SIMLab. How to use the example

The examples below were created to emphasize how one would assess a context with each
specific area of inquiry in mind, which should be thought about as a lens. The examples below
are from six projects, with each going through the process of analysis and data gathering to
determine the context at only one level of the project
● Individuals and communities: examining beneficiaries and the community in beneficiary
feedback mechanisms in Tanzania, India and Somaliland
● Organizations: examining a health clinic in San Francisco aiming to start a behavior
change program for new mothers
● Politics: examining how the political environment of 12 countries will affect community
policing and our strategy to implement inclusive technologies
● Market and environment: examining the mobile market in Kenya to determine the
appropriate mobile money tools and approaches to create
● Technology: examining how we can use technology to best fit the goals and users of the
project.
We chose six different projects to demonstrate how to think about different stakeholders and
contexts. However, the idea is that together the 6 examples would appropriately analyze one
project holistically. Since each example is concentrating on one lens of the project, it is clear
that important questions are not covered through each lens: for instance, the market and
environment are ignored in our example when analyzing organizations.