Co-Creating Change: Improving Routine Immunization in Urban India Through Human-Centered Design
In many urban parts of India, essential vaccines are still out of reach for children not because the vaccines don’t exist, but because the systems around them are difficult to navigate.
Parents face unclear information.
Frontline workers juggle too many responsibilities.
Healthcare providers work in fragmented systems.
And yet, immunization is one of the simplest, most effective ways to secure child health.
That’s why we joined forces with JSI Health through the USAID MOMENTUM project, with one shared goal:
To co-create solutions that make routine immunization easier, more accessible, and more effective for urban India.
Why Human-Centered Design for Routine Immunization?
As a design thinking company and innovation consulting partner, we believe in starting with people — not systems, not policies, not assumptions.
We used a Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach because it helps:
● Uncover real-world barriers and motivators.
● Elevate voices that are often missing in decision-making.
● Create solutions that are not just effective, but usable.
From parents and caregivers to ASHA workers and immunization officers everyone had a seat at the table.
Where We Worked
Our rapid fieldwork spanned two diverse contexts:
● Pune (Maharashtra)
● Kohima (Nagaland)
Across these cities, we conducted immersive inquiries to understand:
● What helps or hinders parents from getting their child vaccinated.
● What challenges healthcare workers face on the ground.
● Where the system breaks and where trust begins to rebuild.
A Co-Creation Process With 80+ Stakeholders
We brought together over 80 stakeholders ASHA workers, state immunization officers, program managers, parents, and community voices in a series of co-creation workshops.
Together, we:
● Diagnosed behavioural and operational challenges.
● Designed interventions that fit local contexts.
● Prioritized implementable, scalable solutions.
From low-tech communication tools to better last-mile logistics, the ideas were rooted in empathy and practicality.
This wasn’t about blue-sky innovation.
This was about designing what works for those who matter most.
The Outcome: A Grounded, Actionable HCD Framework
At the heart of this project is a Human-Centered Design framework that can be adopted by governments, NGOs, and implementation partners.
It helps teams:
● Diagnose challenges through stakeholder conversations.
● Design interventions grounded in lived experience.
● Implement and evaluate with a feedback-first mindset.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
It’s a flexible blueprint for real change adaptable to any urban Indian context.
What’s Next?
The solutions are now ready to move from idea to action.
We’re excited to see how this framework can help increase full immunization coverage, reduce dropouts, and build trust between families and the healthcare system.
And we’re incredibly grateful to Anumegha Bhatnagar, Satviki Varma, Gopal Krishna Soni, and Olivia Nava for making space for design thinking and behavioural science to shape the future of public health.
Final Thought
At TinkerLabs, we believe:
Simple ideas move the world.
But only when they’re designed with the people they serve.
