Breaking down science with humor and honest answers, from videos to infographics to a chatbot.

Where We Started

We had the challenge of developing an educational yet entertaining campaign to increase HPV vaccination. We focused on prime audiences who could benefit from these messages: young adults and parents.

For Young Adults: It’s Not Too Late!

As adult professionals, we know it’s not too late for young adults to get the HPV vaccine, but often times, they don’t know it. We created a short video animation (1:38), available in English and Spanish, along with an infographic, using a conversational tone and humor, to help young adults learn more about HPV and the vaccine, encouraging them to take control of their healthcare decisions.

For Parents: The Sooner the Better, for Peace of Mind

We as adult professionals know it’s not too late for young adults to get the HPV vaccine, but often times, they don’t know it. We created a short video animation (1:38), available in English and Spanish, along with an infographic, using a conversational tone and humor, to help young adults learn more about HPV and the vaccine, encouraging them to take control of their healthcare decisions.

Using Human-Centered Design

Every step of the way, as we were developing these resources, we wanted to be sure that the messages would resonate with our key audiences (young adults and parents). Essential for our human-centered design approach, where we center the end user and their concerns and beliefs, we conducted digital focus groups using Facebook to learn more about these groups’ beliefs and ideas about the HPV vaccine.

We focused on the end user (here, young adults or parents) to speak to their beliefs and ideas about the HPV vaccine. This is human-centered design.

We explored why young adults have not received the vaccine, why parents might not want their child to receive the vaccine, and which health messages would move them into action. Combined with our background literature review, these findings guided the videos and infographics we created. For the final product, we hired the incredible, award-winning animation agency, Blue Seat Studios (you might be familiar with their Consent: It’s Simple as Tea video), who worked closely with us to translate our health messages into humorous scripts.

What It Is

We wanted to build on these video and infographic resources to create a more interactive resource…our journey through human-centered design brought us to the solution of a Chatbot…and Zola was born!

Zola, available as a Facebook Chatbot, answers burning questions about HPV and HPV vaccination to help parents and young adults in their decision to get their children or themselves vaccinated. Zola provides concise, friendly, and empathetic bits of information in a language easy to digest. Zola leverages vignettes from the videos and the infographics using an empathetic, caring, yet humorous approach.

Why It Matters

Vaccines are an important healthcare issue. Each year, approximately 19,400 women and 12,100 men are affected by cancers caused by HPV (that’s enough people to fill Madison Square Garden 1.5 times!). HPV can cause many types of cancer…throat cancer, anal cancer, penile cancer, and cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers.

These products break down the information into digestible chunks using plain language and humor. This helps people make educated decisions that can lead to positive health outcomes.

We know from years of testing that the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine is very safe, and it is effective at preventing HPV and HPV-related cancers. The CDC has determined the benefits of HPV vaccination—namely, prevention of cancer—far outweigh the risks of possible, less serious side effects.

Unfortunately, there are myths and misinformation that can dissuade people from getting the vaccine. Young adults and parents of children need reliable and medically accurate information about HPV vaccination in order to make a decision that is right for them. Reading long web articles and navigating through vaccine misinformation is a daunting tasks for many people.

Zola, along with our videos and infographics, breaks down the information into digestible chunks using plain language.

When people have accurate and accessible resources to break down the benefits and address potential concerns in humorous ways using plain language, they can learn the facts and make educated decisions that will support more positive health outcomes.

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