Dr. GO

Inspiration

We were inspired by the success of past gamified PSA campaigns, such as Dumb Ways to Die. We were also inspired by the popularity of simulation games such as Hay Day and Farm Story. We wanted to use this game format as an educational platform for increasing awareness of HPV vaccines.

What it does

Dr. GO is a mobile app that simulates the spread of diseases in a country. The player's goal is to maintain their population's health through vaccination and awareness. The game features daily trivia questions that inform about various diseases, as well as a social element that encourages peer-to-peer education.

How I built it

We used the p5.js Javascript library to make an online prototype of Dr. GO (beta). The prototype goes over the basic features of the app, including disease info, trivia questions, tutorial, etc. The prototype is currently published on a Stanford domain.

Challenges I ran into

It was difficult to come up with a solution that would be accessible and entertaining to our target demographic. We talked with our mentor, Phil Garrity, for advice about how best to reach children in low/middle-income countries. Phil recommended a "bottom-up" approach, where adults and adolescents receive and spread information about the HPV vaccine.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We're proud that we developed a working prototype of the game. We're also confident in our understanding of HPV and how it affects various populations.

What I learned

There's a great disparity between the availability of vaccines and the uptake of vaccines in certain communities. The history of the adoption of vaccines contributes to modern perceptions of vaccinations.

What's next for Dr. GO

There are a lot of features we still want to add to our prototype. These features include educational minigames, simulations of the effects of clinics on populations, and the ability to visit other users' countries. Potentially, after the prototype is developed, we can release it on the iOS App Store and Android.