Reviewing ‘Explorations’: A Primary Research Method

‘Explorations’ proved to be an efficient empirical method for the case study at this stage of the research. The richness of the findings that were extracted from only 18 ‘Explorations’ kits was surprising, and the response rate was 100%, with almost all the tasks completed within each kit.

These successes were due to a number of [...]

A journal on International Work and Study Camp 2009

I had introduced the Forum for Development Culture and Dialogue (FDCD) in a previous post. Since 2005, FDCD has been holding, in partnership with other organisations, a yearly summer camp that brings together 23 to 33 year-old participants from different religions, backgrounds and countries across the world. I participated in this year’s camp which took [...]

Social Media: Overcoming the Barriers

2.3.2.2 (What’s this number?)
I am in the middle of preparing for an important presentation about my research on Monday. Time is ticking and the presentation is nowhere near done yet, but I couldn’t resist the urge of sharing this video with you, and the idea that emerged from it.
The video below was produced by The [...]

Cultural Probes Coming Soon

4.2.3.0 (What’s this number?)
The research is approaching a pre-insight gathering stage, which entails conducting scoping fieldwork in designated districts in Lebanon, throughout the month of July 2009. The aim of the scoping phase, as the name suggests, is to scope out the problem of social segregation on the field, and compare it with the context [...]

The Lebanese Social Structure… and Again… Made Simple

2.3.2.0 (What’s this number?)
So for those who found my post Social Group Dynamics in Lebanon very, very, very long and boring (for those who didn’t, I really appreciate your patience!), here’s a video that puts the same idea across… and entertains you at the same time. It’s made with the 2009 Elections in mind, but [...]

What is Graphic Design? Again… Made Simple

3.1.0.0 (What’s this number?)
So again, I come across another video (thanks Sheila!) that explains clearly and interestingly, something not so easy for us Graphic Designers to put simply. And we all know the well dreaded questions:
“So you’re a Graphic Designer, so what is it exactly that you do?”
“Why do you need to read, write and [...]

Tolerance for Dummies

2.3.2.2 (What’s this number?)
One of the key terms of my PhD research is ’social integration’. In the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, the United Nations listed 3 agenda headings as a priority for action, one of which was ‘enhancing social integration’ – alongside ‘decreasing poverty’ and ‘reducing unemployment’.
The United Nations defines social integration in [...]

Roar of a Bus: Memories of a Country هدير بوسطة: ذكريات بلد

2.3.2.2 (What’s this number?)

A number of non-governmental organisations and community groups collaborated on an unusual social intervention in Lebanon: A bus tour titled هدير بوسطة: ذكريات بلد (Roar of a bus: Memories of a Country) based on the lyrics of Fairuz’s popular bus ride ballad. The bus tour starts on the 13th of April – [...]

The Story of Co-design… Made Simple

3.2.1.2 (What’s this number?)
Think Public, a public service and communication design company in London, created a simple video demonstrating the process of co-design. This is a forthcoming tool using participatory methods to tackle a research problem.
My methodology will also be adopting participatory methods where my target audience and different stakeholders such as mayors, community workers, [...]

FDCD: A Pioneer in Lebanon

2.3.2.2 (What’s this number?)
A couple of months ago, I came across a Non-Governmental Organization in Lebanon: The Forum for Development Culture and Dialogue (FDCD). I was thrilled to find an organization in Lebanon that devotes its aims towards key social issues that the rest of the sector has either foreseen or demonstrated minimal contribution to.
6. [...]