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Going Beyond the
Urban Thai Middle Class
How Empathy-Driven Design brings a fresh perspective to the refugee and migrants issue
WHAT WE DID
Research and Insight | Graphic Design | Layout
INTRODUCTION
As a powerful global network comprising over 400 organizations, groups and individuals advocating for those affected by immigration detention, the International Detention Coalition (IDC) recognizes the pressing need to foster greater acceptance and understanding in Thailand, which is one of the largest host countries for refugees in Southeast Asia.
Despite the country’s long history of hosting millions of refugees and migrants, studies over the years from think tanks and non-profit organisations, however, have consistently found the Thai public to be among the least accepting of refugees in the world. Very often refugees are grouped together with migrant workers and branded as ‘threats,’ ‘carriers of diseases’ or an economic ‘burden’.
BRIEF
The IDC approached Sidekick seeking to explore all possible opportunities and novel approaches to communication to generate interest and, more importantly, shift public opinions around refugees and migrants. What we discovered went far beyond anyone’s expectations, revealing exciting possibilities and a previously untapped audience.
APPROACH
Observation
The most profound insights we can learn about someone often come - not from what they explicitly tell us - but from attentive observations of their behavior, actions and non-verbal cues. To accomplish this task, we deployed a team of skilled observers including journalists, storytellers and design thinkers, who take on the role of ‘fly on the wall’ to observe our users in their ‘natural habitat’ as they go about their daily lives, work, shop and socialize.
Following a design thinking approach, our researchers fully immersed themselves in the lives of four distinct groups within the Thai public, categorized based on their media consumption: mass divergent media consumers, online-only mass media consumers, quality news media consumers and online news magazine consumers - closely observing their routines, understanding their thoughts and feelings towards all things around them together with what they tell us over the course of two weeks. The goal is to develop a 360-degree perspective of each individual and the group they represent to understand their beliefs and motivations that influence their actions in how they live in the world. The key rule is ‘question but not judge’.
Experience Sampling Method (ESM) through daily diaries
Through online journals and messaging apps, each of the 40 participants provided an hour by hour digital/social and traditional media consumption report documented through text, audio and images. For each media content consumed, we asked the participants to answer these 4 questions:
Focus Group Interviews
The focus group interviews serve as a crucial step in making sense of the data collected during the observation process. Its main purpose is to validate and enhance our team's understanding and seek clarification on any points that may have been may have been unclear and check if the information previously shared by participants remains consistent or drastically changes due to social desirability tendencies (the pressure to present oneself in a way that is perceived to be socially acceptable).
Additionally, the informants in the focus group interviews were also provided with information on:
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The definition of migrant and refugee status, background stories and situations
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The number of refugees and migrants residing in Thailand
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Existing communications and activities around this issue produced by IDC partners within a group setting
INSIGHTS
Through the empathy-driven research phase, one fundamental insight became clear: Stories of courage in the face of unimaginable obstacles struck a chord with mass media consumers. Despite their lack of prior knowledge and direct contact with refugees, their own life experiences and proximity to hardships and struggles help them understand the plight of refugees and migrants. They not only relate the refugee stories to the struggles or discrimination they themselves have experienced such as facing unfair treatment or job loss, especially during the COVID pandemic, but also want to learn more as well as share and engage others with the cause.
Meanwhile, consumers of quality news and online news magazines, most of whom represent the country’s urban middle class, already knew of the issue beforehand through news/media coverage of Rohingya and Ukrainian refugees’ situation, for example, but felt:
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It’s not a priority issue
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Sympathetic but shouldn’t Thai people be taken care of first?
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Budgets and taxes should be used accordingly
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If more refugees are allowed to reside in the country – there should be a process of health screenings and background checks
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The refugee issue is also connected to national security
However, among the urban middle class consumers we found that some people deviate from the majority because they have had direct contact with migrants or refugees or are actively involved in social good groups or volunteering networks, which exposes them to life stories and perspectives outside of their immediate groups and circles of friends.
Through observing media consumption habits, we also learned that mass media consumers prefer human-interest stories to statistics, especially stories about mothers and families overcoming adversity to provide an opportunity for their loved ones.
PROTOTYPE
Based on these findings, we developed a range of prototype media products including graphics | short-form videos | event experience to engage with the Thai mass media audience with the following key design considerations in mind:
Empathy not sympathy
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Admiring someone for trying. Stories of people overcoming adversity, not just waiting for luck or handouts.
Short-form over long videos
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More likely to consume and share something that is less than 1 minute.
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Images and videos should show not just hardship but also determination and relationship especially between families.
Bold and straight to the point
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Bold colours - the use of prime colours like red and yellow
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Prefer reading captions than long sentences. Limit text to just one or two fonts. A caption must be able to explain the context using as little text as possible - simple language to avoid confusion.
Localised not foreign
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Important to feel comfortable in setting and surroundings especially when attending social events and activities - should have a market or fair atmosphere. Learn through engaging and fun activities, not through long speeches and panel discussions.
MOODBOARD
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Graphics
Social media banners with bold fonts, bright colors and strong images showcasing the resilience and determination of caregivers fleeing their home countries in pursuit of a brighter future for their children.
Comments from mass media consumer participants:
Short-form Video
Adapted from a 10-minute clip, the 1-minute video follows the gripping journey of Eva, a brave Somali mother who escapes the clutches of civil war in her homeland, seeking refuge in Thailand alongside her children - with voiceover by a Channel 3 news presenter.
Comments from mass media consumer participants:
Short-form Video
1-minute event promo video featuring images from events and activities organized by civil society organizations during World Refugee Day but rebranded and reorganised to fit mass media audience needs with voiceover by a VO artist
Comments from mass media consumer participants:
Event Experience
Inspired by the mass media audience and the type of events they like - the event concept is based on an open market or local fair with various goods | food | music | local products on display including information zones and panel discussions about migration
Comments from mass media consumer participants:
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
For the majority of the Thai public, forced migration is not an issue people are aware of. However, through the user-centred approach and the Proximity Principle, we are able to learn that while for some the mention of migrants and refugees brings about negative connotations, for those representing the majority of the population, many find comfort in shared experiences, especially through shared hardship.
The stories of courage in the face of unimaginable obstacles struck a chord with the majority of Thai mass media consumers. When we see others face an obstacle with strength, it inspires us - gives us a new perspective. Despite not knowing much about refugee and migrant issues before, the bravery shown by individuals has inspired these groups of consumers to not just learn more but to also want to share and engage others with the cause.
Meanwhile, for those representing middle class urban consumers with an exception of the few, knowing more about the issue, provokes even greater resentment. Negativity surrounds the topic and the existence of any forms of migration worries them - personally, physically and financially. However, the status of the urban middle class matters more than its size. Their proximity to decision-making and decision-makers, think tanks and thought leaders, forces us to continue to find ways to engage and communicate with them.
The study shows us that personal experiences can be strongly influenced by proximity, as people's daily lives and interactions are often shaped by their surroundings. We have the opportunity to engage a large virtually untapped demographic whose life experiences make them more likely to see the value of refugees and migrants. However, new and creative approaches are needed to be able to mobilise these individuals.
PROGRESS
In late 2022, Sidekick was invited to present the results of this study to relevant government agencies, international and civil society organisations and the media at the Seminar on Promoting the Right Perception of Migrants, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with International Detention Coalition (IDC). The proposed concept for public communications campaigns on migrants was endorsed by the MOFA, which agreed to provide support in securing buy-in from its partner organisations for public communication campaigns and activities under Objectives 16 and 17 of the the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), which provides the first international and non-legally binding cooperative framework on migration, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) as the lead implementing/coordinating agency.