Solution.1 Intervention Program

We designed and tested a research-based intervention program to raise awareness about domestic violence and educate employees on how to approach potential victims with special sensitivity at the workplace.

For each section of the intervention program, we created materials and interactive activities in order to help participants retain information, develop empathy and get into a problem-solving mindset to find bespoke solutions for creating a safe space around them.

Solution 1.1 Info sheet

As a result of the market research, I created a summary sheet about domestic violence. This is helpful for a quick overview of the topic and a reminder of the main points discussed.

Market Research.

My first step when entering the company was researching what domestic violence was and how governments and businesses were doing to prevent it.

I found that due to skewed media representation, many people often believe domestic violence to be synonymous to physical abuse. However, that is not the only reality of abuse. I learned and complied my research about the types of abuse, warning signs, the cycle of abuse and the power and control tactics used by predators.

I researched the different laws, government and United Nations interventions in place to protect victims and how those related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Competitive Analysis.

In order to find gaps in the market to develop the most needed solutions, we conducted a competitive analysis, looking at non-profits, government initiatives and employer initiatives who help victims of domestic abuse. The analysis helped us understand the target audience, the main approaches and gaps in the field. My main insights:

• Most help is addressed at the victim (shelters, helplines, etc.)

• Specialised organisations for LGBTQ+, men, pregnant woman, POC etc.

• Help for perpetrators

• Organisations that unite employers and companies (e.g. drafting policy; toolkit for employers, spreading awareness)

• Trainings for employers that focus on anti-bias, racism and harassment

Potential Gap: Enabling Victims' Support Network
The competitive analysis showed us that the victim’s support network is rarely engaged in addressing the issue and that the lack of education was a problem.

We had the idea that the workplace could be a good place for an intervention program – victims of abuse, bystanders, friends and family of victims as well as perpetrators all go to work and therefore could be exposed to essential information there. We set out to test this assumption further through research.

Target audience for intervention: Victim’s support network at the workplace

Expert Interviews.

Why an expert interview?

Conducting interviews with domestic violence victims themselves is difficult due to the dangerous and sensitive matter. Therefore, we decided to speak to the experts surrounding the victims.

We wanted to find out first-hand information about how companies handle victims of domestic violence in the workplace. The interview helped us understand how people whose primary job is not related to domestic violence (e.g. Human Resources) understand the topic and how to handle it.

Key Insights from Interviews

• Anonymity – It is hard for victims of abuse to trust anyone about their situation – many prefer to be anonymous

• Mental Health Awareness – Everyone in a company should have an understanding of mental health and abuse – independent of profession

• Empower victims –A big question that came up is how we can empower victims to take the next step to leave the cycle of abuse

Problem Space

We identified core pain points of victims of abuse, especially within a workplace environment. This is based on our previous research and will help us go into the problem-solving space.

We took the pain points and converted them into How Might We questions to guide us into the ideation phase.

Persona.

Based on the idea that the company might be the best place for an intervention point, we have developed a persona of a typical employee that would be a coworker to a domestic violence victim employee. We refer to Jay throughout our process of developing a solution.

How can we train Jay to recognise DV warning signs and help his coworker who is being abused at home?

Ideation phase.

Based on the developed problem space, we were sketching out different ideas and spaces of solutions for supporting victims of domestic violence through different avenues, with the focus of companies as a potential solution.

Sketching a Solution.

Based off the ideation workshop, we selected the best ideas and decided to test the intervention program concept.

The intervention program would be both accessible to coworkers who want to learn more and support people around them as well as victims of abuse who might not realise:

1. That their own situation is abusive

2. Where to get support

3. What the company's stand is on this topic

– all vital points to their help seeking behaviour

A program is interactive which means that participants are more engaged through personal involvement and emotional stake. This would be better retained than a mandatory information document or a recorded lecture-style training.

User Journey Maps.

We created a user journey map to understand how different employees might possibly interact with the program. How would a regular employee access the program? What about HR or management? How would an employee who is also a victim interact with the program?

Designing the Solution

What Should an Employee Know About Domestic Violence?

Based on our research and knowledge of DV, we brainstormed how to structure, design and facilitate the intervention program as our solution. Three concepts were important for us:

1. EASY – Make the material easy to understand for anyone. We redesigned content that is traditionally used to teach about DV to make it more digestible.

2. EMPATHY – Create an opportunity for participants to develop empathy for victims. We created a role play to help participants relate and identify with the situation which makes it more memorable.

3. ENGAGE – Interactive ways of learning help program attendees retain information and understand the problem on a deeper level. We incorporated engaging elements such as polls on mentimeter, videos and group activities on miro

We created an outline into 3 categories that would be part of the program based on our ideation process.

Redesigning Educational Content

Some standard materials which were included in DV awareness toolkits and in academic papers were difficult to grasp and understand. We decided to redesign those materials to make them easier to process and more accessible.