Recommended practice embeds user voices into formal governance structures, such as a Consumer Forum. Nevertheless, if a Scheme cannot pursue such a formal option, or wishes to complement their Consumer Forum, we offer several less formal mechanisms to elicit feedback which can be tailored to suit the specific context and stakeholder landscape of each market.
Methods
Open Call via Public Channels
Description: Inclusive IPS publicly broadcasts (via radio, social, SMS) an open invitation to provide feedback to a central feedback ‘box’
Benefits: Inclusive; low barrier to entry; useful for uncovering unknown use cases
Challenges: Harder to synthesize and analyze data; quality may vary; requires outreach effort
Ideal For: Early-stage scoping or public accountability processes
Partner-Led Community Listening Sessions or Working Groups
Description: Scheme participants join NGOs or Consumer Rights Groups who host grassroots discussions and relay structured insights
Benefits: Leverages trusted local partners; culturally appropriate facilitation
Challenges: Dependent on partner capacity; slower turnaround time and documentation
Ideal For: Gathering feedback from rural women, informal actors
Participatory Design Labs/Hackathons
Description: Scheme sponsors public hackathons to generate solutions to persistent end user challenges
Benefits: Generates new ideas and engagement with new parties; Deep co-creation; builds user ownership and trust
Challenges: Resource intensive; limited to small, often urban, sample
Ideal For: UX testing, proof-of-concept development