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Qualitative analysis of co-creation workshops

Evidano4 min read

Fast take: The MOVE-AIR protocol (BMJ Open, August 2025) combines minute-level PM2.5/PM10/CO2 sensing, GPS, accelerometry and biological markers in n=52 Portuguese schoolchildren to co-create solutions with teachers, parents and kids. The study collects audio, workshop artifacts and structured questionnaires during participatory Double Diamond sessions (May–June 2025) to generate actionable interventions. Read the protocol: www.bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e097388. If you run co-creation research and need to scale theme extraction, cross-segment comparisons (by school, exposure zone, movement behaviour) and secure handling of sensitive location-linked transcripts, this post shows an AI-enabled qualitative workflow using Evidano (www.evidano.com) to speed synthesis, preserve privacy, and deliver stakeholder-ready outputs.

Findings snapshot

Date / ItemMetricValueSource / Note
Protocol publishedDateAugust 2025www.bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e097388
Participants (child)Sample52 children (ages 9–11)Porto metro area; May–June 2025
Pollutants measuredVariablesPM2.5, PM10, CO2 (+ NO2/SO2 by satellite estimates)Minute-level portable sensors (MIDAS)
Mixed methodsData typesGPS, accelerometer, saliva biomarkers, audio, workshop notesCo-creation workshops + diaries
Primary qualitative outputFormatCo-creation workshop transcripts, worksheets, drawingsAnalysed with reflexive thematic analysis

What happened, study & qualitative data collected

The MOVE-AIR project pairs high-resolution exposure and health measures with a participatory co-creation phase. Researchers ran three-stage Double Diamond workshops with children, parents, teachers and school leaders to generate mitigation ideas and collected audio records, observation notes, participant worksheets and drawings.

  • Minute-level air and GPS sensing (48 hours per child) produces location-tagged transcripts and time-stamped workshop attendance metadata.
  • Co-creation outputs include group-generated ideas, prioritised solutions, and evaluation questionnaires for acceptability/feasibility.
  • Researchers plan inductive reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke) and NVivo for qualitative coding, linked to quantitative exposure and biomarker data.

How to run qualitative analysis of co-creation workshops in Evidano

Step 1; Ingest & secure

Upload workshop audio, facilitator notes, scanned worksheets and consent forms to Evidano’s encrypted workspace. Evidano’s platform supports PII redaction and stores files without using your data to train third-party models (GDPR-aligned).

Step 2; Transcribe & harmonise

Use Evidano transcription with a custom dictionary (e.g., school names, local places) to improve accuracy for domain terms like 'PM2.5' or 'MIDAS'. Timestamped transcripts are preserved so every quote links to GPS/time exposure metadata.

Step 3; Thematic + frequency analysis

Run AI-assisted thematic coding to generate candidate themes, then import or refine a codebook. Evidano produces theme frequencies, co-occurrence networks and hierarchical code → subcode trees to visualise consensus vs. minority ideas across schools or exposure strata.

Step 4; Cross-segment synthesis

Link qualitative themes to segments (high vs low pollution exposure, urban vs suburban schools, movement-behaviour profiles) and produce cross-tabular thematic prevalence and illustrative quotes for each segment to support tailored interventions.

Step 5; Deliver stakeholder outputs

Export stakeholder-ready reports (anonymous individual reports, school-level summaries, infographic-ready text). Use Evidano’s visualisations (word clouds, co-occurrence networks, hierarchical maps) to drive the final co-creation 'deliver' workshop with decision-makers.

Implications for researchers and policy teams

For qualitative researchers

Minute-level sensor data linked to transcripts elevates context: arguments and ideas from a workshop can be anchored to exposure hotspots and movement profiles, improving interpretability.

Evidano reduces manual coding time and produces reproducible theme-frequency matrices suitable for mixed-method reporting.

For school/public health teams

Segmented theme reports (by school, urban/suburban, high/low pollutant exposure) let you prioritise low-cost mitigations where they matter most, the stated goal of MOVE-AIR's co-creation phase.

Research reproducibility & ethics note

MOVE-AIR is cross-sectional (no causal claims). All qualitative work with children requires assent + guardian consent and careful geoprivacy practices; Evidano supports PII redaction and encrypted storage for research-only use.

Two-week workflow checklist to reproduce MOVE-AIR style synthesis

Minimal inputs: timestamps-aligned audio, facilitator notes, scanned worksheets, participant metadata (school, exposure group), and CSV of GPS/time-tagged sensor summary.

  • Day 1: Upload files to Evidano workspace; enable PII redaction and set access controls.
  • Day 2–3: Auto-transcribe audio; apply custom dictionary (local place names, pollutant terms).
  • Day 4–6: Run AI-assisted initial coding; review and refine codebook with one analyst.
  • Day 7–9: Generate theme frequency tables and co-occurrence networks; link themes to exposure segments and accelerometer-derived movement profiles.
  • Day 10: Draft stakeholder brief with top 5 co-created solutions and supporting quotes/visuals.
  • Day 11–14: Produce school-level one-page reports and an aggregated technical supplement for decision-makers.

Why choose Evidano for this use case

From raw workshop to segment-specific insights

Evidano ingests transcripts, PDFs and survey spreadsheets and links them to time/location metadata so you can ask: which themes appear when children were near high PM2.5 hotspots?

Speed & rigor

Automated thematic proposals plus frequency and cross-segment analyses cut manual synthesis time dramatically, enabling faster co-creation cycles and evidence-backed options for schools.

Privacy & compliance

Data is encrypted in transit and at rest; Evidano does not use your data to train external models, useful when handling sensitive child-location and health-linked transcripts.

Conclusion, next steps

MOVE-AIR (BMJ Open, Aug 2025) provides a clear blueprint for combining sensor, biomarker and co-creation qualitative data. If your team runs participatory workshops and needs reproducible, segment-linked thematic analysis, try converting your transcripts and artifacts into stakeholder-ready insights with Evidano.

  • Read the full MOVE-AIR protocol: www.bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e097388
  • Start a secure pilot on Evidano and map co-creation themes to exposure segments: www.evidano.com, request a demo or import a small workshop transcript to see code suggestions, co-occurrence maps and cross-segment frequency tables in under an hour.

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