Engaging the projects target group in a fun and child-friendly way: “What do you think is the coolest giraffe?”

23 May 2024

Engaging the projects target group in a fun and child-friendly way: “What do you think is the coolest giraffe?”

The Lighthouse Hospital’s Children and Youth Clinic’s Teddy Bear Hospital event was a success. The event was attended by 330 children with their families. It offered children aged 3–10 the opportunity to bring their stuffed animals to the hospital for treatment. During the event, children were able to visit various activity spots in the hospital with the help of a treasure map. This interactive learning experience allowed them to become familiar with the hospital environment and medical procedures in a playful and safe manner. The purpose of the event was to help reduce children’s fears of examinations and the hospital world.

The Lighthouse Hospital is one of our project partners, and a representative from the Mobile Hospital project was also present at the event. The involvement of the Mobile Hospital project was part of a broader collaboration aimed from the beginning at actively engaging the target group of the Mobile Hospital application in content design.

At the event, the project’s target group was offered the opportunity to choose the mascot for the upcoming Mobile Hospital application, a giraffe. The selection of the mascot giraffe was a way to tailor the content specifically for the target group. Children were able to vote for one giraffe out of three modified by artificial intelligence. One of the giraffes is designed to act as a guiding companion in the application.

In addition, during the giraffe voting, parents were given information about the Mobile Hospital project and the upcoming application. The application received praise and admiration from them. Positive feedback and comments from parents, such as “Great, that’s exactly what we need,” indicate that the project has broad support and meets the needs of families.

A total of 110 votes were collected from children. Based on the voting results, giraffe number 1 received the most votes, a total of 45, while giraffe number 2 received 32 votes and giraffe number 3 received 33 votes. This shows that although the competition was tight, giraffe number 1 was the clear favorite. This giraffe will now serve as the information-delivering and guiding character in the application.

The success of the event and the voting highlights the importance of community involvement in healthcare projects and demonstrates how essential it is to engage target groups from the beginning. This approach not only increases the acceptance and adoption of the project but also promotes transparency and trust in the development of healthcare services.