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My narrative centers around Suicidal Behavior in Adolescents and Young Adults. It starts off by highlighting the rising suicide rates in the United States, particularly among the 15-24 age group. The urgency of this issue becomes evident as we delve into the breakdown of suicide rates by ten-year age brackets, with a clear emphasis on the concerning trend in this younger demographic.
This concern is further underscored by our exploration of the leading causes of death, where suicide ranks third among 15-24-year-olds. The narrative then delves into the relationship between suicidal behavior and mental health disorders. Notably, the 15-24 age group exhibits a high prevalence of mental illness. Fortunately, it's crucial to remember that suicide can be prevented, and one avenue to address this is by tackling mental health issues head-on.
The story discusses mental health education as a powerful tool to raise awareness and encourage individuals to seek help while dismantling the stigma associated with mental health challenges. For instance, school-based mental health services are a promising initiative in this regard. It's essential to recognize that suicide prevention is a collective effort, with many individuals already playing their part. We too can make a difference.
The story concludes by issuing a call to action tailored to various audiences, urging everyone to join the fight against this pressing issue.
- 15-24 year olds who are currently enrolled in school or have recently graduated. This age group is particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges and suicide, making them a crucial demographic for this narrative. I would reach out to CMU students both undergraduate and graduate students that fall in this range.
- Parents. The influence of parents on the mental well-being of their children cannot be overstated. Therefore, reaching out to parents is vital. I aim to connect with students in CMU's master's programs who are also parents themselves, as they can provide valuable insights into the parental perspective.
- School Board. School boards are responsible for making decisions about educational institutions' curriculum, policies, and resources. I would approach by contacting Heinz education department.
| Goal | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|
| Assessing Message Effectiveness | After viewing the wireframes/storyboards, what emotions or reactions did the narrative evoke? |
| Assessing Message Effectiveness | Did the narrative effectively communicate the importance of mental health education and suicide prevention to you? |
| Identifying Improvement Opportunities | Were there any specific elements of the narrative that resonated with you? Were there aspects that you found unconvincing or unclear? |
| Identifying Improvement Opportunities | How do you think the narrative can be made more impactful and engaging for the target audience? |
| Questions | Student/parent, 27 | Student, 28 | Student, 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| After viewing the wireframes/storyboards, what emotions or reactions did the narrative evoke? | First impression was she felt fearful. However as the story went through, she could feel her emotion being drawn to the story arc. In the end, the emotion she felt was hopeful. The | She felt disturbed at first. But then, she felt much less at the end. She mentioned how the change in the color palette and the images contributed to changing her emotions. | She felt the story was intense at the start but then when the color palette changed to using blue text and white background, she felt her mood was lifted. |
| Did the narrative effectively communicate the importance of mental health education and suicide prevention to you? | Yes, she felt the urgency of this matter. | Yes. The data used for the visual help in communicating how urgent this topic is. | Yes. She was convinced that this is a critical issue. |
| Were there any specific elements of the narrative that resonated with you? Were there aspects that you found unconvincing or unclear? | She liked that I used credible sources of data. She also thought the pictures were suitable to build emotion and engage with the content. She stated that it's better to remove the pie chart and just display the number directly. | She liked how easy it is for her to get the message of each visual since the important parts are highlighted. She found the last slope chart to be unclear and less impactful in showing the data. | She liked the transition between dark and light color palettes. She didn't like the pie chart because she didn't see any point in displaying that. |
| How do you think the narrative can be made more impactful and engaging for the target audience? | She mentioned how it would be great if I could give more details for the call for action including the who, what, and how. | She mentioned adding another visual regarding the impact of the education initiatives for better persuasion. | She said adding another example of the initiative would be good. One example that could be added is how individuals can also help their friends. |
| Research synthesis | Anticipated changes for Part III |
|---|---|
| The pie chart didn't communicate the data well | Remove the pie chart. Visualize the data using text, similar to the score card where the number is emphasized with a bigger font. |
| The slope chart can be confusing and isn't suitable for only two categories of data points. | Visualize the percentage increases in a bar chart for a better comparison of data between years. |
| The initiative will be stronger with the impact data. | Find data regarding the impact of school-based mental health services. Visualize them and add them after showing the data regarding how school-based mental health services have been implemented. |
| Another example of the initiative for individuals to reach a general audience. | Find data about things individuals can do to help their friends. Add another section after school-based mental health services to show this initiative. |
The current storyboards did pretty well in conveying the message and influencing the audience's emotions to care about this matter. Some visuals need additional adjustments. The interview definitely helped to ensure that the message was conveyed well. It also helped in pointing out things that didn't work well. It was interesting to get conflicting responses too between the interviewees.