Context: Parts of South Africa and Uganda have some of the highest rates of new HIV infections among young women in the world. To help address this, the International Partnership for Microbicides developed the dapivirine (DPV) ring, a vaginal ring that releases a low dose of antiretroviral medication during sex, shown in clinical trials to significantly reduce transmission. The science worked. The harder question was: how do you distribute, market, and teach women to use a product that’s entirely new to their cultural context? USAID brought in our team to help co-design a strategy with communities, who did feel this product could be game-changing, for increasing uptake and use in the most affected regions.

Year: 2017

What I Did: I joined the project through Dalberg Design as technology lead and supporting designer, working alongside project leads Melanie Kahl and Rachel Regina. The work was grounded from the start by our community partners – CHEDRA in Uganda and FRESH in South Africa – who provided essential local leadership throughout. We ran workshops with client teams before moving into research across KwaZulu-Natal province and Uganda’s central region, using a range of HCD methods: gallery walks, role play, safe space conversations, card sorting. We also researched with men, because we understood early on that a product this visible in public life would need community support, not just individual adoption. From all of that, we built health journeys, personas, and a wide range of prototypes: Ring Kits, handouts, WhatsApp and Facebook groups, chatbots, phone lines, conversation guides, and useful metaphors. Each one was tested in-country with both repeat and new participants before being finalized.

What We Made: Our full set of product and service recommendations was delivered to the client teams at USAID and IPM. The final design guide – illustrated and styled by the talented Pragya Mishra – was published by USAID and is available in USAID archives.