Hackathon 2023 Spring
Heals on Wheels
Mobile Clinics
A Human-Centered UX design + service design:
Responding to Healthcare Needs of Homeless Women
Duration: 5 weeks
Team of 5 UX designers
Team name: The Game Changer
My role: User research,
Service design,
UX design
01 Introduction
About the Hackathon
Design for Change is a challenge focused on creating solutions for one of Canada's most pressing societal issues: Homelessness.
Over 400 participants from across Canada come together to research, design, and share effective solutions. Participants identify homeless people's problems and offer solutions in any format—mobile apps, webpages, or services.
The problem space we chose
Solution Statement
How might we empower homeless women to access healthcare effortlessly?
Instead of asking homeless women to go to the clinic for assistance, we introduce the mobile clinic to their locations to provide them healthcare help.
Design Process
03 Research
Secondary Research 1
To gain a better understanding of the homelessness situation, we conducted two rounds of secondary research to define the specific problem and identify the target audiences.
"According to Statistics Canada, The proportion of homeless women, at 38%, nearly doubled compared to men, which stood at 21% within the studied population from 2010 to 2019.
* The graph from Statistics Canada illustrates a dramatic increase in the number of homeless women over the decades.
1,690,000
In 2021, 11.2% of Canadian households, or 1,690,000 people, reported having experienced some form of homelessness in their lifetime.
235,000
At least 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness in a year
35,000
35,000 Canadians are homeless on a given night. There has been a notable rise in homelessness among female refugees and newcomers.
How Might We 1
Based on the data collected, homelessness emerges as a societal issue that demands attention. Therefore,
How might we turn care and compassion into tangible solutions for individuals experiencing homelessness?
Secondary Research 2
Since the problem space remains broad, we conducted a second round of secondary research to understand
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Why the homeless female population exceeds that of homeless men,
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The specific challenges they encounter,
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The disparities between them and women who are housed.
Key Takeaways:
Homeless women is more vulnerable
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Physiological structures, reproductive systems, hormone levels differences than males
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Abuse compound their vulnerability
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Higher rates of physical and mental health issues among women.
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Potential gender discrimination
Homeless women's health care needs are overlooked
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Higher risks in reproductive and sexual health.
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Due to inadequate prenatal care, they face nearly triple the risk of adverse birth effects
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The unavailability of sanitary products leads to unhygienic menstruation practices
Barriers prevent homeless accessing healthcare
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Lack of transportation resources,
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No medical insurance,
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Poor diet and nutritional habits, and
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Discrimination from others
How might we help homeless women to increase healthcare service accessibility?
How Might We 2
Following the second round of secondary research, homeless women were identified as particularly vulnerable, with limited access to assistance, especially in healthcare resources. Consequently, we revised the HMW question to a second version, narrowing the focus to a specific direction—healthcare.
04 Research
Primary Research
We collaborated with various organizations to understand the pain points and challenges faced by healthcare providers in offering assistance. We reached out to 7 shelters and organizations, conducting 3 interviews, communicated 6 staff including executives,
Affinity Diagram
We utilized an Affinity Diagram to aid in synthesizing the themes.
Key Takeaways:
60%
Approximately 60% of the homeless women assisted by organizations had their own street friends and street families, often preferring to live in clustered communities for safety reason.
70%
At least 70% are consumers/survivors or substance users, with over half being survivors of violence and abuse, and 15% having experienced sexual assault.
75%
three quarters of the homeless suffer from at least one chronic illness
Challenges the organizations faced:
The challenges faced by shelters and non-profit organizations in providing assistance are missed appointments, and social stigma.
The vicious cycle of missed appointments
Missed appointments due to physical limitations, distance, transportation costs, and limited healthcare service awareness, trust issue from homeless individuals may discourage healthcare professionals from providing help, worsening unmet healthcare needs.
Homeless women have safety concerns when leaving their street community
Many homeless women have experienced abuse and other negative situations. As they consider leaving their street family, safety concerns and various anxieties often weigh heavily on their minds.
Both help providers and homeless women encounter stigma
Providers face challenges securing assistance spaces due to landlord reluctance. Help-seekers encounter stigmas related to social perceptions, religious biases, language barriers, and societal prejudices.
Lack of awareness of service provide
Homeless women receive limited information about available services due to communication barriers, inadequate outreach, and limited access to information channels.
Based on the secondary research and data gathered from interviews, we would like to introduce the Persona Khadija, who is a new comer to Canada and recently meet health problems.
Waaseyaa
Age:
Location:
Identity
27
Scarborough, ONInuit
Obstacles
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Limited mobility
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Distrust and stress around males
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Tendency to cope through avoidance and procrastination
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Limited understanding of healthcare processes
Bio
Waaseyaa, who endured her father's alcohol-fueled violence during her childhood, was raised in welfare institutions. She faces employment barriers due to her low education and mental health struggles, leaving her feeling unsettled and disrespected. Recently, she has been grappling with severe abdominal pain that has become unbearable, driving her to seek help.
05 Persona
Persona
06
Needs Statement
Drawing from Waaseyaa's experiences and her pain points, it's evident that homeless women, like her, require warm, convenient, private, and safe environments when seeking healthcare assistance.
Homeless women, like Waaseyaa, need care, and acceptance.
Homeless women like Waaseyaa need convenient health care.
Homeless women, like Waaseyaa, need healthcare services that prioritize privacy and security, allowing them to maintain dignity and autonomy.
Homeless women, like Waaseyaa, require healthcare services that demonstrate compassion and respect for diverse backgrounds.
Pod housing with integrated healthcare services.
Pros:
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Cozy spaces
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Autonomy to the service they needed
Cons:
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Privacy issues
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Overlap with existing shelter services
Healthcare mobile app
Pros:
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24/7
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Access any time any where
Cons:
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Costs
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Despite high prevalence, they often sell donated cells for cash.
Telehealth
Cons:
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High learning curve
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Technical connection
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Less humanity
Pros:
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24/7 availability and quick fulfillment of needs.
Health Cube
Pros:
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Privacy
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Flexible locations
Cons:
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Limited space
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May drive uncomfortable for healthcare provider
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Risk of misuse.
After careful consideration, we have decided to reject all four of the above proposals due to technical issues, cost concerns, learning curve challenges, and considerations of humanity. Our goal is to provide Waaseyaa with a solution that not only keeps them warm and comfortable but also encourages and uplifts them.
07
Ideation
We conducted two rounds of ideation in order to develop optimal solutions tailored to meet Waaseyaa's needs, considering the following solutions,
08 Low- Fidelity
Mobile Clinic Sketch
We introduced a down-to-earth and practical idea that received positive feedback from the organizations we interviewed: a mobile clinic specifically for homeless women, offering self-select female hygiene kits and workshops in semi-open areas. A mobile clinic is a spot, however, this solution can be scaled. It can be expanded to multiple communities and establish a network to cover broader areas.
Final Solutions
09 Final solutions
Heals on Wheels Mobile clinics represent an adaptable and replaceable solution, offering scalability. Each mobile clinic can cover a street community like a dot, but when connected, they form a powerful and comprehensive healthcare network.
A mobile clinic for homeless women
Rather than expecting homeless women to visit the health center, we're taking healthcare services directly to THEM.
Services we provide:
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Preventive healthcare like Pap smears and cervical screening
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Reproductive health services including birth control, STI testing, and treatment
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Ultrasounds for pregnant women
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Wound care
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Consultations, both in-person and virtual, with nearby specialists.
Female Staff ONLY
To address the fears related to males, and religious concerns among homeless women, Women often feel more at ease and perceive female providers as more empathetic. Hence, we suggest the recruitment of an all-female staff to better cater to their needs.
Our staff will also be trained in Compassionate Care - so they will understand the struggles that homeless women face and will not show the judgement or discrimination.
Private Space
We are taking into consideration how to make the women we are helping feel safe in our presence and comfortable seeking our help. We will have a private space within the RV to do consultations and tests, but if they prefer not to go into the enclosed space, our physicians will also be available to provide consultations with them outside the RV.
DIY Kits
Unlike shelters that offer pre-selected feminine products, we empower homeless women to choose based on their individual needs, religion and personal preferences. Our categories include:
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Feminine hygiene,
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Personal care,
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First aid, and
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Sexual health
10 Presentation Day & Results
Results
11 Reflection
Reflection
I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this challenge with other university students from across Canada. Witnessing the dedication of teams towards addressing homelessness was truly inspiring, and the diversity of perspectives shared on this social issue was very enlightening.
Female homelessness is a significant issue, with ripple effects that can lead to homelessness among children. Therefore, we are dedicated to addressing the issue at its root. This topic holds notable significance for our team, which comprises five women UX designers. We are committed to leveraging our expertise and perspective to make a meaningful impact in combating female homeless healthcare.
I am especially thankful for my team; we had fantastic collaborations. Despite encountering obstacles such as time constraints, overthinking, and conflicts, we overcame them all with our perseverance. Completing the hackathon while juggling four full-time courses was already a significant achievement. It's important to have the right strategy; completion is more crucial than perfection.
Throughout this process, I have learned a lot. It was memorable to meet a type of staff who have experienced homelessness and transitioned into roles to help other homeless women. I gleaned valuable insights from their stories—understanding their resolute decisions to end their nomadic lifestyles and become workers to assist others. While the outcome is indeed commendable, I cherish even more the journey which has reinforced my passion for creating user-centered solutions that make a meaningful difference.