Meredith Puleio & Victoria Jennings Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University CycleTel in India: From Proof- of-Concept to Deployment

CycleTel Concept Facilitate use of the Standard Days Method ® by alerting women of their fertile days via SMS Target Audience Women/couples who: - are non-method or traditional FP method users - own a mobile phone - send/receive SMS

From Formative Research to Deployment Proof-of- Concept Testing Technology Development Test Market Product Launch Continuous M&E

Structure of CycleTel Proof-of-Concept 3 PhasesObjectives Focus Group Discussions 54 participants Understand phone use patterns Determine potential interest among target audience Explore appropriate messaging and preferences for the service Cognitive Interviews 18 participants Verify comprehension of messages Adapt and finalize messages Manual Testing 26 women/couples in Lucknow 80 women in New Delhi Enroll women for 2 cycles to assess feasibility, satisfaction and correct method use (using FrontlineSMS open source software) Troubleshoot problems and determine how to improve service Determine target audience

Established Need & Demand Both men and women are interested 100% wanted to continue the service All would recommend to friends Determined Product Design Before Investing Significant Resources 100% said it was the right # of messages Timing of messages should be between 5-10pm Messages should be in Hinglish Hotline is a necessity 100% of users would pay for the service on top of the normal cost for sending messages (range: Rs25-50 per month) Value of Formative Research This is an idea that can change your life! –Male I am mostly free at that time of day. It maintains privacy. – Female

Software development company Hosting environment SMS gateway provider v. telecoms Call center support SMS aggregator Research organization(s) Marketing agencies Donors Ministry of Health? Government Officials? Non-profit organizations Beyond Proof-of-Concept: Identifying Partners

Mapping Development & Deployment Partners

Agileconstant feedback & communication loops How do they describe & embody innovation? Local knowledge of technology/mobile environment Importance of global scope Social impact interest Whats in a Tech Partner?

Planning for Sustainable Scale-up Decide ownership Establish technical advisory group Apply a model for scale-up Plan for M&E of scale-up Test business models Identify & mitigate risks along the way The ExpandNet/WHO Scaling-Up Model Refer to

Key Considerations for Launching an mHealth Application Value of formative research & leveraging open source software Deployment environment is much more complex than anticipated Dont underestimate timeline of events & value of solid partners Plan, talk, listen, plan: People are willing to help! Look to new product development literature Citation: Chris Blow, Ushahidi Community Member Available at: 10/05/19/allocation-of-time- deploying-ushahidi/

Thoughts? Ideas?