Ms Nevena Balezdrova

Profile

I am a Research Associate specialising in co-design, participatory research, and user-centred innovation in health and social care. My work focuses on improving services for marginalised communities through inclusive design, qualitative methods, and behavioural insights.

At Queen Mary University of London, I work on an NIHR-funded project (NIHR206854) developing co-design tools to support culturally responsive healthcare service design with minority ethnic groups. The project brings together systematic review, stakeholder engagement, and co-design workshops to create practical, evidence-based resources for service providers and policymakers.

I have also worked as a User Researcher at the Greater London Authority, where I led research on community engagement, digital inclusion, and improving access to grant services for under-resourced groups. My broader experience spans digital accessibility (with CityMaaS and Brunel University), user experience research for wheelchair users, and doctoral research on social care and identity among older immigrant populations.

Research

Publications

• Balezdrova, N., Choi, Y., & Lam, B.(2020). Relational Identities: How Service Co-Design Can Help Improve the Minority Experience and Becoming Ourselves. ServDes 2020 Design Conference, Melbourne.

• Balezdrova, N., Choi, Y., & Lam, B.(2019). ‘Invisible Minorities’: Exploring Improvement Strategies for Social Care Services Aimed at Elderly Immigrants in the UK Using Co-Design Methods. International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) Conference, Manchester.