Using Human-Centered Design to Adapt Supply Chains and Digital Solutions for Community Health Volunteers in Nomadic Communities of Northern Kenya

Abstract

Investing the time and effort to use human-centered design (HCD) approaches is beneficial to designing supply chains and digital solutions for complex sociocultural settings. HCD enables users to be engaged in cocreating solutions that address their challenges, are appropriate for their context and capacity, and build local ownership.

Abstract

Key Findings

• Human-centered design (HCD) offers a methodology for engaging seminomadic and nomadic communities with complex social and cultural barriers in designing innovative digital health and supply chain solutions. A reliable supply chain for essential and reproductive health commodities for community health volunteers will improve access and contribute to the overall health and well-being of the community, especially women and children.

• Exploratory research using HCD methodologies uncovered opportunities for innovation by building on informal behaviors already in place to overcome barriers, such as strengthening the role of supervisors to support community health volunteers in completing their reports.

Key Implications

• Program managers should consider using HCD approaches when designing health, digital, or supply chain interventions for complex sociocultural settings, especially when traditional health interventions have not been successful.

ABSTRACT

Background:

Unreliable and nonexistent supply chain procedures and processes are one of the primary barriers to achieving functional community health units in nomadic communities in the arid/semiarid counties of Kenya.

Methods:

We used a human-centered design (HCD) approach to engage communities and community health volunteers (CHVs) in redesigning a proven data-centric supply chain approach that included a digital solution, called cStock, for this challenging context. We conducted the HCD process in 4 phases: (1) understanding intent, (2) research and insights, (3) ideation and prototyping, and (4) supply chain design and requirements building. Data collection used qualitative methods and involved a range of stakeholders including CHVs, supervisors, and local beneficiaries. CHVs and their supervisors also participated in cStock usability testing. Drawing on insights and personas generated from the research, stakeholders ideated and codesigned supply chain tools.

Results:

The research identified critical insights for informing the redesign of cStock for nomadic communities. These insights were categorized into supply chain, information systems, human resources, behaviors, service delivery infrastructure, and connectivity. Four supply chain data solutions were designed, prototyped, tested, and iterated: a stock recording paper-based form, a user-friendly cStock application, a supervisor cStock application, and an unstructured supplementary service data reporting system using feature phones.

Conclusions:

Using the HCD process incorporated the perspective of CHVs and their communities and provided key insights to inform the design of the supply chain and adapt cStock. The process helped make cStock to be inclusive and have the potential to have a meaningful impact on strengthening the supply chain for seminomadic and nomadic communities in northern Kenya. A strong supply chain for these CHVs will increase access to essential and reproductive health commodities and contribute to improving the overall health and well-being of these communities, especially women and children.