Challenge
The number of hetero men with HIV has overtaken that of gay and bisexual men. This can be attributed to hetero men and women not checking their sexual health regularly whilst having multiple sexual encounters.
How might we design a ritual to help promote users to regularly take sexual health check ups to mitigate the spread of STI's?
Approach
Taking the theoretical approach of rituals to analyze user behavior, the objective was to instill confidence in users to take an STI test and take ownership of their sexual health. Using the ritual design toolkit, we determined the key moment and designed a behavior to achieve our desired emotional outcome.
Solution
The SH Card features tabs which are snapped off after every unique sexual encounter to visualize the risk. Each tab displays a QR code which lead to STI myth debunks and STI advocate stories.
This incrementally builds the confidence of the user before testing. After 4 encounters, the user peels the heart sticker revealing a QR to order an STI test kit. They can keep the sticker to symbolize the ownership they have taken over their own sexual health.
Behavioral Design Using Rituals
A ritual is an intentional behavior or sequence of behaviors with a distinct emotional outcome. At its core, a ritual consists of three main components: behaviors, key moments and outcomes.
Primary Research
To test the barriers to entry in taking an STI test, two of us, one male and one female, tried out the SH:24 testing kit. Additionally we gathered insight from conducting surveys and semi-structured interviews.
Some key insights include:
- People place the responsibility of testing onto their partners
- People are negligent towards their sexual health, using ignorance as a reason
- People who are surrounded by friends who regularly test, are more likely to test themselves
Ritual Design Canvas
We scoped the user's routine to identify a suitable key moment which is when they return home, sober and alone after an encounter. Using the ritual design canvas, we set out to design the behavior of the ritual.
Specific intentional behaviors were also selected to be part of the ritual:
1. Pause
2. Having a sensory experience
3. Scripting
4. Taking specific action
5. Sequencing, repetition, and counting
Concept Generation and Lo-fi Prototyping
This stage involved in the brainstorming of ideas that could lead to product developing greater ownership of one’s sexual health.
Final Ritual Design
The intervention works by visualizing the risk of an STI as the user counts their sexual encounters and gives the user increasing confidence as they learn facts about STIs.
