How might we enhance our understanding of our two distinct populations (expecting/new parents and healthcare providers) to better communicate with and engage them in our services and fundraising?
Project Team Statement
It's estimated that 1 in 6 people has a mental health condition. For some, the perinatal period will be the first time they experience these symptoms. For others, it will be a time when they pay extra special attention to the way their diagnosis manifests. PS-WA is on a mission to ensure that all care seekers in Washington receive appropriate, timely, and culturally relevant perinatal mental health support.
When we met, Perinatal Support was at an important threshold: their HMW statement painted a bold and ambitious picture of how they wanted to better engage with expecting/new parents and healthcare providers, expand opportunities around storytelling, advocacy, and action, and increase their overall impact. They were thinking big about these opportunities, and also realized that much of their success depended on a more comprehensive understanding of the audiences they serve and the value those distinct groups gained from having interacted with their organization. Leveraging a human-centered design thinking approach, our team conducted a number of research activities which culminated in (1) user personas, empathy and ecosystem maps, which were used to develop (2) a targeted and actionable marketing/communications strategy and training session, which included (3) engaging messaging developed in a co-design session with care-seekers themselves. We also provided (4) refreshed brand guidelines, including an organizational archetype and voice and tone recommendations and, finally, (5) a summary of all our research, notes from interviews, and survey data so that PS-WA can continue to make a meaningful impact every day.
About the Organization
Perinatal Support Washington is a statewide non-profit committed to shining a light on perinatal mental health to support all families and communities. We believe all parents should receive appropriate, timely, and culturally relevant care from conception to baby's first birthday