Insights: Rethinking Sex Education for the Digital Generation

Overview

As society continues to evolve and technology becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives, there has been a growing need for comprehensive sex education. The importance of providing individuals with accurate information and resources to make informed decisions about their sexual health has become increasingly recognized. With this in mind, it is crucial that we prioritize the development and implementation of effective sex education programs and digital platforms to ensure that everyone has access to the tools and knowledge necessary for better sexual health.

Hence I asked

What are the specific needs and preferences of young people seeking sex education information and How can a digital platform be designed to effectively meet these needs and preferences.

Solution

A Sneak peak

What did I uncover?

Post-research, I affinity-mapped findings to organise the themes and pain points. I identified key areas like the importance of LGBTQ+ education, mental health considerations, and the need for age-appropriate content.

Key Discoveries

Forming Insights

Before moving into ideation, I synthesised the research findings into top insights to better guide the next steps.

How do people access Sex Education?

To better understand existing solutions, a competitive analysis was conducted on the UX/UI of platforms like Amaze, Bedsider, and Bish. This process helped me highlight their core features and weaknesses, providing insights on how to create improved design solutions for user engagement and educational purposes.

Competitive Analysis

Piecing it together

Now What’s Next?

Choosing a Problem Space

🗝️ Enhancing Comprehensive Sex Education Accessibility

🔍 Promoting Accurate and Reliable Online Resources

🔒 Balancing Anonymity with Personalized Education

🗨️ Facilitating Comfortable and Open Discussions

🔗 Creating Inclusive and Diverse Educational Content

Joining the pieces together

Considering the identified problem spaces, I engaged in a brainstorming session to formulate How Might We (HMW) statements based on the challenges. These statements are designed to direct the ideation process more effectively. Upon review, I noticed a sequential pattern in these problem spaces that mirrors a typical journey in sex education awareness and engagement.

Refining HMW Statements

Defining the Platform

Based on the research insights and HMW statements, I began generating ideas for a digital platform which can enhance the user experience of young people seeking sex education. To determine the key features of the platform, I used the MoSCoW method of prioritization.

Feature Prioritization

Designing the Platform

After examining the features of existing sex education platforms and applying the MoSCoW method for prioritizing features, I decided to proceed with developing the information architecture, followed by high-fidelity wireframes and a prototype.

Information Architecture

High Fidelity Wireframes

Final Design

Onboarding

User can create an account by selecting the account type best suited to their needs and setting their preferred privacy level. Then user is guided to fill out their personal details to establish their profile.

Age Verification

To ensure the content on the platform is age appropriate, the user is prompted to verify their age by uploading photos of their ID, then they select the type of document used for verification. Once the user's ID verification is processed, and upon successful completion, they are prompted to finalize their account setup.

Home Page and Library

The user is introduced to educational content on sex education with various resources like articles, podcasts, and videos, categorized for easy navigation.

Sex Education Experts

The user can browse and follow sex education experts, accessing their articles, videos, and curated collections.

Quiz

The user can access to interactive quizzes on various sexual education topics, can view quiz details, and has the option to play solo or with friends. The user can participate in a quiz, receive immediate feedback on their answers, can view a scoreboard of results among participants, and can access their personal quiz statistics and achievements.

Community

The user can create new collections of content, customize visibility settings, and engage with a community through discussion threads on various topics related to sexual education.

Usability Testing

I conducted Usability test with 8 participants using Maze to evaluate specific aspects of the app's user experience. The test aimed to pinpoint areas for improvement and ensure that the app's features aligned with user expectations and needs.

Objectives

  1. Determine the intuitiveness of the account creation and onboarding process.
  2. Evaluate the ease of finding educational content within the app.
  3. Measure the success rate and user experience of engaging with interactive elements like quizzes.
  4. Understand the user interaction with the community forum and the process of seeking help or advice.
  5. Understand if the users like the approach towards digital sex education

User Feedback

Positive Feedback                                                    

Users found the onboarding process smooth, highlighting its user-centric approach.

Users were highly receptive to the app's interactive elements, such as quizzes and community features, enhancing the educational aspect.

The app’s design got a positive response for it’s unique and engaging user interface, especially the privacy aspect which kept users interested and engaged.

Educational resources were easily accessible and users appreciated the variety and depth of content available at their fingertips.

Pain Points

‍Feedback indicated that the document upload process for age verification could be more streamlined and better explained.

The community interaction aspect was less intuitive than expected, with some users struggling to find how to post or engage effectively.

The quiz feature, while engaging, was sometimes hard to find, implying the need for a more prominent placement or clearer navigation cues.

After conducting Usability Testing and receiving positive feedback, it became evident that the existing platforms do not meet the required usability standards but It is possible to create a solution to cater the need for interactive platform that allow young people to learn about sex education in an age-appropriate and fun way.

Reflections

Throughout this project, I have come to appreciate the immense value of collaboration and external feedback. These elements significantly enhanced the depth and scope of the project. I have also learned that UX writing is just as crucial as design decisions. It profoundly influences the project's tone and overall impact.

Additionally, this project has underscored the importance of adaptability. It has taught me to navigate the fluidity of the design process with ease and professionalism.

Improving my research methodology is essential. Initially, my research relied on a limited and potentially biased sample. This emphasized the necessity for a broader and more diverse range of participants to obtain richer insights. However, legal constraints prevented me from conducting interviews with individuals under 18. As a result, I had to rely on adults' recollections of their younger experiences. This limitation likely influenced the research outcomes, as direct insights from younger individuals could have provided a more nuanced understanding of their perspectives and experiences.

With this experience, I am confident that the insights from my future research will be more comprehensive and representative. This will ensure that the findings and conclusions drawn are as robust and insightful as possible.