"Information for Life" is the Student Design Challenge for IxDA's Interaction14 conference. I entered together with Hadar Geva - http://hadargeva.com , a fellow student at Domus Academy's Master in Interaction Design. To read the challenge brief and learn more about the program, please visit interaction14. Our first round audition video is at: http://vimeo.com/81366788 This is our final presentation, given on stage at IxDA's Interaction14 conference. We were awarded 2nd place out of over 70 applications. Grow with Kirikou is a kit and service system that uses tradition to make modern medicine more accessible. Many children in developing areas are not immunized because modern medicine appears to be at odds with local customs and influencers like traditional healers. The kit holds health records for all of a family's children and includes a card set used to teach best practices for neonatal care and remind caregivers when to return to health providers for additional immunizations. Key cards have tear-off pieces for milestone events that will be given to a community leader and added to a public visual representation of the life journey. Grow with Kirikou is designed for the Bemba tribe in northeastern Zambia. Kirikou is a widely-known African story about a boy who overcomes obstacles by asking questions. It also uses the Bemba concept of life, a journey from west to east, were the main deity Lesa resides in the sky. Grow with Kirikou could be adapted for any region if the key traditional elements are updated to reflect local customs: (1) storytelling mascot, (2) community leader, (3) home keepsake and (4) life metaphor

1. Can’t stop talking…or
talking about New York
Memorizes your phone
number on the first try
We only have four minutes to present.
(eek!)
Read this first to get to know us!
Obsessed with weiner dogs,
and all dogs really
Brainstorms best in the
shower
Eats cheese daily despite
lactose intolerance
Learned to ride a bike
just 2 years ago (gasp!)
Has an accidentally Italian
last name on her volleyball
jersey: “Blitzier”
Drinks espresso before bed
Ranked #1 squash player in
Israel when she was 16
Has double-jointed knee caps
Cooks a mean shakshuka and
will give you lessons
Classmates regularly bribe
her to bake banana bread
Has family members in at
least 10 countries
Was once a bartender in
a margarita bar
Is NOT named Adele
Obsessed with West Wing
TV series, seen every episode
Has a penchant for printed
shirts (see the strawberries?)
Captain of Model UN teams in
high school and college
Thinks presenting to large
rooms of people is fun
(see Model UN)
Owns more than 10 black
dresses
Always sneezes in sets of two
JULIE BLITZER
@zhuli
HADAR GEVA
@hadargeva
Worked in a vet’s office
Draws customer journeys
and flows from right to left
because she thinks in Hebrew

2. Who is Trina?
Who?
- 18 year old mother
- Lives in rural northeastern Zambia
- Bemba tribe
- Speaks Chibemba language
- Knows only a few English words
- Illiterate
- Given birth three times
- 3 year old daughter
- 2nd child died at 3 weeks old
- Just gave birth to a baby boy
Needs
- Safety
- Health
- Support
- Guidance
- Reminders
- Examples
walk to health center: 7km
TRINA

3. Problems
Far from
health center
Tracking time
Illiterate
Fear of modern medicine

4. 1st Idea: Measure Baby to Calculate Time that has Passed

5. 1st Idea: Measure Baby to Calculate Time that has Passed
m
m
..
.
m
.
e
p
o
n

6. 2nd Idea: Cards and Lessons
?
?
?

7. 2nd Idea: Cards and Lessons
?
...
ly
a?l
re
h
u
H
t?
o
..n
.
hh

8. Meet Kirikou
+
Kirikou
A widely-known African story
about a boy who overcomes
obstacles by asking questions

9. Grow With Kirikou Kit
v
progress bar

10. 1st Round of Vaccinations: Soon After Birth

11. Trina Visits Community Leader
WEST
EAST
Places Trina's child on the
journey from West to East
towards Lesa, Bemba's deity.

12. Trina & Family, Six Weeks Later
progress bar
Last card in set tells Trina it’s time for
another visit to the Health Center

13. New Cards for Each Visit
After this appointment, the nurse
gives Trina a new set of cards,
reinforcing the new ritual.

14. Value: Community Empowerment
"Your problem is my
problem, so I even call
you my sister."
-ZENAPH, student
from Cameroon

15. Value: Data Redundancy
“An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You
would never see an ‘Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order’ sign, just
‘Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience’.”
- Comedian Mitch Hedberg

16. Value: Tradition & Heritage
USE
TRADITION
TO MAKE
MODERN MEDICINE
MORE ACCESSIBLE
Storytelling
Mascot
Community
Leader
Home Keepsake
Life Metaphor

17. THANKS!
Special thanks to...
IxDA:
Dianna Miller, Izac Ross and John Payne
Gates Foundation:
Skye Gilbert and Almeera Anwar
Pre-conference Subject Matter Experts:
Ledia Andrawes, Debi Spindelman, Jason Wojciechowski
Workshop Research Participants & Advisors:
Dr. Alice Konijnenberg, Dr. Pieter Knibbe, Zenaph and Records for Life finalists
Our SDC Guinea Pigs & Co-Designers:
Yvonne, Judi, Carlos, Julie, Chris, Nick, Meredith, Jan-Christoph, Fred and Noel
JULIE BLITZER
@zhuli
HADAR GEVA
@hadargeva