FLOJO: Responding to Gaps in Menstruation Education

FLOJO is informed by 8 weeks of intensive research including an interview with a leading Sexual Health practitioner, literary and artefact reviews, empathy and journey maps and a survey. In this way, the project satisfied and indeed surpassed the brief with clear and consolidated research findings informing the design process.

Following research, three prototypes were developed, actioning the findings regarding communicating a complex topic to children. The prototypes displayed evidence of a professional design process given the distinct material, form and aesthetic iterations at each stage. Building upon weekly feedback from peers and tutors, the final outcome exceeded the brief in its application of comprehensive research and quality finish.

FLOJO demonstrates design excellence in the centring of a childs user experience. A childs physical, emotional and developmental capabilities were at the forefront of all decisions regarding functionality, aesthetics and accessibility.

A lighthearted and vivacious identity was carefully chosen to heighten the engagement of the target audience and encourage repeated play as a means of reinforcing crucial information. Board game elements are imbued with a deliberate sense of humour and storytelling as a means of reframing menstruation as something to be revelled at and curiously explored rather than apprehensive of or dreaded. Typography, colour and simple visual motifs were selected with legibility, instruction and childrens literacy abilities in mind, as was the mechanics of board game play.

The comprehensive interview with a childrens Sexual Health Practitioner saw me analyse and unpack the tools and strategies that promote inclusive, positive and enduring education around topics often framed as taboo. Considering the limited emotional and developmental capacity of children, FLOJO is accompanied by an extensive teacher resource and instruction manual with a step-by-step process for best practice and supplementary resources that equip teachers and carers with the ability to approach this complex topic with confidence.

FLOJO emerged from a deep personal passion as a result of the complete absence of a similar tool in my own education. From the outset I could recognise the long-lasting implications within my personal experience, legitimising the problem I was seeking to address. That is, as bolstered by the findings of a survey and interview, whereby other women were hard pressed to recall any menstruation education tool offered to them except lengthy books, FLOJO responds to legitimate gaps in current Australian Sexual Health Education.

FLOJO is unique in its attempt to tackle both the already complex and taboo topic of menstruation, and the social and cultural discrepancies that exist with sexual health education. That is, FLOJO combines the findings from a diverse range of existing tools to provide a comprehensive menstruation education, that can be used both in place of or in conjunction with existing sexual health curricula.

As a mobile, take-home resource, framed as a playful game, it is my hope that menstruation education can encouragingly penetrate spaces and households where the topic is evaded or suppressed. Moreover, designed with clear, age-appropriate instruction, the tool empowers independent play amongst children. In this way, menstruation education becomes embedded within childrens independent socialising and play, encouraging meaningful discussions that promote a lifelong comfortability, empathy and body literacy.  Here lies potential for development of an extensive system of tools, tackling similarly complex social topics within education.

Victoria is the education state yet design for change is often situated within exclusive, adult spheres.  FLOJOs social potential lies in its championing of designing for and alongside education, bolstering Victorias reputation as Australias centre for both creativity and education.

FLOJO seeks to introduce critical menstruation education early and positively, addressing the reality many women face of being uneducated and unfamiliar with critical body literacy that informs their everyday life. In this way, FLOJO as both a tool and a method of advocacy, will have a profound impact on the health of Australian women long-term.

In being situated outside traditional education frameworks and classroom settings, menstruation is reframed as something to be openly discussed, experienced and lived with, rather than merely taught about.  That is, FLOJO recognises a distinct gap in education and designs accordingly to fill it. This is the epitome of designing for real-world change.