Antya Waegemann
Hark Transforming the Rape Kit Experience ANTYA WAEGEMANN
Could redesigning rape kits change the way that we treat victims?
Sexual assault is a massive problem in the United States.
Every 92 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted.
And only 30% of sexual assault victims report the crime…
Because less than 1% of sexual assault cases end in a conviction.
The Market
Around 55 million people are sexually assaulted each year, and about 5 million of those report, or get a rape kit.
55 million people
5 million people
The Problem
When victims do report, they get a rape kit (sexual assault kit) typically only available in an emergency room.
The Problem
A rape kit is a tool used to collect evidence after a sexual assault has occurred. It consists of: 1) 2) 3) 4)
Swabbing DNA from their clothes/body Scraping DNA from their nails Photographing injuries Writing/Collecting the victim’s story
The Problem
A rape kit as it is, is incredibly overwhelming. 1) 2) 3)
It takes 4-10 hours. It consists of 10-16 “official looking” envelopes or steps, which you can see to the right. It’s intimidating, invasive and traumatizing.
The Problem
It is best when performed by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). But, only 13% of hospitals in the country have SANE nurses. Which means, when a rape kit is collected, it’s usually done by an emergency room nurse who has never seen a kit before, has no trauma-focused training and who usually has “more urgent” patients to care for therefore often turning victims away.
Hark proposes a redesigned trauma-focused rape kit that puts the victim at the center and considers what nurses need to provide the best care to victims.
The Solution
Hark is a redesigned rape kit and service that makes reporting less traumatizing for the victim.
The Solution
Visual Instruction Color Coordination The envelopes are color coordinated to help guide the nurses through the process and indicate which envelopes are necessary and which are not, to make the experience shorter, more eďŹƒcient and less traumatizing.
There are various visual cues and instructions so that collecting evidence is more clear to the nurse, so that the process is less painful for them and they are more inclined to encourage victims to get kits, rather than turn them away.
The Solution
Victim-Facing App The kit is paired with a victim facing app which allows the victim to follow the nurse in the process, perform parts of the kit themselves, and instruct a confused nurse on what to do, regaining their power in moment when they feel they have none.
The Solution
Victim-Facing App The kit is paired with a victim facing app which allows the victim to follow the nurse in the process, perform parts of the kit themselves, and instruct a confused nurse on what to do, regaining their power in moment when they feel they have none.
The existing kits aren’t working.
Competition
There are three major competitors: Sirchie, TritechForensics and PWI, all of which have similar rape kit contents and designs.
Competition
Company
Tritech
Sirchie
PWI
Hark
Price per Kit
$13
$15.98
$18
$16
Features
Instructions
Components
Instructions
Components
Instructions
Components
Instructions
Components
App
Ambassador
Visual
-
-
-
-
Learning Curve
White with black/green text
All paper
Medical/sterile
High - Hard
White with black text
All paper
Medical/sterile
High - Hard
White with black text
All paper
Medical/sterile
High - Hard
White with bright colors
QR code/scanning
Paper plus digital software
Simple
Low
Founder
Antya Waegemann Hark began as part of a Master’s thesis at the School of Visual Arts where she designed 5 products for a year long thesis titled, “When No One Believes You: Redesigning Rape Kits and Responses to Sexual Assault.” She has experience working in urban planning research and as a designer and views all of her work with both a governance, policy lens and a design/communication lens. She is a sexual assault advocate twice a month at the New York Presbyterian hospital where she helps victims feel believed and provides resources to them. She holds a second Masters from Harvard University and a Bachelors from New York University.
Theory of Change
Current State
Future State
Not many ER nurses and doctors are trained in SAKs. They are not incentivized to conduct or understand the goal of them.
Nurses want to conduct the exam and want to be part of the process even without the training.
Intervention Space Assumption Nurses need to know more about the process but are too overwhelmed to do the training. Better instructions and visuals could help this.
The instructions and visual guidance around the sexual assault kits.
Test
Metrics
Observe them using the new model/prototype and receive feedback.
How many nurses use the kits more or want to conduct them. How they feel after the exam.
Next Steps
Prototype -
Expand the prototype Source the contents Research changes
Testing -
Test prototype with users Talk to hospitals Validate hypothesis Conduct research
Business -
Expand business model Better understand landscape Prototype and price out costs
Transforming the way the system responds to sexual assault as the next big medical product in the #metoo era
Antya Waegemann
Hark Transforming the Rape Kit Experience