Co-designing Digital Gender Inclusion: Qualitative Research

Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents. The primary keyword for this post is digital gender inclusion qualitative research. According to PLOS One, published August 20, 2026, Shahil-Feroz et al. have published a study protocol to explore why marginalized women in Azam Basti, Karachi, Pakistan, have limited access to mobile phones and mobile internet and to co-design community solutions PLOS One. The PLOS One protocol proposes a three-phase community-based participatory research design with focus groups, in-depth interviews, and co-design workshops, planned to start in February 2026 and to generate results beginning in late 2027. For teams doing qualitative research on gendered digital exclusion, the PLOS One protocol provides concrete sample plans, participatory methods such as photo-elicitation and role-play, and an explicit reflexive thematic analysis pipeline that AI-enabled tools can accelerate.

Key Takeaways

According to the PLOS One study, published August 20, 2026, the protocol investigates sociocultural and household-level drivers of women's digital exclusion in a low-income community on Karachi's outskirts PLOS One.

The PLOS One protocol emphasizes participatory methods and co-design with family gatekeepers and community leaders rather than awareness-only campaigns.

The PLOS One protocol plans roughly 36–45 participants across FGDs and interviews, with fieldwork scheduled to begin in August 2026 and data collection completed by April 2027 (project timeline, PLOS One, Feb 2026 start).
According to the PLOS One authors citing GSMA, women in Pakistan were 38% less likely than men to own a mobile phone or access mobile internet in 2024 (GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024, cited in PLOS One).
The PLOS One protocol notes Pakistan ranked 145 out of 146 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index in 2024 (World Economic Forum, cited in PLOS One), underscoring severe structural barriers.
The PLOS One authors write that the project "targets family gatekeepers and community leaders" because "deeply entrenched sociocultural barriers" shape technology access (Shahil-Feroz et al., PLOS One, 2026).

What happened and how the study works

What happened: PLOS One published a study protocol on August 20, 2026 that lays out a two-year CBPR project to examine gender-based digital exclusion in Azam Basti, Karachi PLOS One.

How it works: According to PLOS One, the study uses three phases: (1) form a Community Advisory Committee, (2) conduct focus group discussions and 4–5 in-depth interviews per participant group for a total sample of approximately 36–45 participants, and (3) run three co-design workshops to generate locally tailored solutions (PLOS One, published Aug 20, 2026).

Measurement and analysis: According to PLOS One, qualitative data will be transcribed in Urdu, translated to English by bilingual researchers, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis with independent double coding and NVivo-assisted organization (PLOS One, 2026).

Methodological notes: According to PLOS One, the protocol integrates Technofeminism theory and participatory methods including photo-elicitation and role-play to surface household decision dynamics; the authors emphasize that "achieving digital gender inclusion requires a shift from awareness campaigns to active engagement" (Shahil-Feroz et al., PLOS One, 2026).

Findings snapshot

Date	Metric	Value	Implication (for researchers)
Aug 20, 2026	Protocol published	PLOS One study protocol (Shahil-Feroz et al.)	Use this protocol as a template for CBPR on digital gender exclusion
2024	Mobile ownership gap (GSMA, cited)	Women 38% less likely than men to own/access mobile internet	Justifies household- and community-level inquiry rather than device-only interventions
2024	Global Gender Gap rank (World Economic Forum, cited)	Pakistan 145/146	Prioritize structural and normative analysis in sampling and dissemination
Feb 2026–Jan 2028	Planned project timeline	Two-year project with data collection Aug–Apr 2027	Plan resources for translation, transcription, and iterative community feedback
Field procedures (PLOS One)	Participant compensation	PKR 4500 (≈16 USD) for CAC sessions	Budget modest incentives and food/refreshments into fieldwork costs

Implications for qualitative researchers and program designers

Implication: The PLOS One protocol signals that addressing digital gender gaps requires household and community engagement, not just device distribution (Shahil-Feroz et al., PLOS One, 2026).

Design implication: According to PLOS One, purposive sampling across marginalized women, family gatekeepers, and community leaders is essential to capture power dynamics that shape access; researchers should plan 36–45 participants and allow saturation-based flexibility (PLOS One, 2026).

Measurement implication: According to PLOS One, combining photo-elicitation, role-play, FGDs, and in-depth interviews produces richer, contextualized data that policy teams can translate into actionable interventions.

Policy implication: According to PLOS One and GSMA, closing the mobile gender gap (38% disparity cited from GSMA 2024, referenced in PLOS One) will require shifting from awareness campaigns to co-designed norms-change strategies that include male and elder allies.

How Evidano helps: AI-enabled qualitative workflows for this protocol

Problem: Multilingual transcription and translation burden

Solution: Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents; Evidano provides automated speech-to-text with custom dictionaries and PII redaction to transcribe Urdu audio and streamline translation (Evidano features).

Contextual link: See the Evidano speech-to-text page for automated Urdu transcription and custom dictionary support Evidano Speech-to-Text.

Problem: Slow thematic synthesis across FGDs, interviews, and visual data

Solution: Evidano accelerates reflexive thematic analysis with AI-assisted coding suggestions, hierarchical codebooks, and cross-segment frequency analysis to compare marginalized women, male gatekeepers, and community leaders.

Contextual link: Learn about core capabilities on the Evidano features page Evidano Features.

Problem: Co-design documentation and stakeholder dissemination

Solution: Evidano generates exportable visualizations (co-occurrence networks, word clouds, and code→subcode hierarchies) and provides an AI chat over project documents to draft policy briefs and community-facing materials based on coded themes.

FAQ: digital gender inclusion qualitative research

What sample size should I plan for a CBPR study on digital gender exclusion?

Answer: Plan for a purposive sample and use theoretical saturation rather than a fixed quota.

Explanation: According to the PLOS One protocol, the team planned approximately 36–45 participants across FGDs and interviews and used saturation to determine final numbers (PLOS One, 2026). Researchers should therefore budget flexibility for additional interviews if new themes emerge.

How should multilingual transcripts be handled in reflexive thematic analysis?

Answer: Transcribe in the original language, then translate by bilingual researchers and keep original-language files for auditability.

Explanation: The PLOS One protocol specifies Urdu transcription followed by English translation and bilingual coding to preserve meaning (PLOS One, 2026). Using AI-assisted speech-to-text plus human review speeds this workflow while maintaining rigor.

Can AI help co-design outputs that are culturally sensitive?

Answer: AI can help surface themes and draft materials, but final cultural adaptation must be co-validated with community advisory groups.

Explanation: According to PLOS One, the advisory committee reviews and validates themes and co-design outputs (PLOS One, 2026). Researchers should use AI to draft drafts and then iterate with the Community Advisory Committee for cultural fit.

Are there ethics considerations for participatory digital inclusion research?

Answer: Yes, obtain informed consent, protect confidentiality in group settings, and manage power dynamics.

Explanation: The PLOS One protocol documents ethical approvals from multiple boards and detailed consent procedures in Urdu and thumbprint options for illiterate participants (PLOS One, 2026). Researchers should treat this work as non-diagnostic, community-facing research and follow local ethics approvals.

Conclusion & Next Steps

The PLOS One protocol by Shahil-Feroz et al. (published August 20, 2026) provides a detailed, participatory blueprint for studying gender-based digital exclusion in Pakistan and for co-designing community-led solutions PLOS One.

For qualitative teams, the protocol's use of photo-elicitation, role-play, and advisory committee validation emphasizes methods that reveal household power and normative constraints rather than focusing only on device access.

To speed transcription, translation, coding, and co-design documentation from this protocol, research teams can use AI-enabled workflows such as Evidano's speech-to-text, thematic analysis, and visualization features to reduce turnaround time while preserving participatory rigor.

Next steps: pilot your transcription plus AI-assisted coding on a small FGD set, validate emergent themes with a local advisory group, then scale analysis across segments. Try Evidano for free.

Topics

digital gender inclusion qualitative research
gender digital divide Pakistan
qualitative analysis Pakistan digital exclusion
AI-enabled qualitative research

Keep reading

Browse all articles