Remote Training Research and Design
Mozambique
Viamo’s Remote Training product is a training program delivered through IVR (Interactive Voice Response). Trainees receive a push phone call, and when they answer are guided through a training module and a short exam.
This product is being used in multiple countries to conduct workplace related training for different types of workers. We used the case study of Transform Nutrition to understand how Community Health Workers used the product, and how we might improve it. At the time, the primary curriculum for the CHWs educated them on safe COVID practices, social distancing, and vaccines. Meanwhile, CHWs were also trying to maintain their previous work primarily caring for the health and nutrition of infants, children, and mothers.
All photos : VIAMO
Project components
Study Design, Researcher Training & Support
All the user research was done remotely since COVID-19 measures were still in place. Our roles were to train and support the researcher remotely. The researcher had previously done community support around HIV and had been a schoolteacher for years but had never conducted human centered design research. We created a training program and support documents. As well, we were on call on a daily basis through whatsapp and regular correspondence.
Synthesis and insights
We used the research data to produce a number of foundational artifacts for the team working on the remote training product. These included personas, insights, and a detailed flow chart outlining some key bottlenecks and challenges with the platform.
Reporting & Project Design
We used a number of the insights to improve the product design, and identified a different scope which was content design. This became a mandate of the remote training team, to produce content guidelines for our implementation team.
This extensive tree structure became one of the foundational documents for the remote training team.
What we understood as a simple process of moving through modules to learn new skills, we then learned was highly dependent on external factors such as whether multiple people shared a phone, how often CHWs were able to charge their phones, and whether they had backpacks to carry their books with them to support the training.
We used this tree structure to identify our core UX metrics: Starting a module, module completion, test completion, and course completion. We were then able to identify the challenges that might affect these metrics.
We trained our local researcher on how to run an observational study. He followed a CHW for a day and reported on their challenges and emotions throughout the day. The researcher had first hand experience of the daily challenges of the CHW, and how he interacted with the community. This allowed him to be a voice for the CHW on a much deeper level. From his work we created a user journey that was used by our product design and engineering teams.
Recruiting & Personas
We recruited a range of CHWs in terms of age and experience and this allowed us to identify notable differences between them. We translated these into personas.
We also spoke with community members and were able to create a strong picture of how they were weathering the pandemic alongside other health priorities.
Findings & Designs
The CHWs were fitting in their training alongside material challenges
Our observational studies revealed that the CHWs had a number of material and environmental challenges to overcome in order to boost the completion rates of the training. For example, they needed to walk really far distances every day. Not all CHWs were given backpacks to carry their books. Many CHWs couldn’t charge their phones at home, and so they were charging in town and then draining their batteries at home. Others didn’t have reception at home, and so would need to do their training in town where it might be noisy or distracting. Further, some CHWs shared a phone with family members and so they might not receive push notifications and calls, and didn’t know the call back number to complete their training.
Content is king
While there were a number of technical changes that could improve the remote training product, content was the key factor in a successful training. We developed a content development workshop for our implementation team, and content creation guidelines for our teams and for clients. We then had to train people on those processes.
A more nuanced learner profile
We found that younger CHWs with less training needed more help with the training program that those who were older with more experience. The younger CHWs missed the in-person training that allowed them to learn from those who were more seasoned. We passed this along to our implementation teams along with recommendations for creating a more social environment for CHWs to learn.
