Discharge: Is it normal?
Are you too shy to ask your health provider about your discharge? This microlearning project was created to help learn more about the reproductive health system.
Overview
This project while very important for me was created for a local NGO in Belarus that strives to help educate women in a rural community about their reproductive health. I created it in Russian and Belarussian languages but only included a translated English version in the portfolio.
Audience: Young women from rural communities in Belarus and Ukraine.
Responsibilities: Instructional Designer, eLearning Development, Graphic Design.
Tools used: Articulate Storyline 360, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Miro.
A small local NGO in Belarus noticed a spike in preventable reproductive disorders among young women in rural communities. Due to the religious beliefs of the community, sex education programs were not welcomed. As a result, women did not have sufficient knowledge to adequately evaluate their health condition and didn’t know when to contact their doctor. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) reached out to me to help solve this problem.
When I visited the area to conduct a needs analysis and study learning audience behaviors, I noticed that the reported cases were mostly found around young women (15-27 years old) who spend a lot of time in hospital lines and, importantly, on their phones. While talking about their reproductive health with their doctor wasn’t easy, they preferred to look up their concerns on social networks. It was a reason for me to propose creating a microlearning experience that would look like scrolling Instagram stories.
Process
I designed and developed a project with the following steps:
Create the Action Map
Write a text-based storyboard
Design Visual Mockups
Develop an Interactive Prototype
Finalize and Publish the Project
Each step is an important milestone towards developing a fully-funcitoning learning experience.
Action Map
After the initial discussion of the problem and proposed solution, I consulted with the NGO’s local health activists and a doctor (SMEs) to identify the overall goal of the learning experience. We’ve created a blueprint that showed actions that were often performed incorrectly or not performed at all that leaded to the health problems. With this direction, I created an action map.
After the SMEs reviewed and approved the action map, I moved on to the text-based storyboard.
Text-Based Storyboard
After creating the action map, I started working on outlining the learning experience from beginning to an end through a text-based storyboard with some visual mockups. For this, I used Google docs, as it allows collaboration with SMEs and saves my work as needed. My storyboards are very straightforward, they include every slide name, on-screen text or narration, of graphic elements description, and programming notes that include interactions on that specific slide. For this project, I decided to create a short learning experience that would provide women with reliable, medically accurate information and motivate them to consult their health provider. Every slide included a discharge description with vivid but appropriate and respectful illustrations.
Creating a text-based storyboard allowed us to go through multiple revisions of the content and interactions before developing the functioning prototype. Typically, I have 3 revisions per project. After that, I go to Adobe XD and begin designing how the learning experience will look and feel.
Visual Mockups
Jumping into Adobe XD and Adobe Illustrator, I created visual mockups for this project. I focused on providing not only an aesthetically pleasing learning experience but also making it functional and informative. Using Adobe XD allows me to iterate on visual design elements of the project and helps my clients with envisioning the layout and concept of the project and choosing the elements they prefer the most.
Here you can see that the buttons are different as the SMEs wanted to see different options and Adobe XD is a perfect tool for iterations and experimentations like this. From there, I used best practices on proximity, alignment, contrast, and typography to ensure the design was visually sound.
With color, I decided to use a color scheme that would match the organization’s brand. Since color plays an essential part in setting a tone for the experience, I wanted to ensure the colors I chose were soothing and non-distracting for the learner. I got to work on editing each asset in Adobe Illustrator to match the color scheme and ensure every element is appropriate and corresponded with communities’ values and beliefs.
Interactive Prototype
I created an interactive prototype with Articulate Storyline 360 to give the client a “first look” of the project and to test its functionality. It was not meant to be fully ironed out, but rather, a better representation of what the final product will look like. With the action map, text-based storyboard, and visual mockups, developing a prototype was smooth sailing. I developed a simple prototype that showed the slide layouts, button and swipe functionality, and a small branching scenario interaction to collect feedback and iterate. From there, I sent the prototype for feedback and made revisions as needed.
I also submitted the prototype to an audience representative who was not familiar with the subject to check if the content is unambiguous and respectful in relation to the communities’ beliefs. In addition, I wanted to see if the interaction is clear and easy to understand for the learners. The feedback was positive, I made minor adjustments to make slide transitions smoother and moved on to the full development once I was happy with the outcome.
Full Development
The full development of the project in Articulate Storyline 360 was straightforward and productive now that all elements had been designed and reviewed by multiple stakeholders.
Results and Takeaways
I shared the fully developed project with my peers, connections, and local NGO members working in the healthcare sector and was happy to receive encouraging feedback. Many indicated how visually pleasing and non-distractive the design was, how swiping through these factsheets reminded them of TikTok videos or Instagram reels, and how useful the material was. A couple of peers shared that it made them make a doctor’s appointment.
This project has definitely improved my diversity and inclusivity skills. While the task itself wasn’t easy as I needed to ensure the experience provides learners with accurate content, I also needed to be sure that the slides and assets are respectful, acceptable, and appropriate. Working on such a sensitive topic in a conservative community taught me a lot and improved me as a professional. After working on this project, I always try to ensure that I fully understand the audience and use corresponding assets.
The SMEs noted that the number of diagnosed preventable disorders decreased by 15% in that quarter and more young patients began to ask their health providers more questions about their reproductive health.