MYDAWA Redesign to Optimise Family Planning in Kenya
with ThinkPlace Kenya, Jhpiego Kenya and MYDAWA
Background
Digital counseling (DC) and direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms have emerged as transformative tools for enhancing access to quality family planning (FP) information, counseling, and products. Platforms, such as MYDAWA, provide an on-demand, user-centered experience that addresses the logistical, privacy, cost, and stigma challenges that primarily affect women and girls in their contraceptive decision-making. By leveraging mainstream digital channels where consumers frequently purchase other pharmaceutical and household products, these digital solutions can also increase the visibility and acceptability of FP products, thereby unlocking latent demand.
Users' decisions to access contraceptives through e-pharmacy platforms are influenced by various factors, including awareness, convenience, fear of side effects, religious or cultural beliefs, trust, privacy, credibility, digital literacy, affordability, and accessibility. Optimising the user interface of the MYDAWA platform to address these factors and the mental models that inform the adoption of digital innovations is essential for overcoming barriers to contraceptive uptake through e-pharmacy.
Given the nascent evidence base for DTC and DC, ThinkPlace was contracted by Jhpiego and MYDAWA to conduct rigorous research to demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of optimising e-pharmacy for FP in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya. As the Project Lead and Behavioural Science Advisor, I am serving as the contact point for the client and managing the project's tasks, resourcing and timeline, while ensuring that designs are anchored on behavioural insights and deliverables are of the highest quality.
Phase 1 - Inception & Collaborative Desk Review
Given budget and time limitations, we organized a collaborative desk review workshop to capitalize on the diverse expertise of each partner in various aspects of family planning. Prior to the workshop, I formulated specific areas of inquiry for each partner, and together we addressed these questions using a collaborative Mural board. Focus areas included behavioural science for family planning, UX best practices for family planning and e-pharmacy, marketing best practices, the family planning landscape in Kenya, including policy and regulations, and data from MYDAWA about their users.
We then hosted a physical workshop with all partners to discuss the desk review and key insights. We formulated key behavioural problem statements and hypotheses to guide the upcoming research.
Following the workshop, our team conducted a UX audit of the MYDAWA platform to uncover valuable insights into the user experience of individuals seeking family planning (FP) products and services in Kenya. The audit focused on various aspects of the platform, including the website and mobile app, product discovery, user control, visual design, error prevention, and more. Insights from the audit helped us to further refine our behavioural problem statements and hypotheses as we transitioned into the research phase.
Phase 2: Formative User Research
Insights from the collaborative desk review and UX audit of the MYDAWA platform guided the design of the research tools, which included focus group discussion (FGD) and in-depth interview (IDI) guides. We incorporated innovative tools within the guides to gain deeper insights about FP users' mental models, digital literacy levels, preferences and beliefs. These tools included card sorting, good advice corner and UX testing. The goal of the research was to discover women and their partners' mental models with regards to family planning, their preferences and ideal product basket, and behavioural levers that would nudge them to either start purchasing FP products or continue to make proactive decisions with regards to FP.
To design the segmentation plan for participants in Nairobi and Mombasa, we used user data provided by MYDAWA. We analysed this data to uncover demographics, psychographics and purchasing trends of FP users and non-FP users over 6 months. Based on these insights, we defined the participant criteria for FP users who were not on MYDAWA.
The field research in Nairobi and Mombasa took place over 2 weeks.
Phase 3: UX Design with Behavioural Science Principles
This phase is currently ongoing and the section will be updated once completed.
Building on the knowledge derived from user trends and behaviours, we are in the process of co-designing ideal user journeys and flows for the MYDAWA platform with the project partners. We will also explore user preferences for the FP product basket and the factors influencing these preferences.
Ultimately, this project aims to generate user-driven UI/UX designs, flows, and journeys anchored in behavioral insights around consumer behavior and preferences for online contraceptive purchases. The insights and tools from this project will inform FP stakeholders, including telemedicine and e-pharmacy platforms, and support the development of an enabling policy, regulatory, and market environment in Kenya for e-pharmacy and telemedicine.
Reflection
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Where there is a will, there is a way...
Notwithstanding budget constraints, we can utilise inventive and adaptable strategies to attain project objectives through collaborative efforts and a shared passion for a making an impact. I have strengthened my project management skills by regularly revising the resource allocation plan and introducing innovative approaches, such as the collaborative desk review, to ensure adherence to tight timelines and budget.
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Balancing behavioural design with other design methodologies needs to be a mindful exercise
I have learned that we may have conflicting priorities when fellow designers' primary focus is not behavioural. As a behavioural designer, my inclination is to delve into understanding individuals and their influences, needs, beliefs, and emotions beyond the realm of technology, along with cognitive and emotional factors that come into play when engaging with a specific technology. In this context, my aim is to comprehend the user as a holistic individual offline and create a comprehensive behavioural map (prior to their interaction with the digital interface). Conversely, the UX designer tends to emphasize the user flow (from the moment the user accesses the platform). Where we place our focus does not only shape our choice of research methods but also impacts the nature of interventions we design, therefore, it is crucial to communicate and align on priorities before beginning project activities.