Rich Pictures: Sustainable Development and Stakeholders – The Benefits of Content Analysis

Abstract

This paper concerns the interpretation of pictures which stakeholders draw in order to help them structure and understand complex situations. The pictures in question are called Rich Pictures (RPs) and the matter at the heart of interpretation is insight drawn from eduction (drawing forth). Insights relate to stakeholders of all kinds, be they the individual, the group, the context in which the individual and the group find themselves, and the means whereby the context can be made more sustainable or improved. RP drawing, often as a collaborative, stakeholder exercise, is a powerful activity which has the capacity to break down barriers of language, education and culture. Drawing upon research with RPs from around the world and spanning fifty years of our combined practice, this paper demonstrates RPs utility, universality and resilience. We maintain that RP drawing enriches problem solving and, in the long term, saves time and resources from being expended on erroneous and/or superficial tasks. But the interpretation of RPs is still in its infancy. By use of processes derived from various forms of Content Analysis (CA) we argue that RPs can be applied as a powerful tool in a variety of policy fields. Conclusions for application are drawn and suggestions are made for further research relating to the clearer interpretation of Rich Pictures

Living with advanced cancer: Rich Pictures as a means for health care providers to explore the experiences of advanced cancer patients

“…We analyzed the RPs using content analysis. 27,28 An analytical framework, based on the work of Carney and adopted by Bell, Berg, and Morse was used to guide the analysis. 24,29 The aim of these sessions was to obtain multiple perspectives on the content of the RP and explore different ways of seeing.…”

“…During RP viewing sessions one single RP was discussed in detail for an hour by 6‐8 researchers who had experience with RP research. We analyzed the RPs using content analysis . An analytical framework, based on the work of Carney and adopted by Bell, Berg, and Morse was used to guide the analysis .…”

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“…This approach to Content Analysis is called Eductive Interpretation Content Analysis or EICA (for an overview of the approach see: Bell et al 2015Bell et al , 2016. …”

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“…RPs help to build a pictorial representation of the workshop participants' current understanding of the problem situation (Lewis, 1992), taking account of the richness and complexity of the real world (Barrett and Barrett, 2003). Bell et al, (2016) describe a number of functions of RPs that can be considered in light of this study: the groups were able to gather themes; gain a sense of ownership and consent; take understanding forward; make judgements/decisions within the group and context arising from different views expressed. To remain objective, the facilitators drew up and agreed a set of protocols following good practice described in the literature for facilitating the workshop (e.g.…”

“…Sutrisna and Barrett, 2007;Berg, 2014;Berg and Pooley, 2013) and their subsequent analysis (e.g. Lewis, 1992;Bell et al, 2016). For instance, the facilitators invited a spokesperson to describe the RP, highlighting views that were shared and contested.…”