A pilot community-based awareness campaign supporting a brand new Lung Cancer Screening mobile unit launching in 2025 for Cedars-Sinai.
20 weeks, May - Oct 2024 (Fellowship)
SoCal residents who have a history of smoking at least 20 packs a year and are between 50-80 years old.
(Qualification to get a Lung Cancer Screening according to USPSTF)
Those who belong to underserved communities, specifically Latinx, African American, LGBTQ+ and Korean populations.
Cedars-Sinai Cancer Research Center for Health Equity
ArtCenter DesignMatters Fellowship in UX Research
Based on content designed in ArtCenter Studio:
At my 20-week fellowship, I collaborated with one other design fellow on refining the campaign direction based on content designed in the ArtCenter Studio, performing user testing of the campaign materials with focus groups, as well as facilitating co-design sessions with stakeholders and community members to deliver the production-ready campaign to Cedars-Sinai.
Beyond the campaign's initial goal to increase awareness of the new mobile Lung Cancer Screening Unit and raise screening rates by 10%, the campaign intends to create a deeper level of change in perceptions of lung cancer and its screening among underserved communities—by lowering the stigma of lung cancer among underserved communities and encouraging conversations surrounding health and early detection.
Design proposals and messaging from the sponsored studio went through virtual focus group user testing and validation with community partners through Cedars-Sinai. Through synthesis of test findings and co-design sessions with Cedars-Sinai stakeholders, the final campaign proposal was delivered to Cedars-Sinai for implementation in 2025.
This campaign is the built upon existing progress from the ArtCenter Transdisciplinary Studio from Jan-Apr 2024 with Cedars-Sinai RCHE. I was one of two final chosen students from the class to continue on with this project as fellows.
Goals of project:
We want to motivate and not intimidate. We want to help initiate and not shame. Most importantly, we want to instill a sense of compassion, using emotional ties to draw people in and spread awareness about lung cancer screening. As we developed the outcome, the challenges turned into parameters and constraints of the design strategy. As a result, the key pillars of the campaign were to be inclusive, non-exclusionary, educational, and, most importantly, compassionate.
The process in 4 steps:
Collaboration > Validation > Alignment > Production & Photography
The following denotes the process of the work during the fellowship in its main portions. I was involved in all steps, working closely with my co-fellow on every aspect of the campaign development and production. I also maintained constant communication with the project leaders at Cedars-Sinai and took initiative in making suggestions, updates, and project management.
Collaboration
During the fellowship, we also tested and validated design ideas with Stakeholders from Cedars-Sinai as well as community partners.
*Participant names have been redacted for privacy.*
Validation
Following the co-design sessions, we consolidated discussion topics and formulated an informal survey study distributed to community partners to test messaging, visuals, and components that were successful and resonate well with our audience.
Language Groups Captured
English, Spanish, Korean speaking populations
Age Groups Captured
Ages 35-75
Alignment
Once sufficient feedback was obtained from the informal study, the campaign ideas were consolidated into a final proposal. This proposal was brought to discussion with Cedars-Sinai Marketing department for final alignment with the master Cedars-Sinai Brand Guideline.
*Participant photos have been redacted for privacy.*
Production & Photography
After alignment with Cedars-Sinai Marketing department, we began production of the final campaign assets. With photography being a core component of the campaign, we organized a test photoshoot to create archetype photos for the Cedars-Sinai photography team to replicate in style.
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Through this fellowship we delivered to Cedars-Sinai the final campaign - lifeLUNG.
[ lifelong + lung health = lifeLUNG ]
This is a campaign centered on uplifting voices of experienced community members & healthcare providers in lung cancer screening, to encourage conversation, destigmatization, and increase screening rates in underserved communities.
Core Values:
Respiration/lung health
Longevity
Community support
Healthcare provider support
Annual commitment
Active voice
Forward thinking
Bringing Visibility to our Heroes through Photography
The main poster series features photography as the central component, portraying community members and healthcare professionals as “heroes” that encourage positive conversation about lung cancer screening.
Photography Features
Natural smile to represent cheerfulness, and the ease of breathing with healthy lungs.
White Frame to thematically represent Lung Cancer Awareness.
Red Accessories to represent Cedars-Sinai Red.
Messaging Features
Tailored specifically according to featured hero in photography. Community hero focuses more on encouragement, while Healthcare hero focuses on expert opinion. Specific messaging is also tailored according to language group based on informal study testing results.
Awareness Raising through Brand Expansion
To help build momentum for the campaign and support all the goals of the initiative, brand expansion assets were produced, each with their intended function.
Table Cloth and Pull-Up Banner
Used for tabling at community events to increase campaign visibility.
Location-Specific Flyers and Interest Cards
Informational flyers to capture potential new patients for lung cancer screening based on location-specific clinic partners of Cedars-Sinai.
Annual Reminder Postcards
Used for reminders for annual screenings, mailed directly to patients
Letter to Future Self
A way for patients to anonymously write down their thoughts and concerns, a diary entry, for them to read back later as a celebratory milestone.
Pens, Totebags, Stickers, and Magnets
Simple and economical giveaway items to spread campaign visibility
Spearheading this project gave me invaluable experience in working under a healthcare context, where there are unique nuances and considerations when working with sensitive populations.
Most significantly was working directly with stakeholders and community representatives on this project through co-design sessions and validation surveys. These experiences taught me that conversations build empathy, an ingredient necessary for creating and innovating in the healthcare sector.
While systemic oppression and injustice cannot be undone through one campaign, bringing people together can help in the following ways:
Learning from people and their experiences to reimagine the audience.
Getting early buy-in through early involvement of community members in the research process.
Designing and creating with and for care — including for those on the fringe and underserved.
As a UX researcher, I strive to focus on the root causes and challenges of the problems rather than impose an uninformed design solution. The research in this project led myself and my team to go beyond symptoms as part of the messaging, and focus on asymptomatic patients, the risks of Lung Cancer, and families as a unit. The process provided a space for me to learn how to care for and empathize with those closest to the challenge and design with compassion, especially those in underserved communities.
