YOU imparts certified information and experiences around contraception through a mobile dialogue. YOU is a concept for an app that works similar to, e.g. a Whatsapp group chat and fits it’s dialogue to the language and personal needs of the user. In YOU the user does not speak with real persons but with four fictitious contraception professionals, who have each its own dialogue expertise.
Concept video, explaining the whole service (currently only in German)
Researchphase
Through desktop research and interviews with customers and patients as well as doctors and Bayer Women’s Health Care, we found out that the relationship between patients and doctors did change significantly during the last few years. Patients want to co-determinate which inquiry or operation should be conducted. Just as choosing the appropriate medicine or contraception method. Shared decision making is an essential part of the dialogue between the doctor and the patient. Patients should know about their rights and the way to conduct a conversation with the doctor to bring in their needs. They should express their attitudes and expectations about their needs and also get to know all pro and contra points about possible contraceptive methods and discuss it with the doctor. According to different studies, these co-decisions have a positive effect on patient satisfaction. Bayer Women’s Health Care wants to cope with these altered requirements and help patients doctors and pharmacies with innovative instruments, which match better to the current needs and living environment of all participants. It is essential to adopt this new information- and communication tool to the needs of the users as to the daily work of the practice medicine and their responsibility for the patient’s health.
Dialogue as a medium
Concerning contraception, customers use the internet, particularly as an information source. This information is mostly useful, but too general and not aligned to the individual living environment and needs of the customer. Moreover, there are also, platforms and forums, where the given information isn’t checked. A conclusion consequent to this topic is that information alone is not enough to make a decision. There is also the needs of a dialogue. A customer looks for connection in her close environment, who already know her or is willing to become acquainted.
Dialogue helps participants to make the right decision
Applied to the decision making for the appropriate contraception method, an critical exchange happens during the doctor consultation. While this consultation, the customer tries to understand, discuss and establish the knowledge of the doctor in which the customer relies upon. As necessary, if not more important are all dialogue windows which happen before or after the consultation. For example, with the mother about her experience, the best girlfriend, who lives close to the same living environment or the boyfriend, who also should be an important part of the decision. One trusts those persons and appreciates their knowledge, collected experiences and their personal commentaries because they already know about the living environment and needs of the customer. The question arises, how is it possible to use the quality of dialogue to impart information and answer resulting issues on a more personal and simultaneously trustworthy way?
What if?
What if, we could bring the subject of contraception closer to the customer is using a permanent dialogue? A dialogue which it is however not necessarily mandatory to make with a real human, but with artificial intelligence? Of course, we are aware of the fact that with this, we will ignite technical boundaries and arise some ethical questions. However, we still see a lot of potentials to learn more about the needs and living environment of customers with such a dialogue which will enable an excellent response.
You puts you in the center and is designed around your real needs
An enhanced mobile dialogue
YOU impart certified information and experiences around contraception through a mobile conversation. It’s an app that works similar to, e.g. a Whatsapp group chat and fits it’s dialogue to the language and personal needs of the customer. In YOU the customer does not speak with real people but with four fictitious contraception professionals, who have each its own dialogue expertise.
Four personas in You, each with its own experise
Those are Knowledge, Experience, Empathy and Analysis – four, how we find, famous dialogue characters, who look from different views at the basis for decision-making. YOU wants to meet you, and it listens and responds to you. YOU also address to people who have a lack of dialogue expertise or do not dare to talk about specific themes with caregivers in a close environment.
Possible use case of the conversation with the four experts
Functionalities of YOU
A few features we wanted to implement in our service are explained here.
Change your dialogue partner
The user can change between all four dialogue partners. All questions and information are categorised through those four partners and according to the problem, the responsible dialogue partner will answer. However, it is possible for the user to change between the different perceptions and dialogue partners at all time.
Sort chat
The user can sort the whole chat history through one dialogue partner and gets all answers to form the chosen point of view.
Collect information
YOU imparts knowledge over a variety of media. The user can save all those videos, pictures and information sheets in its own media library.
Ask questions specific to one dialogue partner
The user can choose between her dialogue partners, who should answer her question.
Predefined Answers / Questions
It is possible to choose from predefined answers, which are related to the asked question or to keep the dialogue going.
Notification
A dialogue with YOU works over time. The user gets notifications as soon as one of the four dialogue partners reply or tries to keep the conversation ongoing.
Chat history
The whole chat history can be called and searched through at any time.
Touchpoints with You
YOU works on its own and doesn’t necessary has to be included in an existing process. However, the process of decision-making for a suitable contraceptive is affected by the use of YOU. Those affected service points are explained here.
New (Service) TouchPoints between the patient, YOU, doctors as well as relatives
Information phase
At the beginning of a decision-making process is the information phase. Here appears all advantages of YOU for the first time. Knowledge, experience and qualified information will be mediated, so the user can optimally prepare for the doctor appointment. The user gets to know better her own needs and learns about contraception on a nonchalant way through a mobile dialogue.
Doctor appointment
The user/patient already knows about her needs and can purposefully share her questions and needs with the doctor. The doctor hasn’t to start from scratch, but can delve into the concerns and desires of the patient.
Encourage Dialogue with Environment
YOU are aware of its limits and encourages the user from time to time, also to a conversation with a person in real life. The user extends her knowledge and vocabulary while using YOU. This helps him lead a discussion. The user’s dialogue expertise increases and a variety of media could also help a user to begin a conversation in real life (e.g. by showing a video about the intravaginal ring to a friend).
Decision phase
Earlier or later its the time for decision making. The user can skim through all information and knowledge she picked up while using YOU. Her own needs and all various views from her four helpers help the user to make the right decision, which fits her and with whom she is satisfied. Because of the dialogue with YOU, the user now knows about her needs, the missing knowledge and therefore has a stable phase to make her own decision. She trusts in her personal choice and therefore is confident with the chosen product and producer.
After decision-making
Because a dialogue should not only begin by you but also end there, the user can still ask questions or contact all four new friends in YOU. (e.g. if the chosen product is still the best decision concerning her current living environment, which may be already changed again).
Decision-making through dialogue
YOU are the starting point into an innovative research project which is devoted to expanding the dialogue. We would like to spend more time and focus on a further research phase. We want to focus on what it all needs to get YOU in action. Further, we would start first user tests and get in contact with, experts and possible users to study what and how we can carry on dialogue expertise.
YOU strikes a new way of communication, doesn’t has to be included in an existing service but works parallel and has an impact on different touchpoints during the decision process as well as after. YOU also encourage dialogue expertise.