The Quality and Standards Framework (QSFW) for HCD+ASRH program design and implementation is a flagship product for the sector that unveils eight core principles together with associated tips and resources to guide the safe, effective, and inclusive practice of HCD to ASRH programme design and implementation.
By designing alongside young women using these principles, oral PrEP was freed from the medical associations of an HIV prevention product originally meant for key populations like sex workers, injection drug users, and men who have sex with men, to a self-care product that fits seamlessly into the lives of young women like Rumbi and her peers.
One young woman described “V” as “V ineka that, that, that!” which translates to “in a class of its own!”
Learnings from this project can be used to more effectively de-medicalize and destigmatize products across the entire HIV continuum of care, as well as other diseases. Focusing on the entire user journey, from end-to-end, can help countries, partners, and donors design more appropriate, relevant, and accessible products and processes that enhance uptake and adoption, leading to better health outcomes. Whenever possible, future projects and programs should seek to incorporate HCD lessons and insights from previous work to improve scale but also ensure that local needs and specific populations are tailored to.
For three days in January 2018 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, HCD Exchange brought together 59 implementers, practitioners, donors, and partners to share experiences and learnings, and to start building a community of practice around applying Human-Centered Design (HCD) to the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health.