Image Credit : The website features elements from an artwork with permission from the artist Dixon Patten - Yorta Yorta and Gunnai
Project Overview
Aboriginal Quitline is a dedicated website and culturally safe counseling service provided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Designed in consultation with Aboriginal communities across Victoria, SA, NT, and WA, Aboriginal Quitline provides tailored support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people looking to quit smoking and vaping.
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Project Brief
Quitline supports all Australians to quit smoking but recognizes the different needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Although Quit provides Indigenous Quitline counselors and specific content on their main website, Aboriginal communities wanted a dedicated website to support their specific needs and provide relevant, culturally safe information and support. Working with Aboriginal communities across Victoria, SA, NT, and WA, Quit sought insights to inform the right user experience, tone of voice, and design approach for the website. The website needed to represent the Indigenous community and communicate key information about quitting smoking and vaping in a way that resonated with them. The website also had to be supportive and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities' cultural needs when requesting and receiving counseling.
The website features elements from artwork with permission from the artists Dixon Patten - -Yorta Yorta and Gunnai. During the user experience phase, the community and Dixon were engaged to ensure that the usage of the artwork was consistent with the original artwork's intent and that the design approach and content spoke to the community.
Project Need
The primary objective of the website was to increase Aboriginal communities' knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal Quitline, thereby increasing the number of people quitting smoking or vaping. The website needed to appeal to the audience and establish a cultural connection through design to ensure it felt distinctly Aboriginal. With permission, elements, and colors from Dixon Patten’s artwork were paired with the Quit brand to create a unique design. Consideration was made for the performance of the website on poor connections, as many of the intended audience live in rural areas. The site is WCAG AA accessible and is optimized for mobile devices due to the high number of mobile users accessing the website.
Content was co-created with Aboriginal communities, considerate of language across regions as well as ensuring information was clear, relevant, and easy to understand. Users can find information on why they should quit, how to quit, and what to do to stay on track. A cost calculator supports the 'why quit' message by showing how much money they could save by quitting. The website also provides content and resources for Indigenous health workers to support their work within the community.
By recognizing the specific needs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, Quit provides relevant and culturally safe support, information, and counselors to help the Aboriginal community quit smoking and vaping, thereby improving their health and the health of their community.
User Experience
The Aboriginal Quitline website has benefited from a co-design process with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and elders in Victoria, SA, WA, and NT. It contains culturally relevant information for Aboriginal communities and has been designed with permission using Aboriginal artwork and design.
Permission was granted by Dixon Patten for the use of his artwork on the website. Dreamtime Art Cultural Consultancy provided a detailed understanding of Dixon’s artwork and guidelines for its use. Dixon was also consulted on the design work to ensure he approved of the final outcomes.
The experience was developed to meet WCAG AA accessibility guidelines and is considerate of slow internet speeds by employing best practice performance development strategies to ensure the website was speedy to access, especially on mobile devices.
The content was written specifically for the site by Quit health experts in collaboration with Aboriginal communities so that the tone of voice and presentation of health information was clear and relevant to the audience. A calculator was developed to illustrate how much could be saved by quitting and what that money could be better used for.
The website supports Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) workers and health workers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to empower them to quit smoking or vaping. Health workers can refer to the Aboriginal Quitline via the website to speak with Aboriginal Quitline counselors who understand the cultural needs of the community.
Project Marketing
Quit plays a vital role in the community by providing support to people looking to quit smoking and vaping. Quitline is widely recognised as one of the first places to seek information and support to quit by the general public.
The Aboriginal Quitline website extends this health initiative to an audience that may not relate to the content and support provided on the general website. Quit recognized the need to provide the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community with a culturally safe space to explore their unique quitting journey.
By co-creating a website with Aboriginal communities, Quit is ensuring that vital health support speaks to the people who need it. Promoting the availability of free culturally safe counseling and Tackling Indigenous Smoking health workers within the community is an important part of reducing instances of smoking and vaping rates within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. By empowering Aboriginal people to quit smoking and vaping, Quit is improving the health and well-being of individuals as well as their families and the whole community.
Project Privacy
Quit collaborated with Aboriginal communities and elders in Victoria, SA, NT, and WA across content and the user experience vision. The solution needed to address how the website looked, the content tone of voice, and ensure it was easy to use on mobile devices. The website features elements from artwork with permission from the artists Dixon Patten - -Yorta Yorta and Gunnai. During the user experience phase, the community and Dixon were engaged to ensure that the usage of the artwork was consistent with the original artwork's intent and that the design approach and content spoke to the community.
The website adheres to best practice security and privacy requirements. More information can be found on the privacy page of the website.
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