REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE: UNDERSTANDING SELF-CARE MOTIVATIONS
CAMILLE PYLYPCZAK ANNIKA QUN YAN NU GOTEH
hello,
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INTRODUCTION
BUSINESS MODEL INTEGRATION
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APPROACH
CONCLUSION
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RESEARCH
WHO WE ARE
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ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS, & IDEATION
APPENDIX
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PROTOTYPE & TESTING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
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Photo by James Ewing
ABOUT US
CONTEXT & OVERVIEW In today’s rapidly changing economic landscape, industries are in need of new leaders with a strategic approach to problem-solving. As industry standards evolve, the management of innovation, services, and experiences must keep up with the changing demographic. The New School’s Strategic Design and Management masters program (MS SDM) helps students develop the tools and problem-solving methods needed to excel as leaders in tomorrow’s economy. Taking strategic design to the next level, these leaders will drive new companies that will re-shape our future.
MASTERS IN STRATEGIC DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT AT PARSONS The masters in Strategic Design and Management program at Parsons
incorporates design thinking, strategy, service design, and sustainability frameworks. Unlike traditional MBA programs, the SDM program responds to the major restructuring of developed and emerging economies worldwide. In a complex global economy characterized by quickly evolving standards for the production and management of information, services, and experiences, leaders must display new skills in order to maintain a capacity for innovation. “UNLIKE TRADITIONAL MBA PROGRAMS, THE SDM PROGRAM RESPONDS TO THE MAJOR RESTRUCTURING OF DEVELOPED AND EMERGING ECONOMIES WORLDWIDE.”
innovation, and design research. With this exposure to new industry contexts and practices, within and outside of design-intensive industries, students obtain a cutting edge analysis of the digital information-based economy.
THE NEW SCHOOL IN NEW YORK Housed in Parsons’ School of Design Strategies, the SDM program is immersed within The New School’s creative environment, exposing students to different disciplines and talents. The program is a part of a leading urban university known for its strengths in design thinking, organizational management, nonprofit management, sustainability management, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Students are exposed to sophisticated real-world perspectives on business, operations, sustainability, management, leadership, entrepreneurship, design 7
THE CHALLENGE
PROJECT SUMMARY Our business challenge and focus were to better connect our client, a NGO (NonGovernmental Organization) health care clinic, to young adults and increase brand awareness of the NGO’s New York City chapter. With information skewed by the media and opposition, the NGO struggles to connect with young adults. The client suffers from a strong opposition that distorts its services and goals. “THE CLIENT SUFFERS FROM A STRONG OPPOSITION THAT DISTORTS ITS SERVICES AND GOALS.”
GOAL & EXPECTED OUTCOME Our goal is to help young adults engage with the client to ensure that they are receiving accurate information on the value and services that the organization provides. Proper communication between the NGO and young adults will help motivate individuals to enroll in the client’s services to prevent emergency situations. Proper representation of the client will increase engagement among young adults and ultimately increase brand awareness.
As a result, patients primarily visit the health care clinic for emergency situations, instead of taking preventative measures by visiting on a regular basis.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PROJECT OVERVIEW This project focuses on improving the engagement and communication between the NGO’s New York City chapter and young adults. Through in-depth research, user insights, and prototype development, we determined strategic opportunities for the NGO to reach a greater audience and to properly communicate their values and services.
OPPORTUNITY There are several ways that young adults are engaging with brands, goods, and services today. Communication is becoming more and more mobile based. Posters and traditional advertising are not attracting audiences the way they use to. By using upto-date modern technology and media, we wanted to find a fresh approach to communicating with young adults to ensure that they are receiving accurate
and safe information, and encourage them to join the conversation. We wanted to create an opportunity that would motivate audiences to become more proactive about sexual health care.
FINDINGS To explore the opportunity above, we researched the NGO in great detail. We started by establishing the research framework and identifying the current peers, competitors, and similar online forums. After the initial desk research, we developed our research plan that included fieldwork and analogous research. We conducted two group interviews on campus and each team member also lead phone interviews with young adults. Then we interviewed two trainers and one frequent gym-goer as analogous research. After synthesizing all the findings and insights from the group workshop with NGO’s team members, we found a new opportunity for sexual health
care: using information to create incentives in order to communicate educational information in a rewarding way. Based on this big idea, we prototyped SXTLK.info, a site that uses a peer-to-peer communication style to share sexual health care information. After the prototype development phase, weeks of research went into conducting surveys, and interviewing testers as well as comparative analysis. Based on the testing results, we adjusted aspects of design and content on the site and also proved that this is a valid idea with a potential market.
BUSINESS CASE Following the prototype and testing phase, we developed business models and implementation plans for integrating SXTLK.info into the NGO’s organization. We took a look at the key cost associated with developing and running the site as well as the additional opportunities to
engage young adults offline. We developed two execution and staffing approaches that take into account budget constraints - both will yield desired results but at different scales. One of the key benefits that we proposed to the NGO is the ability to raise awareness with young adults regarding sexual health care. This would be tied back to the NGO’s business offerings and increase clinic visits. Another benefit is that the NGO would have the ability to gain key data and insights about young adults that would otherwise be expensive to buy. This will allow them to stay current with the needs of this community and adjust various aspects of its business accordingly.
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PROJECT TIMELINE 02/01
KICK-OFF MEETING
INITIAL DISCOVERY
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03/14
FIELDWORK
RESEARCH PLAN
WORKSHOP
SYNTHESIS 1
04/11
MIDTERM PRESENTATION
SYNTHESIS 2
05/09
BUSINESS MODEL
PROTOTYPING AND TESTING
FINAL PRESENTATION
SYNTHESIS 3
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APPROACH
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APPROACH
DESIGN THINKING Design Thinking is a discipline that enables processes for solving problems and discovering new opportunities. The processes involve the interactions between design and business strategy to create innovative, contextual solutions for various problem spaces. In simple terms, design thinking is taking a designer’s approach to problem solving. Tim Brown from IDEO, a leading design and consulting firm, explains design thinking as “a discipline that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity.” Design thinking takes the designer’s tools and applies them to problems of business.
DESIGN THINKING PROCESS Throughout the duration of the project, we used design thinking processes to develop our understanding and ideas. We began by exploring the health care landscape through desk research and meeting with the client. Next, we developed a comprehensive research plan in order to identify a key research focus and define the methods needed to gain insights on the area. The design thinking tools we implemented in our research plan included inperson and phone interviews, desk research, and analogous research. We analyzed the data we collected using various design thinking tools, including journey maps, personas, concept maps and stakeholder maps. These tools help map out data in order to recognize key patterns, connections, and themes. Design thinking tools also help reveal key insights that can lead to the discovery of new problems, solutions, and
ideas. Once we developed our idea, we built a prototype to test our assumptions. The testing phase allowed us to receive feedback on our idea in order to iterate and improve the prototype. After testing, we developed implementation plans to guide how we would bring our product to market and sustain its growth.
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RESEARCH
INITIAL DISCOVERY
“WE WANT TO BE THE NIKE OF HEALTH CARE.” - NGO
Discovery is the beginning of every project. On February 1st 2016, we had our first meeting with the NGO to get a better understanding of its challenges and goals. This was an insightful experience, as many of the NGO’s obstacles are not visible to the public. One major obstacle that the NGO faces is that its patients primarily use its services in emergency situations, while they would prefer patients to take care of their sexual health as a preventative measure. In order to avoid these emergency
behaviors, patients must understand the goal of the organization and the value of preventative care. We learned that the NGO’s goal is to become a household name for reproductive and sexual health care. “We want to be the Nike of health care.” This can be achieved by creating multiple different models to increase brand awareness. We identified that awareness starts with engagement between the NGO and young adults, potential patients, parents, and communities. In order to get people in the
door, we needed to figure out a way for our client to better engage with communities.
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RESEARCH FRAMEWORK RESEARCH THE HEALTH CARE HABITS OF YOUNG ADULTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND INCENTIVES FOR SELF-CARE. In order to begin our research, we needed to pinpoint a specific problem that we wanted to solve. Together, we developed a research focus statement, which is a point of view that defines what we aim to learn in our research. The problem that most interested us was that patients primarily use our client’s services in emergency situations. We wanted to uncover why individuals do not visit sexual health care clinics on a regular basis, and what motivations or incentives needed to be put in place for
them to do so. We developed the following research focus statement: research the health care habits of young adults in order to understand incentives for self-care.
these observations could help us improve the incentives for sexual health care.
There are many different ways that people take care of their bodies, including eating well, exercising, meditating, resting, taking homeopathic medicine, etc. Some people actively take care of their bodies, and we wanted to understand the incentives and motivations for these alternate forms of health care in order to see if any of 23
KEY QUESTIONS WHERE DO PEOPLE GO FOR HEALTH CARE? WHY?
HOW OFTEN DO PEOPLE GO FOR HEALTH CARE?
WHERE DO PEOPLE GO FOR ADVICE/INFORMATION ON SEXUAL HEALTH? WHY?
WHAT ARE YOUNG ADULTS’ PREFERENCES OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDER? WHY?
IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOUNG ADULTS TAKING CARE OF THEIR SEXUAL HEALTH BEYOND THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE?
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AEIOU A E I O U
What activities do you need to understand or observe?
• Young adult online research behaviors • Young adult social media activities • Young adult doctor visit frequencies • Young adult use of contraceptives • Young adult communications with their friends, parents and significant others
What environments will be important to visit your participants in?
• Schools/Universities • Home • Doctors’ Offices • Gyms • Pharmacies
What interactions between people, or object and person, do you need to understand or observe?
• Contraceptive purchasing interactions • Doctor visit scheduling interactions • Peer communication interactions • Interactions between young adults and their social media platform • Interactions between young adults and their sexual health care providers
What objects need exploring?
• Contraception • Phones • Laptops/Computers • Feminine Care Products • Media Channels (TV/Magazines/Books/Newspapers)
What types of users will you need to speak with and observe?
• Young adults • Health-care experts • Gym-goers • Teachers • Parents
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STAKEHOLDER MAP
STAKEHOLDER MAP Stakeholder maps help to visually organize and communicate the key members of the NGO’s service, setting up a framework for user-centered research and design development. Here, we have identified that the core of the 26
project is the NGO (the health care organization). The direct stakeholders include patients, parents, social workers, counselors, employees, teen advocates, doctors, and security guards. Some stakeholders could be directly or indirectly involved with the NGO. These groups include teachers, activists, and
members of the public school board. Indirect stakeholders include members of the opposition, health insurance employees, young adults, private donors, pharmacists, peers, competitors, members of the government, tech companies, drug companies, and us, students of the SDM program at Parsons.
CULTURAL PROBE
CULTURAL PROBE In attempt to better understand general sexual health questions and concerns of youth and young adults, we created a cultural probe. This probe was to be shared at a Teen Advocate meeting, a meeting in which teen representatives of the
NGO visit other teens in schools to teach them about sexual health in a fun and relatable way. The information was to be captured by the above website we created. Participants were prompted by a poster asking them questions and providing options for them to submit answer via micro-site or
text message to a Google number. Our goal was to find out what were the most common questions around sexual health coming from youth. This cultural probe was an inspiration for our future prototype.
RESEARCH PLAN
OBSERVATION
ENGAGEMENT
ANALOGY
We researched online for background information. This included searching for peers, competitors, and general information available online that related to our research focus.
We conducted a total of 11 interviews: 8 young adults, 2 fitness instructors and 1 gymgoer. We asked questions in order to understand how people take care of their health, and what motivates their daily routines.
We determined fitness and gym membership as an analogy to preventative sexual health care. We chose this analogy in order to understand the incentives of another, popular form of self-care. We decided to focus on SoulCycle, as it is known for its cult following. We interviewed a SoulCycle instructor, personal trainer, a gym-goer, participated in an immersion at SoulCycle, and researched the boutique fitness trend. 29
OBSERVATIONS DESK RESEARCH + ONLINE OBSERVATIONS
The discovery phase is the beginning of every design project. We had a limited amount of time and resources within the course of the project and therefore, we had to redefine the project brief based on our interests and goals. The first part of our research plan was desk research. We searched online for background information in order to understand the greater context where problem lives, both within the NGO and its connected communities. We reviewed the NGO’s annual report, education and training values, and its current use of technology. As we were conducting our desk research, we focused on sex and reproductive health for young adults. We collected the research findings in order to gain an understanding of the NGO’s competitors and peers. We also observed content online in order to figure out what the hot topics are regarding sexual health on major online forums.
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The NGO is competing with online and offline media, parents, other organizations, and more to be the source for education and information about sexual and reproductive health. The NGO has been working with young women, teens and families on essential reproductive health care, educational programs and advocacy for 90 years. The organization has many channels for education and outreach including training programs for professionals, community workshops, school programs and publications. The services they offer include annual exams, birth control planning, pregnancy tests and counseling, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, STD testing and more. Based on our research, we listed the following peers and competitors for this NGO. (Please see following page) A recent focus of the organization has been to engage youth and teens. One
effective method to reach youth has been to create a youth advocate program. Teen advocates create an opportunity for peers to engage with each other surrounding the various topics for education and outreach. This is one of the many approaches the NGO uses to provide support for teens and parents to discuss sex and help teens make informed decisions. For online observation, we have researched various major online forums including: EHealth, Go Ask Alice and forums focus on sexual health care. Questions ranged from sexual positions, STDs, pregnancy and relationships. Some popular topics included: how to prepare for sex, how to improve sex life, and confusion on false information regarding the contraception methods.
NGO’S PEERS: PARSONS M.S. STRATEGIC DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM NARAL PRO-CHOICE NARAL is made up of pro-choice women and men across the United States. The organization’s goals are to protect and expand reproductive freedom.
DRIVENDATA The NGO partners with DrivenData on a data competition. The competition is open to the public, and aims to bring the most talented minds in data research together to identify trends in reproductive health care.
NGO’S COMPETITORS: OBAMACARE Obamacare covers low-cost access to birth control, abortions and other reproductive healthcare.
NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE The mission of National Right to Life is to protect and defend the most fundamental right of humankind, the right to life of every innocent human being from the beginning of life to natural death.
CITYMD Walk-in clinic offering a variety of health care services and lab testing in emergency situations.
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ENGAGEMENT PRIMARY AND ANALOGOUS INTERVIEWS
YOUNG ADULTS
FITNESS INSTRUCTORS
GYM-GOER
We targeted young adults with questions that gave us useful data on their perspective on personal habits, general health care, sexual health care and primary information sources. The data uncovered from these interviews provided insights that helped shape our understanding of how young adults gather information and take care of their personal health.
We saw an opportunity to draw data from the boutique gym experience and its ability to motivate the user to proactively take care of the physical health care. For this analogous approach, we interviewed an instructor from the spin studio SoulCycle. We were able to gain information on various incentives they use to drive cult following amongst their members.
We gathered additional analogous data by interviewing a gym goer. Interviewing the instructors gave us a perspective of the incentives the instructors thought were effective in attracting users but the firsthand account from the user provided us with validation and additional information that lead to new insights.
“EXERCISE, GOOD FOOD, SLEEPING ENOUGH HOURS AND TRYING NOT TO OVERWORK. [BECAUSE] I WANT TO BE THE BEST HUMAN I CAN BE AND TAKING CARE OF MYSELF MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I AM OPERATING AT MY BEST.” - SARA
“THE AMBIANCE, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE LIKE THAT ITS TAILORED TOWARDS YOU.” - DURREL (SOULCYCLE)
“MY INCENTIVE TO GO TO THE GYM IS HEALTH. YOU NEED TO TAKE TIME EARLY TO SAVE YOU LATER IN LIFE, YOUR BODY WILL ACCUMULATE BENEFITS.” - ALEX
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ANALOGY
SUMMARY There are many ways in which people take care of their health beyond the doctor’s office. Some of the most common preventative health care measures are exercising and eating well. We wanted to uncover what motivates people to workout regularly. Similar to visiting a doctor’s office, some find working out a chore. It is an activity one must make time for, taking time away from more pleasurable or necessary daily activities. We decided to look at the popular New York spin studio, SoulCycle, as this studio has a reputation of getting clients hooked after one ride. Through preliminary research, we found that Forbes once reported that “[r]esearch also suggests that once a SoulCycle rider is on the hook, they return more often and spend far more than their counterparts at regular gyms.” By taking part in class, beginning with the registration
process to the end of the sweaty workout, we wanted to learn from experience to see how this studio motivates its riders, and why people keep coming back for more. “RESEARCH ALSO SUGGESTS THAT ONCE A SOULCYCLE RIDER IS ON THE HOOK, THEY RETURN MORE OFTEN AND SPEND FAR MORE THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS AT REGULAR GYMS.” - FORBES Discovering how SoulCycle motivates people to not only visit regularly, but also dedicate hours and money to their workouts, could help us determine new ways of motivating patients to visit the NGO regularly.
urban exercise obsession. Traditional gyms lack structure, intensity, and discipline, whereas boutique fitness excels in these areas. Classes are limited in size offering direct supervision, similar to an expensive personal training session. In fact, over 40 percent of the 54 million Americans who belong to health clubs work out in boutique programs, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. We researched this trend in order to identify the key characteristics of boutique fitness that might be motivating individuals to join.
TREND SoulCycle’s popularity stems from a greater fitness trend: boutique fitness. Boutique fitness programs are America’s current 35
PERSONALIZED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FITNESS PROFESSIONALS
Boutique fitness classes are personalized. Studios are opening by identifying consumer niches and serving them with new business models. With busy, everyday life, people are looking for solutions to fit in a quick workout. Consumers identify with boutique studios by picking a preferred workout, such as spinning, yoga, or pilates. Boutique fitness also offers superior customer experience through elevated, branded spaces. This branding
reinforces tribal identity and a sense of community. SoulCycle-branded merchandise is worn by riders to show their connection to the “cult of Soul enthusiasts”. This merchandising gives studios a literal ‘boutique’ feel. Branding also sets these studios apart, creating separate identities that differ from other studios. Boutique studios try to stand out by being more fun and exciting than the other. Lastly, boutique fitness attracts clients because of the instructors and
fitness professionals. These instructors ensure that clients receive a proper workout by guiding the way and offering advice and encouragement. This connection between clients and instructors makes the workouts reliable and fun. Instructors are able to ensure that all clients are performing accordingly so they are able to feel instant results.
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ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS, & IDEATION
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PERSONAS MODELS TO COMMUNICATE RESEARCH DONE ON TARGET AUDIENCE AND IDENTIFY KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVIEWEES
KATE
STORY:
I’m from Texas and I moved to NYC after I graduated from the university to pursue my dream working in fashion PR. Now it’s my second year in the city. My parents are still in Texas, so I like to visit them on weekends. I love cats and I have a cat!
BEHAVIORS:
I walk to work, drink smoothie every morning and try to eat healthy to keep in good shape. I take good care of myself by getting physical check. I like to read up–to–date information on Twitter, but I don’t post as often. Age: 25 Industry: Fashion PR Status: Single Location: New York, NY “NYC LIFE IS SO STRESSFUL, I WANT TO KEEP WORKING ON BUILDING AN OPTIMAL SELF AND ENJOY LIFE.”
I talk to my mom about personal issues because she knows me best.
GOALS:
I am searching for a new job, because I like new experiences. I want to move to California after staying in NYC for a few years. I am looking for stable relationships so hopefully I will meet the right guy soon.
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SAM
STORY:
I grew up in western mass and moved to NYC 3 years ago after living abroad. I has been in abusive relationships and am knowledgeable about services that help and empower women.
BEHAVIORS:
I am an active writer on feminist blogs (think pieces). I am outspoken about social issues. I speak on panels related to empowering women in various spaces that they are under-represented.
GOALS: Age: 27 Industry: Journalism/Media Status: Single Location: New York, NY
I want women to have total control over their body and the ability to feel safe in their body. I want to be an example for other women who have faced sexually related trauma that they do not have to hide in shame.
“MY BODY IS MY CHOICE AND NO MAN OR WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CAN’T DO WITH IT.”
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IMMERSION A CLASS AT SOULCYCLE
ENTRANCE Upon entering, we were kindly greeted by staff. We were asked for our names at the sign-in desk. First-timers get a tour of the facility and help setting up their bike. There were three staff members behind the counter, which was more than enough to support in-comers. SoulCycle offers shoes to rent for $3 and water to purchase for $2. The front desk has complimentary earplugs for those who do not enjoy loud music, as well as hair ties, and a fresh, citrusscented candle burning. The front area is surrounded by SoulCycle branded clothing and accessories. It is clean and bright with large windows.
FACILITY The facility is very clean and modern. The space is all white with yellow and grey branded messaging. There are several lockers with built in locks so there is no need to bring a lock. The changing area is 42
co-ed up the bathroom and showers and separated by sex. Showers and bathrooms are clean with several free amenities like hair dryers, deodorant, face wash, shampoo and hair styling products. Staff clean the spinning room between every class and leave a fresh towel for each participant.
CLASS The bikes are placed tightly together to make it feel like the rider is part of a pack, and the surrounding energy motivates the riders. The lights are dim and the instructor is at the front of the class elevated on a platform, with candles at the base. The music plays very loudly so that you can almost feel it in your bones, and it motivates your pace and movements. The playlist was exciting and upbeat which made the class feel like being at a nightclub. While the class was challenging and fast-paced, riders were able to set their own pace if needed.
INSTRUCTOR The instructor made the class. She was full of energy that radiated from her onto the riders. Her enthusiasm and energy motivated the class. Her strong body in front of the class, moving to the music, was also motivating because her ability and performance made us want to strive to be as strong and fit as her. She continuously cheered on the riders and encouraged everyone to ride faster, stronger and push their limits. The instructor was not just a fitness professional, but a motivational speaker.
OVERALL OBSERVATIONS Overall, the experience was welcoming, fun, and energizing. The space was clean and organized, and the staff were friendly and motivational. There was an overall emphasis on mind, body and soul and how each part of a person interacts with
WARRIOR RENEGADE ATHLETE CHAMPION TRIBE GANG COMMUNITY PACK the other. The experience was energetic, but also inspirational and meditative. There was messaging printed all over the walls in the studio with words like warrior, renegade, athlete, champion, tribe, gang, community, and pack. These words emphasize the feeling of being part of
something, and the feeling of power and strength.
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WHAT WE LEARNED
MOTIVATION
FUN
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SANCTUARY
MOTIVATION
FUN
SANCTUARY
Encouraging instructors, energizing music, and motivational words such as athlete, warrior, gang on the walls of the studio.
Energizing, fun class that made the workout feel like a dance party.
SoulCycle treats the studio like a sanctuary. The class is candle-lit, and their rules and mantra are written on the wall. The space is also very clean and the staff are welcoming.
JOURNEY MAP HAPPY I GOT THAT OVER WITH :)
HEALTH CARE VISIT
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Emotions 1. FEELING GOOD 2. SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
:)
SOULCYCLE VISIT
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Emotions
A journey map is a tool to map out the emotional and physical responses to an experience. After completing journey maps to plot out the emotional responses of doctor’s visit and a visit to SoulCycle, we noticed an interesting correlation. Both the doctor’s visit and the
fitness class end at a high point, but for very different reasons. The whole doctor’s visit feels like a chore: an unpleasant but necessary task. Taking the time out of your day to visit in order to make sure you are healthy and that everything is functioning properly seems like a positive
and reassuring experience. In reality, most people don’t need to be reassured that they are healthy when they feel fine. Most people visit the doctors office when they have a problem. The visit includes several tedious points, including traveling to the office, sitting in a 45
bleak waiting room, and sometimes an uncomfortable consultation. The high point of the journey is the end, when you say to yourself, “I’m happy I got that over with”. The progression of a SoulCycle visit is quite different. The low moments 46
at the beginning come from having to pay a premium to sign up for the experience, and having to make time for the class. Once at the studio, the experience only gets better. The motivating environment kicks in, and by the end of the class you leave feeling better physically, and
feeling as though you have accomplished something. This journey map comparison leaves us with the question, “How can we turn the feeling of ‘I’m happy I got that over with’ into a feeling of accomplishment?”
SOULCYCLE Photo of exterior
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IDEATION WORKSHOP As part of the ideation phase, we engaged the NGO in a co-creation workshop. The workshop featured a series of activities that were meant to synthesize the insights further to find common themes and new perspectives in the insights.
INTRODUCTION The intro established transparency and provided the client with the background on what research we had conducted over the past several months and how the research was going to shape the activities for the workshop. It was also an opportunity for us to explain why the workshop and their involvement in it were important.
WARM-UP We conducted an exercise that pulled common misconceptions about sexual healthcare from the data we gathered and simulated young adults in a school setting passing notes in a hallway. As the notes were passed the misconceptions grew grander and even further away from the truth. Not only did this allow us to break the ice in the room with the client but it also illustrated the dangers of unverified second-hand 48
information when it comes to sexual health care.
ACTIVITIES: EXPLORE NEEDS & SYNTHESIZE With a wealth of data, we needed to find a focus to develop a prototype. By utilizing a series activities, we narrowed the insights to a single theme of “needs of the teens�. Two common sub-themes that emerged were; Communication and Relationships. In order to explore both sub-themes, we split the room into two different groups based on needs and conducted several exercises like brainstorming, affinity mapping and dot voting to choose key insights under each sub-theme and then ideate further solutions for the insights.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Having this workshop was important for several reasons. It brought the client in on the design thinking process.
Considering that the process of design thinking can be mysterious and it was important for us to build in the co-creation workshop that included the client and gave them the opportunity to have their voice heard. Radical ideas and solutions are better accepted, effective and implemented if the client is involved in shaping them. Another reason it was important to include the client in the process was to make sure we were on the right track. The client pointed out aspects of the data and insights that we had not considered or misinterpreted.
WHAT DID WE LEARN? By the end of the workshop, we learned from collaborating with the stakeholders that young adults want instant results and a sense of accomplishment. This knowledge allowed us to arrive at a key insight that got us closer to building our first prototype.
SOLUTION OF INSTANT TEXT RESPONSE RELATES TO OUR INSIGHTS ABOUT INSTANT ACCESS AND A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. INSIGHT NO. 1
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INSIGHTS
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SUMMARY
INCENTIVE
EDUCATION
After concluding the research phase, we had gathered enough data to create insights that shaped what issues our prototype should answer. In order to give us a clear focus we looked for overlapping themes that emerged from the insights. The big themes included incentives, education, communication, environment and information - as related to young adults and health care.
There should be a platform for people to see tangible results and track their sexual health routines.
There is a lack of transparency about real life sexual experience in the sex-ed system.
There needs to be an incentive for young adults to go to the doctor before they have a problem.
The connection between taking care of oneself and a stable mental state needs to be made apparent.
Taking care of yourself should create a sense of accomplishment.
Provide opportunities for individuals to learn more about psychological care as it relates to sex and reproductive health.
COMMUNICATION
ENVIRONMENT
INFORMATION
People need personalized services that relate to their individual circumstances.
There needs to be a way to create a strong sense of familiarity for people when it comes to vulnerable subjects.
People need better tools to verify information around sexual health.
There needs to be more options for human interaction when booking appointments. People need a way to easily remember sexual health care appointments.
The health care providers need a better communication tool for sensitive questions. Sexual providers need a system to create an open space so that patients don’t feel judged.
People need a means to verify if the information they are receiving online is coming from a reliable source. People want a safe reliable network that they can receive sexual health advice.
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TAKING CARE OF YOUR SEXUAL HEALTH SHOULD GIVE YOU SIMILAR RESULTS TO TAKING CARE OF YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH INSIGHT NO. 2
TAKING CARE OF SEXUAL HEALTH NEEDS TO BE MADE TO FEEL LESS LIKE A CHORE INSIGHT NO. 3
PEOPLE WANT A SAFE RELIABLE NETWORK THAT THEY CAN TRUST INSIGHT NO. 4
TAKING CARE OF PHYSICAL HEALTH GIVES YOU INSTANT RESULTS AND A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT ...SO SHOULD TAKING CARE OF SEXUAL HEALTH INSIGHT NO. 5
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BIG IDEA FUTURE DIRECTION
After analyzing the insights, we decided to combine the “information” and “incentive” aspects together. Our big idea is that “information can be used to create incentives in order to communicate information in a rewarding way.” We decided to create an information-searching service that is available both online and on mobile devices. The service will offer: accurate and personalized sex education information; instant results and a sense of accomplishment; customer service; a health care tracker; real-time-response consultants; a sexual-health -care clinic locator. The user experience will be cool, hip and engaging.
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RELIABLE HONEST ANONYMOUS COOL PEER-TO-PEER ONLINE PLATFORM FOR SEXUAL HEALTH
FORUM FOR SHARING QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS USER GENERATED ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA MODERATED BY INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
PROTOTYPE + TESTING
PROTOTYPE INTRODUCTION On March 28th 2016, we had a prototyping party with our guest speaker Nicole Rufuku. We learned a lot about prototyping and also, we practiced the techniques and developed our own prototypes based on our big idea. From Nicole’s definition, a prototype is a “vehicle(s) for testing the riskiest components of a concept, piece by piece.” For example all the following items are considered as “prototypes:” • Business/ financial model (financial) • Landing page test (acquisition/value) • Analysis of existing product (competitive/value) • Concierge service (value/ experience) • Paper prototypes (design/ experience) • Sales or advertising test (acquisition/value) After a few brainstorm sessions, we specified our previous “big idea” and we decided to build a reliable, honest, anonymous, and 62
engaging online platform for sexual health. This platform would act as both a forum for sharing questions and concerns, including a user submitted comment section, as well as a user-generated online encyclopedia (like Wikipedia). The platform would be moderated by industry professionals to insure up-to-date, reliable information. We believe that creating a sexual health wiki for youth will result in a reliable platform and open environment for sharing questions and concerns. To execute this idea, we need to analyze assumptions, build a hypothesis, and then design our prototype based on the findings.
HYPOTHESIS How might we test our assumption that we can answer young adults’ sexual health related questions with a unique, valuable, and effective information sharing platform?
MAIN FOCUS How do we make our platform 10X better than the current products? After reviewing our assumptions and concerns, we started building our prototype ideas. We started by building a site that uses a peer-to-peer communication style to share sexual health care information.
KEY CONCERNS • The problem my customer wants to solve • The primary customer acquisition tactic • The main revenue stream
ASSUMPTION ANALYSIS WILL HELP US GAIN MORE USER INSIGHTS OF RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROTOTYPE AND ALSO IDENTIFY WHAT FACTORS WOULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE EXECUTION PROCESS. Who will the target customer be? Young adults, active social media users, age 18-30 What is the problem my customer wants to solve? Find reliable & convenient sources of sexual health information easily. What can my customer’s need be solved with? Anonymous web/mobile platforms that act as an encyclopedia and a forum. Why can’t my customer solve this today? There are too many unreliable resources online that are provided by unauthorized publishers. What is the measurable outcome my customer wants to achieve? Fast, convenient, reliable information to solve reproductive health problems & questions. What will my primary customer acquisition tactic be? Increase promotion of the platform through SEO, web advertisements, word of mouth, and social media. Who will my earliest adopter be? Proactive teens, young adults who love social media. How will I make money? NGO’s donations, political parties, brand partnerships. Who will be my primary competition? Wikipedia, WebMD, Google. Because of the assumption analysis tool, we were able to analyze the prototype idea and point out our top 3 key concerns: The problem my customer wants to solve; the primary customer acquisition tactic; the main revenue stream. If this prototype doesn’t solve my customer’s problems, then there is no point for this site to exist; if we cannot acquire enough customers, then we won’t be able to target a bigger market; finally, like many other business, the revenue stream is also a key component for a successful business model. Furthermore, these top three concerns also directed us on testing processes and discover if this idea could be expanded in young adult market. 63
PROTOTYPE
DESKTOP PROTOTYPE
The prototype gave us the opportunity to test our main assumption of the platform’s ability to actually deliver value to young adults and the NGO.
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By building a functional site, accompanied by a survey, we were able to track what aspects of the site that were most useful and desirable for users.
The site featured an introduction that gave users an opportunity to contribute questions, a blog that displayed various content related to sexual health, and a forum that allowed members to exchange concerns and advice.
MOBILE PROTOTYPE
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TESTING
QUANTITATIVE, QUALITATIVE, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
The testing phase is intended to be iterative. We had to test numerous versions of our prototype with the intended audience. We developed three methods of evaluation in order to test and improve the prototype: Quantitative, Qualitative and Comparative Analysis
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QUANTITATIVE TESTING
At the first stage, we conducted a quantitative survey. The survey contains 7 questions in total and we hoped the survey would help us scale the SXTLK.info user experience and understand the user engagement. The key questions included: what types of online content do users find most engaging; whether the users feel comfortable asking/answering questions on this site; whether the users would share the contents from SXTLK.info with their friends; and how users rate the user experience. Because our friends and peers are mostly in the target age group, we sent out the survey link through our social media accounts, texts and emails. By April 18th 2016, we received 93 responses, and 89.3% of the responses were from our target age group.
We interpreted and analyzed collected data from the survey and then we adjusted our website based on key insights. We also intended to create a greater value proposition for our prototype. We have learned that the overall user experience is positive; however due to the sensitive topic, users might not feel comfortable sharing the contents from our site on their social media pages. Users need a constant reassurance to know that their identities are staying anonymous and to make sure that they are in a safe and reliable environment, before they enjoy the contents from the site. The appendix has the complete survey results, and we listed two key highlights from the findings:
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HIGHLIGHT 1: At first, when we built the prototype, we made assumptions that “online forum” would be a popular tool for users. However from the survey, the majority of the users preferred videos, articles and photos and only 9.7% of them found “forums” engaging. That was a big surprise for us. After careful consideration, we decided to still keep the “forum” function, but instead, we moved it to the end of the page. Even though only a small group of people like the “forum” feature, it would still be a good tool that engages return users and helps people express their concerns anonymously.
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HIGHLIGHT 2: Before the survey, we were worried that users wouldn’t engage with the site. However we are glad to see that 79.6% of the users are comfortable enough to ask questions on SXTLK.info and also 71% of people would engage and are willing to participate in online discussion.
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USERS NEED A CONSTANT REINSURANCE TO KNOW THEIR IDENTITIES ARE STAYING ANONYMOUS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE IN A SAFE AND RELIABLE ENVIRONMENT INSIGHT NO. 6
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QUALITATIVE TESTING
At the second stage of testing, we conducted qualitative research. Each team member had a one-on-one interview with a tester in the target age group. As the testers browsed the improved website, they had to “think out loud” while we observed their behaviors at the same time. The three testers were Stan, Greta and Alex. The research focused on: the testers’ subconscious behaviors, their opinions toward to the site structure, and their comments about the site contents. The reason that we conducted qualitative research is that we wanted to dig deeper and understand the true meaning behind the users’ comments and behaviors. Testers in general had positive feedback about our site and they liked the relaxing and fun way to learn about sexual knowledge. We also gained significant findings:
SXTLK.info has multiple “Ask” buttons on the site, however all testers didn’t click the buttons when they first experienced the site. A typical behavior was that the tester would skim through the whole site from the top to the bottom and then scroll back up to start browsing more details. As we researched deeper, we found out that users would like to feel more comfortable on a site before they start to engage with it. Another interesting finding is that, to some users, the forum can act like a supportive community which will lead to psychological reassurance.
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STAN
GRETA
“THE NAVIGATION IS FLUID!”
“I LIKE HOW THE BLOG IS SET UP, IT MAKES ME WANT TO CLICK ON THINGS.”
“I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE MY EMAIL TO A SITE RIGHT AWAY WHEN I FIRST SEE IT. ”
“HEY A FORUM…I LIKE HEARING FROM OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE IT GIVES ME REASSURANCE.”
“SOMETIMES I CLICK ON SOMETHING BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT’S CLICKABLE, NOT REALLY BECAUSE I WANT TO CLICK IT.”
“I DON’T WANT TO SUBMIT ANY QUESTIONS AT THE BEGINNING, BECAUSE I WANT TO CHECK OUT THE WHOLE SITE FIRST AND MAKE SURE IT’S LEGIT.”
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ALEX
USERS WOULD LIKE TO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE ON THE SITE BEFORE THEY START TO ENGAGE WITH IT INSIGHT NO. 7
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
In order to help strengthen key aspects of SXTLK.info, we conducted comparative analysis research across platforms that have strong following in order to see what we could learn and apply. Quora is a question-andanswer website where questions are asked, answered, edited and organized by its community of users. It gave us the insight of how to leverage curiosity, user generated questions and gamification to create a community within an platform.
entries are organized by areas of interest called “subreddits”. It gave us the insight that the wisdom of the crowd will help to curate the most useful information but also that there needs to be a way for users interested in a specific topic to tap into it with minimal effort. SXTLK.info would utilize these insights to create content around popular questions and concerns. This content would be shareable information that engages a young adult market.
Reddit is a community driven bulletin site where members can submit content and vote submissions up or down to organize the posts and determine their position on the site’s pages. The submissions with the most positive votes appear on the main page or the top of a category. Content 75
“WE’RE ALL WIRED, SOMEWHERE IN OUR BRAINS, TO BE TURNED ON BY NEW KNOWLEDGE. AND QUORA IS DESIGNED TO CONSTANTLY SURFACE NEW ANSWERS ABOUT TOPICS WE ARE INTERESTED IN, WITHOUT US HAVING TO ASK THE QUESTIONS.” QUORA.COM
“THE ABILITY TO FOLLOW SPECIFIC SUBREDDITS ALLOWS EXPERIENCED USERS TO STILL RECEIVE VALUABLE CONTENT WHEN THEY VISIT THE SITE.” REDDIT.COM
BUSINESS MODEL INTEGRATION
CONSUMPTION CHAIN SUMMARY “CONSUMPTION CHAIN” IS A TOOL THAT HELPED US UNDERSTAND OUR TARGET USERS AND DEVELOP A USER ACQUISITION STRATEGY.
AWARENESS
EVALUATION
• Users will find our service through media platforms (advertising, social media, online publications) and wordof-mouth (content that is shareable).
• Our service is used to educate young adults on sexual health information in a fun and relatable way. Engaging content will create incentives for users to be proactive about taking care of their sexual health. Users are using this service to get instant answers to sexual health questions and to feel a part of an online community. • Some of the most important features to our users include: the presentation, branding, content, and user experience. • Doctors, social media influencers (Bloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers…), peers, and entertainers (celebrities) are all influencers who can impact the users’ evaluations of our site.
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CUSTOMER AWARENESS
CUSTOMER EVALUATION
CUSTOMER PURCHASE
CUSTOMER USE
CUSTOMER CONNECTION
PURCHASE
USE
CONNECTION
• Our product is free for browsing online. The site works on both a desktop browser and a mobile browser. It is a peer-to-peer crowd sourcing platform.
• While users are browsing the site, they need a navigation bar and a clear layout. Users also need to be reminded that the platform is a safe place where they are able to browse and interact anonymously.
• The users can connect through relatable and shareable stories on the site. Occasional ‘viral’ content could promote our platform and help spread through social media platforms and word-of-mouth forms. Continued use of influencers will help engage users in a more active way.
• However, users might abuse the forum function: post inappropriate content and reply to questions with inappropriate answers. They also might use the site against the NGO if the content does not align with their views. • Our site is serviced by industry professionals and designers. The maintenance could be made easier by outsourcing design and updates to an agency.
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OUTBOUND: MARKETING TOOL THAT WILL ALLOW THE NGO TO RAISE AWARENESS OF SERVICES FOR YOUNG ADULTS. VALUE PROPOSITION 1
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INBOUND: DATA MINING TOOL THAT WILL ALLOW THE NGO TO GATHER DATA ON YOUNG ADULTS. VALUE PROPOSITION 2
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MARKETING STRATEGY
KEY PARTER: INFLUENCERS One of the key partners of SXTLK.info will be influencers. They would help create content around top voted questions and topics. “Influencer marketing” has recently become one of the most popular ways to reach consumers, as influencers are able to connect with the audience in more direct and relatable ways than traditional advertising. “...INFLUENCERS ARE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE IN MORE DIRECT AND RELATABLE WAYS THAN TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING.” Brands and companies are able to target their advertising by working with influencers that connect with their target group. This relatable approach has a great impact because audiences are more likely
to listen to the message when it is coming from a real person. By reaching out and collaborating with the influencers that support the core values of the NGO, SXTLK.info will be able target new users that will likely want to engage with the site. There are hundreds of content creators around the web, including YouTubers, bloggers, instagrammers and more. But working with influencers does not come without a high price-tag. For example, having you product featured by an influencer with upwards of 500 thousand followers will likely cost a couple thousand dollars, and that is for one instagram or blog post. However, since SXTLK.info is run by an NGO that is trying to expand its reach and educate the community on their values and goals, influencers with aligning views and opinions could collaborate with the site as a sign of support at a lower price.
WORD OF MOUTH As our goal is to create content around popular questions and concerns about sexual health, this content would be useful and relatable for a wide audience. The purpose of creating content around top concerns is to have user’s questions answered before even having them ask. We hope that creating content based on trends will result in ‘shareable’ content: content that appeals to many, and as a result, will be shared among users and friends. Shareable content will both expand the reach of the site, and reinforce reliability, as many people trust information that is shared by friends.
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INTERNAL BUSINESS MODEL If the NGO decides to run the whole site internally, a team has to be added to the organization’s current structure to operate the site. An ideal team should include a marketing researcher, two editors, a designer, a freelance developer, and multiple health-care professional volunteers. The freelancer can build the site and after the site has been developed, the NGO’s current website management team can take over the website maintenance duties. The NGO already has a team of doctors, teen advocates and hotline operators. They all can take turns and volunteer one hour online (every other week) to offer real-time concerns and check the accuracy of online contents. Marketing researcher is an important role for this team. S/he will create marketing strategies and conduct influencer outreach in order to expand SXTLK.info. 86
Based on Glassdoor’s NYC average salary, the NGO needs at least $270,000 to start a SXTLK team for the first year. Operating the site internally can have a relatively lower cost in the short term and also because the team is close to the NGO’s core team, the NGO’s voice can be communicated to users easily. However, in the long term, there are disadvantages. Salary is only a part of employment costs. There are also recruiting expenses, employment taxes, benefits, space, and other equipment costs. Joe Hadzima from MIT Sloan School of Management once analyzed the total employment costs for a worker. Besides the space and equipment fees, an organization usually has to pay 1.25 to 1.4 times the base salary range in order to retain an employee with benefits and employment taxes. Therefore in the long term, the cost of the internal team will rise.
There is also another risk because the SXTLK team is so close to the NGO’s core and an internally operated team might get limited information. In the long run, SXTLK’s voice might get more traditional or the contents might stop being diverse. Therefore it might defeat the purpose of using constant new and fun content to attract young adults.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
SHORT-TERM LOW COSTS
LONG-TERM HIGH COSTS
NGO’S VOICE CAN BE COMMUNICATED EASILY
CONTENT MIGHT GET MORE TRADITIONAL HARD TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE MORE LIABILITIES
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EXTERNAL BUSINESS MODEL Outsourcing the production and maintenance of SXTLK.info will allow the NGO to focus on its core business and allow an agency that specializes in creating content for your adults that will make the most impact. An agency team would include an account manager who would interface with the NGO and manage the production and delivery of assets for SXTLK.info. A web-development team would build and maintain the site, and editor and curator that would work with a network of influencers and freelancers to create content. A designer to create visual assets and graphics for the site and marketing/social media team to amplify the content on all channels. The agency can utilize the NGO’s existing network of sexual health care experts to help verify the information on the site is accurate. 88
The main disadvantage includes a high startup cost. Even though the NGO will not have to pay operation costs, they will have to pay an agency retainer that will increase as the scope of the site starts to increase. They also face the restriction of the NGO’s internal culture having too much of an influence on the site and limiting its ability to effectively engage with young adults in a new way. An advantage to working with an existing agency is that they are already trusted by young adults so they know the right tone and voice that will get young adults to engage. This is valuable because it will allow for the NGO to build a strong, trusted bond with young adults in a shorter time. Another advantage is that since the agencies are used to developing content, the NGO will be have access to the best of the best when it comes to content creation.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
AGENCY IS AN INFLUENTIAL VOICE FOR YOUNG ADULTS
HARDER TO CONTROL THE VOICE OF PLATFORM
NO ADDITIONAL OVERHEAD (BENEFITS AND OPERATION COSTS PAID FOR BY AGENCY)
SHORT-TERM HIGH COST SHARE STAFF TIME WITH OTHER CLIENTS
UTILIZE AGENCY’S EXISTING NETWORK
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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The implementation of SXTLK.info will roll out in phases. Broken down into milestones for each year, the phases will build off of the previous and utilize learnings from the year before. Milestones include live experiences that help to bring the SXTLK message to life and also fundraise for additional programming. Another milestone is diverse content production, including a monthly podcast series and documentary style videos. The implementation plan is developed to yield and track against desired impression, published content, active forum users, social media followers and mailing list goals. We have provided two different levels of investment into the platform: an approach that includes hiring a small internal team to operate the platform or an external agency that would run the platform but report back to the NGO. Both approaches come with their own pros and cons and will develop over time.
2017 Launch with Blog, Forum and Newsletter Impressions: 400,000 Published Content: 3 per week / 156 per year Active Forum Users: 500 Social Media Followers: 10,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 600 Cost: $270,000
INTERNAL
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2018 Introduce: Annual SXTLK Fundraising Event Impressions: 800, 000 Published Content: 3 per week / 156 per year Active Forum Users: 1,500 Social Media Followers: 30,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 1,000 Cost: $270,000
2019 New Content: Documentary Style Video Impressions: 1.5M Published Content: 4 per week / 208 per year Active Forum Users: 2,500 Social Media Followers: 55,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 3,000 Cost: $310,000
2020 Focus on growth - add insight team Impressions: 2M Published Content: 4 per week / 208 per year Active Forum Users: 4,000 Social Media Followers: 80,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 4,500 Cost: $410,000
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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Though the cost for operating internally is a cheaper option, this internal business model might not be able to help the NGO reach out to a bigger audience. On the other hand, outsource the work to an agency will help the NGO gain bigger impact and reach out to a bigger market. As the site reaches a bigger audience, there are higher chances for people to engage with the site as well. Moreover, SXTLK.info will be a great resource for NGO to collect direct insights from young adults and benefit from the data. For example, the NGO can improve its service and develop a more specific long-term strategy based on the information collected from the users directly.
2017 Launch with Blog, Forum and Newsletter Impressions: 1M Published Content: 3 per week / 144 per year Active Forum Users: 1,000 Social Media Followers: 50,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 1,500 Cost: $390, 000
EXTERNAL
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2018 Introduce: Annual SXTLK Fundraising Event Impressions: 2M Published Content: 6 per week / 288 per year Active Forum Users: 10,000 Social Media Followers: 150,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 7,000 Cost: $ 500,000
2019 New Content Type: Documentary Style Video Impressions: 4M Published Content: 6 per week / 288 per year Active Forum Users: 20,000 Social Media Followers: 450,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 10,000 Cost: $520,000
2020 New Content Type: Podcast series Impressions: 6M Published Content: 6 per week / 480 per year Active Forum Users: 30,000 Social Media Followers: 900,000 (Combined) Mailing List: 15,000 Cost: $520,000
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CONCLUSION
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CONCLUSION NGO > SXTLK.info > DATA > NGO
The increase in brand awareness and the spread of the brand’s goals and values will help to shift the sexual health care habits of young adults from reactive to proactive. The end-goal of SXTLK.info is to make the NGO a household name. The site will both increase the NGO’s brand awareness through shareable content and influencer marketing. It will also be used as a tool to collect data on young adults to further improve its services and understand popular areas of concern. In order to make the NGO a house-hold name, its brand and message need to spread. It needs to be the goto resource for online sexual health care information, as the internet is the most popular source of information for 96
many. Once this is achieved, the brand name will gradually be adopted as the go-to place for sexual health care.
While the site is a considerable expense, its return will far exceed the cost, continually bringing in new patients by raising brand awareness. More importantly, by mining data directly from SXTLK.info, the NGO will be able to understand and better serve the needs of the young adults.
SXTLK.INFO WILL BE USED AS A MARKETING TOOL TO REACH A MASS YOUNG ADULT MARKET, HELPING TO MAKE THE NGO A HOUSE-HOLD NAME.
WHO WE ARE ANNIKA QUN YAN is a multidisciplinary design strategist and strategic designer based in NYC.
She is currently pursuing her Master of Science degree in Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design. She comes from a fashion production background and has a great interest in design strategy. She looks forward to focusing on both design and practical business problem solving, as skills that will allow her to confidently create, manage, and lead processdriven design organizations in the future.
CAMILLE PYLYPCZAK is an explorer of art, design, fashion, food and culture.
For the past four years Camille has been managing and creating branded imagery, videos and other social media content for the lipstick brand BITE Beauty as their Manager of Digital Content Strategy. Currently, she is reading five books a week in pursuit of her Masters in Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design in New York.
NU GOTEH is a Brooklyn-based strategist and designer with a
hunger for knowledge and a knack for solving complex problems. Equipped with 10 years of consumer marketing experience, he is currently enrolled in Parsons the New School of Design’s Strategic Design and Management Program. When he is not asking “what if” you can find him building gag-web sites or sharing his love of music, as a DJ, a various parties he throws across NYC and the world. 99
APPENDIX
ONLINE OBSERVATION POPULAR TOPICS SEXUAL HEALTH - WOMEN FORUM • How to prepare for sex • How to improve sexual life
SEXUAL HEALTH -BIRTH CONTROL FORUM • Proper methods of using birth control pills • Confusion on false information regarding the contraception method
TEEN SEXUAL HEALTH CARE: • Abuse of prescription painkillers, stimulants increase sexual risks for teens • Suggestions on LGBT youth education and what parents can do
GO ASK ALICE • Most questions asked by females • Questions ranged from sexual positions, STDs, pregnancy and relationships
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BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS
KEY PARTNERS NGO Users Influencers Legislators Joint-venture
KEY ACTIVITIES Platform/network Problem solving Promoting NGO
KEY RESOURCES Human/intellectual NGO network Influencer network User network
COST STRUCTURE Value driven writers/influencers Site maintenance personnel/intellectual property
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS Co-creation Community
CHANNELS Website: desktop + mobile friendly Mailing list/subscription Social media
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS Early adopters: young adults 18-25 Early majority 25-35 Mass market
REVENUE STREAMS Donations Advertising
VALUE PROPOSITION Reliable Safe Community for sexual health care and knowledge Relatable + fun - brand 103
ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS:
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Martin, Roger L. The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage. 1st ed. 2009. Kindle. “National Institute’s Vision.” National Institute for Reproductive Health. Accessed May 1, 2016. http://www.nirhealth.org/who-we-are/vision/. O’Connor, Clare. “As SoulCycle Preps For IPO, Stats Show Boutique Fitness Isn’t Just A Fad.” Forbes. July 21, 2015. Accessed April 14, 2016. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ clareoconnor/2015/07/31/as-soulcycle-preps-for-ipo-stats-show-boutique-fitness-isnt-just-a ad/#498cce133049. O’Rourke, Bryan K. “The Rise of Boutique Fitness Studio Concepts.” Stephens. August 2015. Accessed March 18, 2016. http://www.stephens.com/globalassets/about-stephens/news pdfs/08.05.15-the-rise-of-boutique-fitness-studio-concepts.pdf. “Planned Parenthood Facing Competition From Obamacare.” Newsmax. September 8, 2015. Ac cessed May 1, 2016. http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/planned-parenthood-shu down-congress/2015/09/08/id/678497/. “Planned Parenthood Partners with DrivenData on Data Competition.” Planned Parenthood. March 9, 2015. Accessed May 1, 2016. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/ press-releases/planned-parenthood-partners-with-drivendata-on-data-competition. “Sexual Health - Women Forum.” EHealth Forum. Accessed May 1, 2016. http://ehealthforum.com health/womens_health.html. “Sexual & Reproductive Health.” Go Ask Alice! Accessed May 1, 2016. http://goaskalice.columbia edu/category/sexual-reproductive-health. “Strategic Design and Management (MS).” Parsons The New School. Accessed April 28, 2016. http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/masters-design-management/.
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