Summary of Literature review

1. Current lack of understanding about LGBT women's health in healthcare and the LGBT community.
2. Healthcare providers may underestimate health concerns for lesbian and bisexual women.
3. Increased risks of certain cancers and lower screening rates for lesbian and bisexual women.
4. Significant awareness gap among Women who have Sex with Women (WSW) about STD transmission
5. Lesbians often lack protection due to misconceptions or knowledge gaps.
6. Urgent need to raise awareness and knowledge about LGBT women's health for both professionals and the community.
7. Emphasizes the need for a dedicated platform for information dissemination and support.

Stakeholder Interview

We conducted a one-on-one interview, engaging with a knowledgeable representative from Sex og Samfunn, a clinic where our stakeholder serves as a nurse. The interview, conducted as a team through a 45-minute Zoom session after working hours, revealed key insights:

1. Lack of Resources for WSW:
   • There's no natural avenue for Women who have Sex with Women (WSW) to access help, information, or healthcare.
2. Information Gap:
   • Limited information exists for WSW compared to gay men.
3. Tailored Healthcare Need:
   • There's a demand for healthcare tailored specifically to WSW.
4. Educational Gap:
   • Norwegians lack education about WSW in schools, emphasizing the need for information on sexual, physical health, and rights.
5. Misinformation Challenge:
   • Many individuals receive misinformation about their health and needs.
6. Healthcare Professional Awareness:
   • Healthcare professionals often lack education on WSW topics and may make assumptions about individuals' sexual orientation.

These insights underscore the necessity of addressing informational and healthcare gaps for WSW, emphasizing the need for targeted resources and education.

Survey

We conducted a 11-question survey using a Google Survey link to gather insights in a non-intimidating manner. This approach allowed us to understand respondent motivations, pain points, and priorities while ensuring a private environment for open and honest feedback.

The survey aimed to capture valuable opinions and comments, providing a baseline for future benchmarks. Combined with insights from a stakeholder interview, the survey results will inform the development of a unique product tailored to unmet needs in Norway.

Summary of Survey

Healthcare Professional:

• Many healthcare professionals lack education on WSW topics and make assumptions about sexual orientation.
• 64.5% surveyed never asked about sexual orientation by healthcare personnel.
• Sexual minority women struggle to find knowledgeable and comfortable healthcare providers.
• Limited information received by participants about WSW health, with a lack of awareness about STD transmission.

Education:

• 38.7% gather WSW information from the internet.
• 65.5% prefer more WSW education in schools.

Information Needs:

• Desired information includes mental health, sex and pleasure, STDs, and different sexualities.

Personas

Problem Statement

Women who have sex with women encounter difficulties accessing relevant information about sexual health and mental well-being tailored to their population. Establishing a platform offering comprehensive resources on sex, sexual health, and mental health for WSW has the potential to positively impact this population, providing support and knowledge on often overlooked topics.

How Might We (HMW) Questions:

1. How might we normalize and present WSW education in an engaging and enjoyable manner?
2. How might we simplify the learning process for WSW to explore relevant topics?
3. How might we inspire and encourage WSW to proactively seek information about their unique needs?

Mind Mapping

Ideas are crucial, and mind mapping proved invaluable for organizing a wealth of information, responses, and survey findings. This method fostered creativity, displayed hierarchy, facilitated discussions on potential solutions rooted in research data, and illustrated relationships between our ideas. The collaborative and productive atmosphere enhanced our ability to move forward. In the pursuit of refining our proposed AI and avoiding assumptions, we conducted card sorting testing.

Card Sorting

Utilizing OptimalSort for insights, we created 16 cards across 6 categories (Definitions, Home Screen, STIs, Your Body, Mental Health, and Sexuality). The testing validated our assumptions, and 71% of participants successfully completed the study in a median time of 03:21. With a completion rate of 71%, the process proved helpful, emphasizing its importance in our overall development process.

Information Architecture

Information architecture prioritizes user goals and cognitive effort utilization.

Prototyping

Drawing inspiration from Information Architecture (IA), user flow, and task flow, we initiate the sketching phase to explore diverse website designs. Employing low-fidelity methods and various tools such as Miro, InVision, and others, we bring these ideas to life.

Design System

In team collaboration, we established a style guide covering typography, website components, and layout details. Using a 12-column grid ensured consistency in spacing and alignment. Initial sketches gave a content overview, and high-fidelity desktop wireframes were created for usability testing, with a focus on desktop design for this project.

Usability Testing Highlights

• Planning involved method selection, metric definition, script creation, and participant recruitment.
• Goals centered on enhancing navigation for a better user experience, exploring user impressions and preferences.
• Employed Concurrent Think Aloud (CTA) and Concurrent Probing (CP) techniques for real-time insights.
• Metrics focused on behavioral and attitudinal data aligned with testing goals.
• User feedback gathered through verbal expressions and observed behavior.
• Tasks included finding information about endometriosis, understanding klamydia, and exploring chat usage.
• Evaluative questions measured task success and gathered attitudinal information.
• Targeted women participants, aiming for the WSW population but open to sexually open women for recruitment.

Results Summary

Overall, participants successfully completed tasks, except for one due to a technical error with the chat box.

Task Struggles:

• Task 1 (Endometriosis): Users adapted to a malfunctioning search bar, utilizing alternative navigation methods.
• Task 2 (Chlamydia): Participants navigated seamlessly, but one felt overwhelmed by the comprehensive content layout.
• Task 3 (Chat Usage): Initial participant faced challenges due to a non-functional chat box, resolved for subsequent users.

Reflections and Learnings

Logistics

Recruitment challenges surfaced in the empathy and ideate stages due to our target users' elusive nature. Bias was evident in low response rates, impacting sampling accuracy. Card sorting for ideation faced obstacles with desktop-exclusive testing, yielding fewer results.

Usability Testing

Moderate-remote testing proved time-intensive for participant recruitment, but the sessions provided valuable insights. Recognizing the necessity for ongoing testing, we refined our ideas and addressed technical improvements.

Design Thinking Process

Navigating a sparse landscape of resources on women's health and WSW in the empathy stage highlighted our project's uniqueness. The non-linear nature of design thinking became explicit, emphasizing the importance of flexibility and empathy in propelling the process forward.

Stakeholder Collaboration

While team collaboration effectively distributed work, improved internal communication and more frequent meetings could have enhanced efficiency. Additional stakeholder involvement throughout the process would have facilitated continuous feedback and refinement.

Team Dynamics

Despite geographical differences, the team collaborated well, leveraging diverse skills. Recognizing user needs and aligning with the business brief remained consistent. While meetings were limited, the team's collective effort aims to make a meaningful impact on women's awareness in Norway.

Check out prototype and design system - Figma link