Challenge

The AIDS Institute at the New York State Department of Health protects and promotes the health of New York State’s diverse population through disease surveillance and the provision of quality prevention, health care, and support services for those impacted by HIV, AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, viral hepatitis, and related health concerns. ​I collaborated with the Digital Health Team to redesign a website for the YGetIt? project to engage, link, and retain people in care who are living with various health conditions through a mobile app, GET!, and a digital comic, Tested. I also strategized social media campaigns and wrote posts and proposals to increase engagement with YGEtIt? and renew a $1.6M RFP for a statewide clinical education program that impacts 18,000 physicians in HIV/AIDS aligned with Ending the Epidemic (ETE) goals.

 

Approach 

Drawing on health communication methods and strategies, including community mobilization and citizen engagement, I created a brand guide and design system for YGetIt? social media accounts, posts, and its new website. The content style is story-driven, youth-led, and action-oriented. I created a logic model to evaluate the effectiveness of the social media campaigns. Then, based on my thematic analysis and exploratory analysis in Python of over 600 comments from the Tested digital comic on WebTunes, I created content and visual design for the web and mobile app design for YGetIt?. As a result, it increased user engagement in entertainment-education with a new brand style guide. I also embedded Google Analytics, heatmaps, and eye-tracking software on the new website to nudge care-seeking behaviors.

 

Results 

Key achievements include, but are not limited to: ​

• I launched and redesigned the YGetIt? website with new content, information architecture, and design system in December 2020.

• Grew YGetIt? social media brand and engagement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, currently have 11k+ followers and 700k+ views.

• My program evaluation efforts and processes I set in place have supported the AIDS Institute in successfully renewing the $1.6M statewide Clinical Education Institute.

• My social media campaigns also influenced future work findings, including the AIDS Institute March 2020 publication YGetIt? Project: Using Social Media to Do What You Need to Do.