Using self-reported experiences to explore the issues of women in crisis situations

Within Australia women are more likely to experience poverty than their male counterparts, where certain negative life events could potentially place women in a crisis situation. This paper describes the use of a self-reported probe kit in a marginalised community of women who are living in crisis situations. The kit contains a video camera, disposable camera and a set of task cards to prompt them to capture certain experiences. We applied this method with 13 participants from a community care centre and found the self-reported experiences to reveal both useful and insightful perspectives around the lives of women in crisis situations. Through this methodology the women shared different aspects of their lives, challenged stereotypes, and were empowered to share their stories and experiences. This methodology is useful in sensitive settings as it includes participants in the design process, and supports their privacy by enabling agency. It also allows for digital inclusion in terms of interacting with and using the camera technology.