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I’d love to hear from you — whether you have a project in mind, or just want to say hi.
reneelkennedy@outlook.com
OBOE Study
The Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE) Study aimed to gather much needed data around the effects of antenatal opioid exposure on early infant development. In the past, caregivers have been hesitant to sign up for studies for fear of stigma-related judgment. Our number one goal was to create a safe, encouraging environment where users felt welcomed, comfortable, and able to engage in this work.
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Designing for Trust, Safety, and Emotional Comfort
CHALLENGE
Recruiting participants for the OBOE study presented unique challenges: Stigma and fear surrounding opioid exposure during pregnancy, hesitation from both exposed and unexposed families who did not see the relevance or felt judged and the concern for the research being too much for their little ones. We needed participation to generate meaningful data—but the experience of joining did not yet feel accessible, trustworthy, or supportive so we needed to clearly outline as safety of it and it's importance.
APPROACH
All of the beautiful photos of babies and parents, are strategically placed to remind users of what is most important—supporting one other. Many images focus on helping little ones along their first few months and years. I designed the experience to feel important, non-judgmental, supportive, and human-centered. I used a gentle, reassuring language and tone and a soft variation on HEAL branding. I aimed to shift the perception from “being studied” to “being part of something meaningful”.
RESULT
We exceeded our goals—overdelivering on recruitment, enrolling 123 participants! Post-implementation evaluation showed that after visiting, 95% of participants replied "yes", to clearly understanding it's purpose, 100% replied "yes", to feeling they had had what they needed to confidently make a decision, and 89% of caregivers enrolled in the study. This website won a "distinguised" award (highest honor) in the 2024 STCC design competition. "This entry meets the needs of its audience exceedingly well. The entry is well written with gorgeous photos and a kind outlook", was one judge's comment.
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