students from the UQ School of Journalism and Communication, West African diplomats visiting UQ for a regional diplomacy course and entrepreneurs based at UniQuest’s business incubator iLab.
Dr Hinthorne said her research contributed to change by emphasising the experiential knowledge of ordinary people and developing practical tools for integrating this knowledge into project development and policy-making.
“One of the biggest challenges is getting practitioners in the international development industry to recognise the enormous potential of visual communication techniques for facilitating meaningful stakeholder engagement and sustainable impact," she said.
“Hopefully my research will make it easier for ordinary people to effectively speak into project development and policy-making processes that affect their lives.”
Media: Dr Lauren Leigh Hinthorne (School of Journalism and Communication), email l.hinthorne@uq.edu.au, phone 3346 8298 or Helen Burdon (Marketing and Communications, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences), email h.burdon@uq.edu.au, phone 3346 9279.
