1. Confidential & credible answers, when there’s no one else to ask.
Designing Liberation Technologies
Spring 2011
Pablo Fernandez
Katie Hill
Risa Kitagawa
Eric Ruth
nishauri
Confidential & credible answers,
when there’s no one else to ask.

2. The problem
Evelyn is a 23-year-old community health worker, highly dedicated to helping young people in Mathare avoid sexual health risks.

3. The problem
She needs a way to reach more young people and make them feel comfortable asking sensitive questions.

4. The problem But the scale of youth at risk is overwhelming.
And she can only be in one place at a time.

5. Connect Inform Build The solution
Nishauri will connect existing, MYSA-trained counselors to hundreds of youth seeking information from a safe, private source.
Inform
Nishauri disseminates reliable, timely information about sexual health and other sensitive topics, while preserving confidentiality.
Build
Nishauri harnesses and builds on existing knowledge and local capacities.
The solution
Nishauri is a mobile counseling service.

6. How it works
In three simple steps.

7. centralized information system
Counselor user
Youth User
Youth user
MYSA Counselors
Nishauri
Nishauri Server
Guru
centralized information system
Asks confidential question to counselor, or views FAQs organized by category, via USSD.
Question
Responds via USSD to youth’s query, also has the option of asking a follow-up question.
If a follow-up is initiated, the counselor can view history via USSD to provide most appropriate response.
Receives counselor’s response. Can follow up, forward the response to phone by SMS, or ask a new question.
Ends session with opportunity to provide feedback.
Step 1.
A youth user sends in a question via his/her mobile phone, or views FAQs organized by category, via USSD.

8. centralized information system
Counselor user
Youth User
Youth user
MYSA Counselors
Nishauri Server
Guru
centralized information system
Asks confidential question to counselor, or views FAQs organized by category, via USSD.
Question
Question
Responds via USSD to youth’s query, also has the option of asking a follow-up question.
If a follow-up is initiated, the counselor can view history via USSD to provide most appropriate response.
Receives counselor’s response. Can follow up, forward the response to phone by SMS, or ask a new question.
Answer
Ends session with opportunity to provide feedback.
Step 2.
A counselor stationed at one of three MYSA Resource Centers receives the question, and supplies a response via USSD. (S)he also has the option of asking a follow-up question, in which case the server stores the conversation history.

9. Step 3. Youth User MYSA Counselors Nishauri Server Question Question
Answer
Answer
Step 3.
The youth receives the response on his/her phone. The youth can follow up if necessary, forward the counselor’s response to his/her phone by SMS, or ask a new question. Ending the session provides an opportunity to give feedback.

10. Would young people use it?
User testing
The “Question Box” Test
Strong demand from young people for a confidential service
Types of questions young people wanted to ask
Counselor SMS Test
Feasibility of responding with a character liimit
Would young people use it?
In addition to the user tests, we conducted extensive interviews with peer counselors (including Evelyn herself!) in order to generate FAQs, and counselors’ responses to them. This constitutes the “FAQ” component of our service.

11. Sustainability Skills & context Sustainability User acquisition Costs
High mobile penetration
Strong SMS literacy among youth
Trained counselors to ensure quality response
Sustainability
Strong sense of local ownership
Leverage existing MYSA infrastructure and counselor logistics
User acquisition
Confidentiality will attract new youth
Marketing campaigns
Costs
Technology
Operating costs
Marketing
Training
Viability
What it takes to make it work.
Skills & context
High mobile penetration
Strong SMS literacy among youth over 16 years old
Trained counselors to enusre quality response – talk about how for “subjective” questions, counselor can tell youth to come in for in-person counseling
User acquisition
Confidentiality will attract new youth users who are otherwise hesitant to engage in in-person counseling
Marketing campaigns
Implementation costs
Server development and maintenance
[talk about approximate costs; and how to phase from mobile-originating to mobile-terminating structure]
Piloting costs
Additional counselor training
Sustainability
Strong sense of local ownership
Leverage existing MYSA infrastructure and counselor logistics

12. Sustainability Skills & context Implementation costs
Preliminary Budget
Pilot Phase
Ramp-up Phase
Scale Phase
Timeline (months) 3 12
12+
Technology
SMS
USSD
Up-front Tech Cost
$600
$3,000
$1,000
Transaction Costs
Users per day 15 30 75
Users per month
375
750
1875
Cost per month (USD)
$26.09
$139.17
$347.93
Transaction cost for timeline
$78.28
$1,670.06
$4,175.15
# of Users for timeline
1,125
2,250
5,625
Operating Costs
Customer Acquisition /Marketing
$300.00
$500.00
Training costs
$1,000.00
$1,500.00
Total Cost
$978.28
$6,170.06
$6,675.15
Skills & context
High mobile penetration
Strong SMS literacy among youth over 16 years old
Trained counselors to enusre quality response – talk about how for “subjective” questions, counselor can tell youth to come in for in-person counseling
User acquisition
Confidentiality will attract new youth users who are otherwise hesitant to engage in in-person counseling
Marketing campaigns
Implementation costs
Server development and maintenance
[talk about approximate costs; and how to phase from mobile-originating to mobile-terminating structure]
Piloting costs
Additional counselor training
Sustainability
Strong sense of local ownership
Leverage existing MYSA infrastructure and counselor logistics

13. Carrying the project forward.
Formalize nature of collaboration with MYSA
Pilot
Small-scale pilot to assess adoption rate (3 mths, target of 1000 users)
Negotiations with PRSPs & development of server (3-6 mths)
Potential funders: Stanford, NOKIA
Ramp-up
Marketing campaign in lead-up to launch
Formal launch Q1 2012
Potential funders: Omidyar Network, NIKE Foundation, FIFA
Next steps
Carrying the project forward.

14. Carrying the project forward.
MYSA Responsibilities
Counseling
MYSA counselor in each Resource Center will be point person
Operations
Maintain relationship with PRSP, including monitoring PRSP’s work to ensure server development meets allotted timeline, and PRSP provides quality of work
Marketing
Promote nishauri among member base, place physical media advertising nishauri, host high-impact promotional events
Cost
Cost-free to youth users; if this model were pursued, MYSA or outside funder would bear cost of SMS /USSD interactions
Next steps
Carrying the project forward.

15. Confidential & credible answers, when there’s no one else to ask.
nishauri
Designing Liberation Technologies
Spring 2011
Pablo Fernandez
Katie Hill
Risa Kitagawa
Eric Ruth
Confidential & credible answers,
when there’s no one else to ask.
Thank you!
Our sincere gratitude goes out to our instructors Josh Cohen, Terry Winograd, Zia Yusuf; our TA Eric Mibuari; Jofish Kaye, NOKIA; our classmates; and last but not least, our inspirational partners at Mathare Youth Sports Association.

16. nishauri system
Youth user
Counselor user
Asks confidential question to counselor, or views FAQs organized by category, via USSD.
Responds via USSD to youth’s query, also has the option of asking a follow-up question.
If a follow-up is initiated, the counselor can view history via USSD to provide most appropriate response.
Receives counselor’s response. Can follow up, forward the response to phone by SMS, or ask a new question.
Ends session with opportunity to provide feedback.