DIGITAL INCLUSION:

SMART START JOB AID GOES DIGITAL TO IMPROVE EFFECTIVENESS AND CONSISTENCY

BACKGROUND

PSI Ethiopia developed innovative digital health tools to meet client’s health needs. Smart Start, an intervention that uses financial planning as a “hook” to discuss and counsel rural adolescent girls, young women and couples on family planning in Ethiopia, is going digital!

OBJECTIVE

The implementation of the digital Smart Start discussion guide aims to address challenges with communication, operations and quality counseling that clients and healthcare providers face when using the paper-based Smart Start discussion guide. The digital tool will help ensure quality messaging and correct information on contraceptive methods offered in a fun, interactive way.

USER-CENTERED DESIGN APPROACH

True to Smart Start’s roots, user-centered design approach was used to develop digital solutions for clients and healthcare providers.

SMART START DIGITAL JOB AID DESIGN PROCESS

DESIGN CHALLENGE

How Might We digitize Smart Start to help healthcare providers connect with clients; deliver consistent, accurate, and engaging information and services “that” leave clients delighted, confident and prepared?

INSIGHTS

• Clients have various Smart Start counselling needs.
• Clients require more detailed information on side-effects of contraceptive methods.
• Clients desire family planning recommendation and/or decision-making support.
• Healthcare providers do not offer Smart Start counseling to all girls.
• Healthcare providers need flexible tool to guide their counseling.
• Quality of contraceptive counselling is limited.

BUILD LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE(LFP),TEST & ITERATE

• Interactive Digital Tool
• Real Life Scenarios
• Diverse Characters
• Visual & Audio Contents

BUILD MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT(MVP) AND TEST

• The healthcare providers were comfortable using the digital job aid except some features.
• The audio content enabled consistent counselling.
• The clients were impressed by the music and the videos.
• The clients were very interactive and engaged during the digital counseling.

BUILD THE APP: WELCOME TO SMART START 2.0

IMPACT

Clients rated the smart start digital counselling tool better on most metrics.

WHAT IS NEXT?

1. Continue to monitor use of the digital tools and make adaptations based on learnings and client feedback.
2. Topics related to GBV, Safe Abortion Care and Post-Abortion Care and COVID-19 will be added to the digital health tools.
3. Reach 50,000 new clients through digital health tools.