Demand Strategy Builder

"Can we show, rather than tell, local leaders how to design people-centered strategies?"

At least 6 million children are unvaccinated or undervaccinated in the 8 highest-risk countries in South and Southeast Asia. This region has seen some reasons for decreasing demand in immunisations. In the Philippines, the Dengvaxia vaccine was recalled in 2017, causing a drop in trust in all routine vaccination that has been exacerbated with rising dis- and misinformation globally. In Peshawar, Pakistan, misinformation videos about a 2019 polio campaign spread on WhatsApp, and led to nearly 1 million caregivers refusing oral polio vaccine (OPV) for their children. In response to these trends, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s Regional Office for South Asia asked Common Thread to develop a manual to help immunisation managers design demand strategies. Their goal was to help make demand strategies the norm, rather than the exception, in South and Southeast Asia.

Designed to offer practical tools for understanding complex human behaviour, the manual illustrates how to take quick, effective action to address low uptake of vaccination in the region. The approach to is remove parents' practical barriers to immunising children, related to: knowing where to go and when, not being fearful of being scolded for losing an immunisation card, understanding what to expect after immunisation, and being aware how to mitigate adverse effects.

Specifically, the Demand Strategy Builder takes managers through four key moments in an immersive experience to design a behavioural strategy and map out an action plan. Throughout each moment, field practitioners are provided with visual guidance (as little text as possible), instructions for undertaking guided visits to communities, and gamification through cards and role play. A human-centred design (HCD)-inspired research phase in the middle of the process makes sure assumptions are challenged and human connections are made.