A research-based study that utilized design to enhance and promote the Marshallese community and livelihood in the Northwest Arkansas region.
INFORMATION
This project targets many of the obstacles Marshallese women face in the health care arena ranging from unawareness of health issues, communication, language barriers, time commitment, motivation, cost, and access to healthcare.
DELIVERABLES
Branding, Campaign Design, Translation Cards & UI/UX App Design
HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN
Marshallese Women’s Health Care
Spring 2016
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Marshal Islands 1946 Nuclear Testing
1944
The United States gained military control of the Marshall Islands from Japan following the end of World War 2.
1946 - 1958
The United States carried out 67 nuclear tests in what is now the northern Marshal Islands.
The Aftermath
Because of the proximity of the nuclear bombings to inhabited islands, the Marshallese community has struggled with generations of radiation poisoning. Many Marshallese have suffered from forced relocation, burns, birth defects, and cancers.
It is suggested that up to 55% of all cancers in the northern atolls are a result of nuclear fallout.
The National Cancer Institute
2010 report
THE CHALLENGE
How can we implement design to help this specific community in Northwest Arkansas?
Evidence Based Product Development
DISCOVER
Research
Surveys
Interviews
DEFINE
User Persona
Feature Prioritization
Affinity Map
DESIGN
User Flows
Site Map
Sketches
Brand
DEVELOP
Wireframe
Prototype
Design System
Refine Solutions
Discovering Modification Targets
Redesign Solutions
Implementation & Service Outcomes
DISCOVER
RESEARCH, SURVEYS & INTERVIEWS
Discover is a preliminary phase of researching the problem space to understand your clients’ problems and needs. Gathering enough evidence and initial direction on what to do next.
Interviews were conducted with various health professionals in the Northwest Arkansas area and local Marshallese women to gain insight in the communities perspective.
I don't go to the doctor because nothing is wrong.
Julianne Nemara I 23-years-old Marshallese Resident I Springdale Arkansas
She doesn’t want to take time away from her obligations like working to support her family. When she does visit the doctor, it is usually to help translate for her mother or auntie. If something is determined to be wrong, she doesn’t always know how to communicate about the diagnosis and is often confused by the medical terms. She wishes she understood more about her health and feel confidant openly communicating with the doctor or nurse.
Seeing first-hand the lack of health awareness among these women is extremely upsetting. I wish there was a way to better educate and communicate with them about their health
Sarah Daniels I RN at Pat Walker Women's Health Clinic
Before Before working at Pat Walker Women's Health Clinic, Sarah worked as a nurse for 5 years at Willow Creek Women's Health Clinic in Springdale. She has noticed the lack of general health awareness among the women in the Marshallese community..Sarah feels these women could be more aware of their bodies and the potential health risks their community commonly faces.
DEFINE
USER PERSONAS, FEATURE PRIORITIZATION & AFFINITY MAPING
Now that we have data, we can craft clear direction and product focus to begin to define guiding principles and layouts.
Based off our findings, we were able to determine where design could have the most impact in the Marshallese community. Through research, we were able to figure out many of the obstacles the Marshallese women face when visiting the doctor and the needs lacked. From there, goals were set out to improve these areas of weakness.
KEY RESEARCH TAKEAWAYS
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Marshallese people in this area are a close-knit community.
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Marshallese men and women are not visiting the doctor.
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There is often a communication barrier between Marshallese residents and their health care providers.
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There is a high amount of sexually transmitted diseases in the Marshallese community.
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There is a disproportionately high number of teenage pregnancies in the Marshallese community.
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The Marshallese community face an unfair genetic disadvantage from the nuclear testing on nearby islands, many do not catch a problem until it is too late.
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The Marshallese do not commonly discuss their health with one another.
WAYS DESIGN WILL TARGET OUR AUDIENCE
CAMPAIGN DESIGN
Encouraging young Marshallese women to visit the doctor and learn more about their health.
APP
Directing Marshallese women to helpful clinics in their area as well as managing personal health information
BROCHURES & FLYERS
Designed to educate doctors and encourage Marshallese women to visit the doctor.
TERMINOLOGY CARD
Doctors can use this while examining patients and their symptoms.
DESIGN
USER FLOWS, SITE MAPS, SKETCHES & BRANDING
In the design phase we finally give life to the key data points that we collected in the previous phase. We can now design the graphics and brand.
The who, what, when, where and why have now all been answered. Now we create the brand elements.Information gathered during the discovery phase is used to inform the creative direction of the project.
Over 15,000 of United States Marshallese citizens are living in Northwest Arkansas today
Marshallese Population in the United States
There are currently over 30,000 Marshallese citizens living in America
Top 10 Cities with the Highest Percentage of Marshallese Population in the United States:
#1 Vandervoort, AR 25.28%
#2 North Enid, OK 12.59%
#3 Pepeekeo, HI 11.70%
#4 Hawaiian Ocean View, HI 8.78%
#5 De Queen, AR 8.62%
#6 Hanamaulu, HI 722%
#7 Springdale, AR 6.86%
#8 Jansen, NE 5.61%
#9 Broken Bow, OK 5.14%
#10 Enid, OK 4.76%
Brand Style Guide
#B9396C 185, 57, 108
IRRESISTIBLE
#EDBED0 237, 190, 208
CAMEO PINK
#EDD8C1 237, 216, 193
DUTCH WHITE
DEVELOP
WIREFRAMES, PROTOTYPES, DESIGN SYSTEMS & REFINE SOLUTIONS
This is the phase where our design concepts and solutions come to life. By taking the information collected in the discovery phase and testing concepts in the design phase, we are now ready for the fun part!
In this phase we will being applying our concepts created in the Design phase. Here we expand on our campaign design to encourage app downloads and we finalize our app design.
ARIMO FONT FAMILY
CAMPAIGN DESIGNS
TERMINOLOGY CARDS
Intended to help bridge the communication gap. Interviews were conducted with local health care personal to determine helpful questions.
FLYERS & POSTERS
Located in communal spaces and at local physician offices. Encourage Marshallese patients to download and use the app.
MAILERS
Mailers sent to Marshallese residents and local doctors to encourage Marshallese women to download the app.
LOVE YOUR HEALTH APP
The Love Your Health app was designed to assist Marshallese women in managing their health care information and finding local doctors in their area that support the Marshallese culture. Here women can review doctor’s notes from their recent visits, diagnosis, and treatment plans. They can also store their medical history for quick reference.
