01
Ideate
Start with a question that matters.
Clarify what the research needs to learn, whose perspectives should shape it, and why the question matters to them.
RESEARCH, WITH PEOPLE
A digital platform for participatory research
Research starts with questions. It matters who gets to shape the answers. AMACHAN is developing digital tools to bring researchers and communities into that work together.
Many people. One shared purpose.
Questions worth exploringPerspectives worth hearingPurpose worth sharing
WHY AMACHAN
Research needs more than answers.
It needs people to see why a question matters, find a meaningful way to contribute, and understand what their contribution leads to. That connection can be hard to create and sustain across a research project.
AMACHAN is developing tools to help researchers and communities take part in that shared work—from gathering perspectives to making findings useful.
A shared process
01
Start with a question that matters
02
Make room for different voices
03
Carry learning into what happens next
RESEARCH WORKFLOW
From a question to what happens next.
02
Launch
Make participation feel worthwhile.
Reach participants in ways that fit the research and make it clear how they can contribute.
03
Visualize
See what different voices bring.
Explore and anlyze responses, spot patterns, and see where perspectives connect or differ.
04
Act
Let learning lead somewhere.
Bring findings back into the conversation and use them to inform the next discussion or decision.
WHAT WE’RE BUILDING
Different ways to take part.
01Forms
Proof of conceptA flexible way to gather research input. Forms is the current proof of concept; maps can be one optional component when a study needs them.
02Decks
In developmentSlide decks to help bring research findings into a form people can understand, discuss, and share.
03Workshops
In developmentWays to bring participants together in guided, collaborative research activities.
04Games
In developmentSerious games as a dynamic way to involve participants and explore research questions together.
RESEARCH IN MANY CONTEXTS
Questions that bring people into the work.
Participatory research can support shared inquiry across public life, academic work, and the services people use.
01
Urban planning
Bring residents into conversations about public spaces, safety, mobility, and neighborhood change.
02
Academic research
Explore experiences, questions, and stakeholder perspectives through participatory research.
03
Community engagement
Create opportunities for people to contribute early and stay part of the conversation.
04
Products and services
Involve real users in understanding needs and shaping ideas while they are still taking form.
Across methods and disciplines, your research sets the direction. We help bring community voices into the process.
AMACHAN IN PRACTICE
Research shaped with people.
A few examples of the questions and communities informing AMACHAN’s direction.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Research explored uncertainty and interactions between stakeholders and the municipality around urban quay walls.
Puebla, Mexico
A study of how local residents evaluate the quality and conditions of Parque de Clavijero in Puebla.
University of Twente, Netherlands
A campus workshop explored public spaces and the 15-minute city through a geo-citizen science approach.
Project summaries are based on the supplied brief.
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
In conversation with institutions and communities.
University of TwenteMunicipality of ZwolleDISCO · Interreg North SeaVIA University CollegeJade University of Applied SciencesBenemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
THE IDEA BEHIND AMACHAN
A name rooted in people and place.
AMACHAN began as support for a doctoral research project in 2021 and became a registered start-up in the Netherlands in 2022.
The name brings together Nahuatl words for map and people of the town. Today, that origin is part of a broader purpose: supporting research that brings people together around questions that matter to them.
Meet the teamTHE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK
Different perspectives. Shared purpose.
Co-creative research
Sergio Alvarado Vazquez
Participatory urban studies and community engagement.
Project and development
Javier Estupiñan
Project management and full-stack development.
Research and communication
Alejandro Garcia Navarrete
User research, engagement design, and public outreach.
EVERY PROJECT STARTS SOMEWHERE
What would you
like to understand?
Tell us about your community, your research, or the question that keeps you curious. Let’s explore what we could discover together.
Good things begin with a conversation.GET IN TOUCH
Let’s talk about your research.
Tell us who you hope to bring together and what you want to explore.
Based in Enschede, the Netherlands