Describe, Interpret, and Evaluate
Using the describe, interpret, and evaluate method can help turn the lens through which we view the world from us to the ones who we are designing for. For example, examining the medical barriers to cancer through a lens that is focused on the United States would not allow a design made to help with cancer to be a fully realized solution in Sierra Leone. By describing the problem at its surface level, interpreting what the observation means, and evaluating the feelings surrounding what is seen, our own feelings can be examined in a way that is conductive to design.
Looking at cancer in Sierra Leone at a surface level yields numbers and statistics that reveal hard truths about the healthcare system in Sierra Leone. For example, by only looking at the surface level, one can see that 2000 of the 3000 total cancer diagnoses in Sierra Leone will lead to death. [1] Looking at more surface level descriptions reveals the fact that the majority of cancer patients in Sierra Leone only go to health care providers when their disease is too advanced to treat. The third and final surface level fact that will be observed is that Sierra Leone has begun building its first cancer treatment and diagnosis center after its recent Ebola outbreak and Civil War left its healthcare system ruined. [2][3] The process of looking at these descriptions and then interpreting what their meaning is as a whole, will make it easier to interpret our feelings about these facts during the evaluate phase.
By looking at the numbers of people in Sierra Leone who are diagnosed with cancer and comparing that fact to another that states that Sierra Leone is only now building a radiotherapy and cancer treatment center, it is obvious that there is more meaning in these facts when looked at together rather than apart. My interpretation of these facts is that there are still many people in Sierra Leone who do not have access to cancer diagnostic equipment or treatment. In addition, if the third descriptive fact is included in this interpretation, then I can also interpret that many people in Sierra Leone do not know when they are even showing any warning signs of cancer. If these three facts are combined, then I can interpret that the people of Sierra Leone are misinformed about cancer as a health care problem, and even if they have the right information, they might not have access to the health care equipment to be able to treat their cancer. This misinformation is more than likely due to the recent Civil War and Ebola outbreak that left their healthcare system in ruin. Without doctors, nurses, or other health care providers that could be able to spread this information, how would the people of Sierra Leone know how to look for signs of cancer?
From the conclusion reached above, I can start to evaluate my personal feelings about this interpretation. If I am correct about my interpretation of the facts, then my first feeling would obviously be sadness. How can I, as a fellow human being, not feel for those who do not have access to what many people in the United States sometimes take for granted? This sadness is also due to the fact that the recent Civil War and Ebola outbreak is more than likely what caused these problems to worsen. Many people are still being affected by a war that they did not want to be a part of and an epidemic that they had no choice but to try and treat. Another smaller feeling is anger, in a sense. The people of Sierra Leone are dying because they do not have access to the same medical equipment as those in developed nations, and that seems unfair. Why should they not have access to the same diagnosis and treatment that I do? By asking these questions, interpreting these feelings, and using those feelings to try and help the people of Sierra Leone, design becomes more focused on why instead of how.
References:
[1]Andre, M., & Howlett, J. (2019). Sierra Leone Recognizes Cancer as Public Health Emergency. Retrieved from https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/sierra-leone-recognizes-cancer-as-public-health-emergency
[2] Thomas, A. (2019). Sierra Leone will soon have radiotherapy centre for cancer treatment. Retrieved from https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/sierra-leone-will-soon-have-radiotherapy-centre-for-cancer-treatment/
[3] Desai, A. (2019). WHO | Sierra Leone's long recovery from the scars of war. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/10/10-031010/en/
Looking at cancer in Sierra Leone at a surface level yields numbers and statistics that reveal hard truths about the healthcare system in Sierra Leone. For example, by only looking at the surface level, one can see that 2000 of the 3000 total cancer diagnoses in Sierra Leone will lead to death. [1] Looking at more surface level descriptions reveals the fact that the majority of cancer patients in Sierra Leone only go to health care providers when their disease is too advanced to treat. The third and final surface level fact that will be observed is that Sierra Leone has begun building its first cancer treatment and diagnosis center after its recent Ebola outbreak and Civil War left its healthcare system ruined. [2][3] The process of looking at these descriptions and then interpreting what their meaning is as a whole, will make it easier to interpret our feelings about these facts during the evaluate phase.
By looking at the numbers of people in Sierra Leone who are diagnosed with cancer and comparing that fact to another that states that Sierra Leone is only now building a radiotherapy and cancer treatment center, it is obvious that there is more meaning in these facts when looked at together rather than apart. My interpretation of these facts is that there are still many people in Sierra Leone who do not have access to cancer diagnostic equipment or treatment. In addition, if the third descriptive fact is included in this interpretation, then I can also interpret that many people in Sierra Leone do not know when they are even showing any warning signs of cancer. If these three facts are combined, then I can interpret that the people of Sierra Leone are misinformed about cancer as a health care problem, and even if they have the right information, they might not have access to the health care equipment to be able to treat their cancer. This misinformation is more than likely due to the recent Civil War and Ebola outbreak that left their healthcare system in ruin. Without doctors, nurses, or other health care providers that could be able to spread this information, how would the people of Sierra Leone know how to look for signs of cancer?
From the conclusion reached above, I can start to evaluate my personal feelings about this interpretation. If I am correct about my interpretation of the facts, then my first feeling would obviously be sadness. How can I, as a fellow human being, not feel for those who do not have access to what many people in the United States sometimes take for granted? This sadness is also due to the fact that the recent Civil War and Ebola outbreak is more than likely what caused these problems to worsen. Many people are still being affected by a war that they did not want to be a part of and an epidemic that they had no choice but to try and treat. Another smaller feeling is anger, in a sense. The people of Sierra Leone are dying because they do not have access to the same medical equipment as those in developed nations, and that seems unfair. Why should they not have access to the same diagnosis and treatment that I do? By asking these questions, interpreting these feelings, and using those feelings to try and help the people of Sierra Leone, design becomes more focused on why instead of how.
References:
[1]Andre, M., & Howlett, J. (2019). Sierra Leone Recognizes Cancer as Public Health Emergency. Retrieved from https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/sierra-leone-recognizes-cancer-as-public-health-emergency
[2] Thomas, A. (2019). Sierra Leone will soon have radiotherapy centre for cancer treatment. Retrieved from https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/sierra-leone-will-soon-have-radiotherapy-centre-for-cancer-treatment/
[3] Desai, A. (2019). WHO | Sierra Leone's long recovery from the scars of war. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/10/10-031010/en/