Abstract
BackgroundIn coproduction research, traditional ‘end-users’ are involved in the entire research process. The aim is to facilitate research translation by improving the timeliness and relevance of research. Because end-users often come from multiple sectors and hold diverse perspectives and priorities, involving them in coproduction can be challenging. Tools and approaches are needed to support coproduction teams to successfully navigate divergent viewpoints while producing rigorous but meaningful research outcomes. Rich pictures are a systems thinking tool to help make sense of complexity. In this paper, we describe how we developed and applied a ‘rich picture’ in a coproduction project with policy-level partners.MethodsGuided by systems thinking principles, we conducted a systemic analysis of ethnographic fieldnotes collected as part of a broader study that examined the dynamics between an IT system and the implementation of the state-wide childhood obesity prevention programmes it was designed to monitor. Translating qualitative themes into metaphor and imagery, we created a visual depiction of the system to reflect the experience of the system’s users (health promotion practitioners) and facilitated a workshop with policy-level programme administrators (i.e. participants, n = 7). Our aim was to increase the transparency of the system for our research partners and to spark new insights to improve the quality of programme implementation.ResultsGuided by provocative questions, participants discussed and challenged each other’s thinking on the current functioning of the system. They identified future lines of inquiry to explore for quality improvement. Participants strongly agreed that the picture was a constructive way to engage with the ethnographic data but were challenged by the information and its implications. The opportunity for participants to co-learn from each other as well as from the picture was an added value.ConclusionIn the context of the facilitated workshop, the rich picture enabled research partners to engage with complex research findings and gain new insights. Its value was harnessed via the guided participatory process. This demonstrates the importance that, in the future, such tools should be accompanied by practices that enable participants to think with and apply systems thinking concepts and principles.
Highlights
In coproduction research, traditional ‘end-users’ are involved in the entire research process
We introduced the rich picture and encouraged participants to consider whether information from it filled gaps that participants had identified in their knowledge
In this paper, we have provided a detailed account about how we developed a rich picture of ethnographic data and used it to engage research partners in inquiry and reflexivity as a means towards coproduction of a research project
Summary
Traditional ‘end-users’ are involved in the entire research process. Defined as “the joint working of people who are not in the same organisation to produce goods or services” [3, 4], coproduction has been enacted in many forms and settings. This diversity means there is currently no consensus on what coproduction is, who it involves or how best to. From project set-up phase to final dissemination, coproduction teams must navigate potential tensions, created and exacerbated by the divergent priorities and expectations of the multiple stakeholders involved [8,9,10]
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