Short answer
When adapting or designing services for new contexts, actively involve the target users and local experts in the design and development process to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2025)
- Method
- Qualitative research and co-creation strategies
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Adapting an intervention using participatory methods with local stakeholders significantly enhances its relevance and acceptance in a new cultural and socioeconomic context. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Using Qualitative research and co-creation strategies, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When adapting or designing services for new contexts, actively involve the target users and local experts in the design and development process to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness.
Participatory Programme Adaptation Increases Cultural Relevance and Stakeholder Buy-in
Adapting an intervention using participatory methods with local stakeholders significantly enhances its relevance and acceptance in a new cultural and socioeconomic context.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Participatory methods involving end-users (caregivers) and local professionals are essential for successful adaptation of interventions.
- 02Co-creation of content and delivery planning leads to a programme that is more culturally relevant and aligned with local needs.
- 03The adapted programme ('Encompass') aims to be a 'decolonised healthcare innovation' by transferring knowledge from LMICs to HICs.
- 04The programme is designed to be participatory, fostering peer support and shared problem-solving among caregivers.
Application
Design takeaway
When adapting or designing services for new contexts, actively involve the target users and local experts in the design and development process to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness.
How to apply
When designing a product or service for a different user group or cultural context, conduct thorough user research and involve potential users in the design process through workshops or feedback sessions.
Project actions
- 01When adapting an existing design for a new user group, clearly document how user feedback and co-creation shaped the final design.
- 02Consider the cultural context and potential barriers to adoption when proposing design solutions.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Inclusion of lived experience from parents.
- +Systematic approach using ADAPT guidance.
- +Focus on 'decolonised healthcare innovation'.
Limitations
The effectiveness of the 'Encompass' programme is still being evaluated, and the study doesn't detail the specific challenges faced during the co-creation process or how they were overcome.
Reliability & validity
The study's reliance on qualitative data and co-creation methods provides rich insights but may limit generalizability. The validity of findings depends on the depth of participant engagement and the representativeness of the adaptation team.
Think critically
To what extent can interventions developed in LMICs truly be considered 'decolonised' when adapted for HICs, and what are the ethical considerations in such knowledge transfer?
Design Principles
"User-centred adaptation and co-creation are critical for successful cross-cultural innovation."
This highlights the importance of user-centred design principles in innovation, where understanding the target audience's needs, cultural nuances, and existing resources is crucial for successful product or service adoption. It demonstrates that innovation is not just about invention but also about effective adaptation and implementation.
What This Means for Your Design
If you want to change something for a new group of people, it's best to ask them what they need and work with them to make the changes, rather than just guessing.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this insight to justify the importance of user research and iterative design in your project, especially if you are adapting an existing product or concept.
- 2.Refer to this when discussing the need to tailor designs to specific user groups and contexts.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The adaptation of the 'Baby Ubuntu' programme into 'Encompass' highlights the critical role of participatory design and co-creation in ensuring interventions are culturally relevant and effective in new contexts. By involving end-users and local stakeholders, designers can move beyond simple replication to create solutions that genuinely meet the needs of the target audience, a principle directly applicable to user-centred design in product development.
Source
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Adapting a Participatory Group Programme for Caregivers of Children with Complex Neurodisability from Low-, Middle-Income Countries to a High-Income Setting: Moving from “Baby Ubuntu” to “Encompass”
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about participatory programme adaptation increases cultural relevance and stakeholder buy-in?
- When adapting or designing services for new contexts, actively involve the target users and local experts in the design and development process to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness. Evidence: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2025).
- Why does "Participatory Programme Adaptation Increases Cultural Relevance and Stakeholder Buy-in" matter for design?
- This highlights the importance of user-centred design principles in innovation, where understanding the target audience's needs, cultural nuances, and existing resources is crucial for successful product or service adoption. It demonstrates that innovation is not just about invention but also about effective adaptation and implementation.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When adapting or designing services for new contexts, actively involve the target users and local experts in the design and development process to ensure cultural relevance and effectiveness.
- What were the main findings?
- Participatory methods involving end-users (caregivers) and local professionals are essential for successful adaptation of interventions.. Co-creation of content and delivery planning leads to a programme that is more culturally relevant and aligned with local needs.. The adapted programme ('Encompass') aims to be a 'decolonised healthcare innovation' by transferring knowledge from LMICs to HICs.. The programme is designed to be participatory, fostering peer support and shared problem-solving among caregivers.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative research and co-creation strategies.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a product or service for a different user group or cultural context, conduct thorough user research and involve potential users in the design process through workshops or feedback sessions.
- What are the limitations?
- The paper focuses on the adaptation process; piloting is underway, so long-term effectiveness and impact are yet to be fully determined. The specific challenges of the UK's diverse urban settings might not be fully captured by a single adaptation process.