HIV Health Study
⌛ 5 min read
Project Type
Service Design
Softwares used: Figma
School
A research study funded by Northeastern University
My Role
Project management, leading internal/external workshops, recruitment, and collaborating with the team to prepare workshop and testing materials.
Summary
In May 2022, I was fortunate to join Professor Miso Kim’s HIV Health Study team as an Assistant Researcher. Aside from my passion for healthcare UX, the project resonates deeply with me, as it champions for the well-being of older adults living with HIV(OALWH).
The 8 months period gave me the valuable opportunity to experiment with co-design workshops, recruiting, drafting session guides, and prototyping.
Main Goal
Improve OALWH’s well-being through a service that aims to build and strengthen social connections in the community.
“Deal with HIV when you take your medication, and then the rest
of the day, forget about it, because you go on with your life.”
- Participant 7
The Team
The design team consists of three graduate students majoring in Experience design. There are no pre-determined roles, so we can jump on every chance to experiment and learn.
Big high-fives to Professor Miso Kim, Yue Yu, and Joshua Brown, who are the “caffeine” of my life.
The Process
The team unanimously agreed the outcome needs to be more than a “concept,” we want the service to be impactful to older adults living with HIV (OALWH).
In order to achieve that, we planned for a co-design workshop that empowers OALWH to voice their ideas, and a concept-testing session to validate and refine the idea.
KICKOFF
Research
We first read over the foundational interview report of 22 participants to identify key findings that would help inform the design of the co-design workshop.
Interview Key Findings
Isolation is the biggest challenge
The uncertainty of the pandemic resulted in limited social interaction, which exacerbated the health condition of those diagnosed with depression and PTSD (7 out of 22)
Companionship as well-being promoter
Half of the participants referred to socializing programs they partake in with different institutions as activities that promote their well-being.
Increased virtual communication
Many OALWH (15 out of 22) jumped on virtual platforms to stay connected. However, some (8 of 22) admitted even though the communication frequency increased, it does not “feel” the same as in-person.
Personal connections as valuable resources
Aside from professional resources, OALWH value advice from their social connections for both medical and leisure/hobby-related information.
PHASE 1
Co-Design Workshop
Brainstorming
Since the in-person co-design workshop was postponed by the pandemic, the team needed to speed up the process by providing high-level service ideas for participants to build off instead of ideating from scratch.
For co-design workshop inspiration, we conducted a comparative analysis of case studies on community-centered participatory workshops, online mentorship programs, and simulation activities. Storytelling activities were favored as they captured the service idea holistically while bringing it to life with context.
Next, the team leveraged the interview insights and brainstormed 43 high-level service ideas that could be further developed in the co-design workshop. After dividing them into 7 categories (ie. medical support, education, tech support, experience sharing, etc.), we voted and settled on 1 to 2 ideas from each category.
The team narrowed down to eight ideas in the end.
Co-design Workshop
Workshop plan
The eight ideas were presented as storyboards, making them more immersive and digestible. Seven participants from the foundational research interview were invited to vote on ideas that resonate with critical aspects of their well-being.
Idea storyboard and dot votes
The top four favored ideas were Zoom Support, Mentorship, Cooking Class, and Reminder Service (for medication). Out of the four, participants are most interested in the Mentorship and Cooking Class idea. Yue and I then broke the participants into two groups and led each to explore one idea utilizing a series of co-design activities.
Group one #Online Cooking Class - Co-create keywords & Co-create story arc
Group two #Mentorship - Experience continuum & Design scenario
Key Takeaways
The co-design method is a great way to build “design confidence” in end users. By the end of the session, participants were excited to learn and partake in the next phase of design.
All the participants spoke passionately about the mentorship idea and suggested reverse mentoring with young adults living with HIV as a way to build meaningful social connections.
PHASE 2
Ideation
The Service Blueprint
Informed by the insights of the co-design workshop, the team created a service blueprint for the mentorship program. The blueprint documents the “ideal flow” of the service with integrated touchpoints.
Since the HIV community often faces social stigma, an anonymous HIV+-only Reddit forum and social media platform would help potential mentees/mentors connect with the community at their own pace. Once they are prepared for a mentorship, users have the option of inviting someone to be their mentor/mentee or accepting suggested candidates. A personalized dashboard and journal will help visualize their growth and advise online/offline activities (ie. local events hosted by non-profit organizations) to strengthen the mentoring relationship.
Concept Design
From the service blueprint, we identified key challenges to explore and came up with four design prompts. The team then ideated and sketched out experience concepts to be integrated into the low-fidelity wireframes for testing.
The team came up with a bunch of rough concept sketches for discussion
PHASE 3 + 4
Concept Testing & Iterations
The experience prototype is a combination of a storyboard and low-fidelity wireframes. The storyboard helps immerse participants in the scenario, while the low-fidelity wireframes enable participants to envision the program’s integrated digital touchpoints. By adopting this mixed approach, the team is able to facilitate feedback on both the program’s structure, as well as, preferences on key digital experiences.
Findings and iterations
6 participants from the previous co-design workshop were recruited for concept testing. The transition from the storyboard to the wireframe was difficult to follow at first, but participants quickly adapt to it. 5 out of 6 participants expressed their interest in taking on the mentor role with support from other mentors or supervisors.
1. Service iterations
Mixed mentorships
A mixed approach to mentorship can benefit both mentors and mentees greatly. Flash mentorship (multiple mentors, shorter period) can supplement mentees with a breadth of knowledge and resources. Peer-to-peer group mentorship can act as a support system for mentors.
Collaboration with social/case workers
Mentors should consider working with a social/case worker to provide multifaceted support for mentees facing complex issues.
Advanced privacy
Members of the HIV community aren’t always comfortable disclosing their conditions to outsiders, so digital touchpoints should incorporate confidential agreements and advanced privacy settings to foster a safe online environment.
Mentor training
Participants stressed the importance of assessing mentor candidates for emotional stability and training them with the knowledge, sensitivity, and confidence to deal with personal traumas.
Evaluation criteria
The evaluation goal should change over time, moving from the examination of chemistry to stability and growth. Criterias mentioned by participants are personality, availability, common goals, progress, and communication skills.
Etiquettes of concluding a mentorship
Participants think it’s courteous to end a relationship over a conversation. Some suggest (2 out of 6) referral to other mentors may be helpful, while all agree that “graduation” doesn’t mean a “breakup,” mentors and mentees should remain in touch.
2. Digital experience iterations
Mentee suggestion
The mentee’s suggestion is displayed on the profile page (My Planet) of an anonymous HIV+ social media platform (Galaxy).
Participants think it’s most helpful to learn their common interests and compatibility before diving deep into mentees’ stories and personal goals.
Dashboard + My Garden
An overview of the mentorship progress.
Visualization of personal growth instead of a conversation-driven design is preferred, as the activities and achievements (ie. badges) can strengthen their confidence as a mentor. The My Garden design is an efficient visualization of the user’s relationship growth as a virtual plant.
Journal
A visualization concept of relationship growth.
A hybrid approach is preferred. Some participants like the security and privacy of a physical journal versus others like the convenience of audio input.
Secret Letters/Recommendations
Letters and recommendations are great motivators for mentors and mentees. The guidance of message prompts can help encourage heartfelt, authentic messages.
