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DESIGNING TACTILE LEARNING TOOLS
FOR ADOLESCENT SEXUAL HEALTH:
A HUMAN-CENTERED APPROACH TO
SEXUAL EDUCATION
Poster
CHEUNG Man Him
BA (Hons) in Product Design
Department of Design and Architecture
OBJECTIVES RESEARCH BACKGROUND
• Quantify Hong Kong’s systemic sex- Sex education in Hong Kong remains theory-driven, emphasizing abstract
education gaps by surveying teens (n lectures over practical skill development and experiential engagement.
= 60) and parents (n = 20) to identify Existing resources lack tactile components that facilitate embodied learning,
barriers to skill-based learning.
• Co-design and develop a tactile toolkit leaving adolescents unprotected during puberty. A 2022 study by the Equal
comprising the Guided Discovery Opportunities Commission found that 82.3% of schools cited time constraints
Ring and Probe, integrating clinician- in a packed curriculum as a barrier. Additionally, 60.6% of educators reported
validated silicone prototypes and insufficient training and highlighted the absence of structured materials. These
discreet packaging. systemic gaps perpetuate misinformation and hinder safe, informed self-
• Validate tool safety and efficacy discovery among teens, which I aim to address in this project.
through iterative HCD workshops,
biocompatibility tests, and an eight-
week pilot measuring changes METHODOLOGY
in shame, safety confidence, and
misinformation correction. The methodology followed a four-phase evidence-based design process.
• Bridge theory and practice by pairing Phase 1 involved a needs assessment, surveying 60 adolescents and 20 parents in
physical tools with the BOFFO Hong Kong, alongside a competitive analysis of existing sex-education materials.
Learning App’s tutorials and myth-
busting content. Phase 2 comprised of co-design workshops featuring ergonomic sketches, mood
boards, and HCD ideation sessions to refine product criteria.
In Phase 3, prototypes underwent 3D printing, biocompatibility testing, and usability
heuristics evaluation to ensure safety and usability.
ABOUT THE INVESTIGATOR
Phase 4 involved implementation of an eight-week pilot with 50 teens, using
I am a final-year BA (Hons) Product post-study Likert surveys to measure changes in shame, safety confidence, and
Design student at THEi, passionate misinformation correction, culminating in the final BOFFO toolkit and stakeholder
about human-centered innovation. My feedback loops.
interests span product, interior, and
graphic design, as well as philosophy FINDINGS
and social science. My goal is Post-implementation evaluation revealed that the BOFFO toolkit outperformed
to launch a business advancing traditional materials across six weighted criteria, achieving a perfect weighted
sexual education in Hong Kong score of 5.00, compared to scores ranging from 1.85 to 4.30 for print books,
through evidence-based experiential video lessons, school games, and classroom lectures.
solutions.
FYP Supervisor: Mr. LAI Kin Sun, Adolescents in the pilot reported significant reductions in shame and increased
Andy confidence in self-exploration, as measured by Likert surveys on safety and
embodiment. Qualitative feedback highlighted the calming pastel aesthetics,
ergonomic design, and discreet packaging as key factors in fostering privacy
and reducing stigma. These findings underscore the efficacy of experiential,
tactile learning tools in transforming adolescent sexual education in digital-
age contexts, and encourage open parent–teen communication through app
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