Case Study: Men’s Health

Project Information design
Issue Men’s health
Client The Men’s Health Forum

How can user-centred information design help improve male life expectancy?

Men in the UK are disproportionately affected by a wide range of health conditions: cancer, circulatory diseases, alcoholism, suicide… the list goes on.

The role of information
In response to this situation, the Men’s Health Forum (MHF) – a charity working to improving the health and wellbeing of men – initiated a project to explore the role that information provision plays in driving this statistic.

Broad-based collaboration
The project galvanised a broad-based collaboration between the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU), The Hub team and MHF’s inter-disciplinary advisory group.

A user-centred approach
Building on extensive research carried out by the LMU team, The Hub engaged 4 distinct male segments in a series of co-design sessions to deepen insight and develop early prototypes for more effective information design systems.

Tactical and strategic response
The depth of the insight allowed us to address the issue at both tactical and strategic levels. Tactically, a system was produced to guide development of current and future information materials, allowing the consistency and cohesion required to build relationships, alongside the flexibility to respond to the needs of the specific segments. More strategically, we used the insight to produce recommendations relevant at an organisational level, pointing MHF towards new product development opportunities and the creation of a more sustainable business model.

Ongoing collaboration
The Hub is now working with the MHF team to realise the potential of this project through both these strands.