The Wellbeing Trail will only be a success if people know about it and turn up on the day. Just as important is for people to follow through after the event by trying to improve or sustain their wellbeing in whatever way suits them. My role in this part of the project was to look at communication activities that might encourage people to come along, and to consider how peoples’ stories can be captured for future wellbeing activities and communications.
Give people reasons to come
One of the ideas that came out of the ideation brainstorm was the concept of giving people reasons to come along that were funny or personal, and weren’t obviously about health or wellness. I developed this concept into a series of posters, linking images and headlines to aspects of the Trail.
Does the design solution answer the problem?
The Wellbeing Trail is just the first step in improving wellbeing. Until the trail has been held I can’t say definitively whether it answers the stated problem of helping people integrate wellbeing into their life:
People want to improve or maintain personal wellbeing, but they find it difficult to build it into their everyday lives and don’t prioritise it or see it as an enjoyable activity.
The communications around the Wellbeing Trail will be judged a success if people come along on the day and their needs are met (as identified in the immerse and empathy stage). These included things such as:
- knowing what is on, when and where (solution: map, advertisements, signage, social media, website)
- doing something out of the usual routine (solution: interesting items and activities including selfies, spin wheel, passport, etc)
- having a reason to come (solution: teaser posters)
- knowing which activities would suit them (solution: colour keys and info on map)
However, the trail visitors are just one group of stakeholders. The Wellbeing Trail will be judged a success if all the various stakeholders achieve their aims:
- Wellbeing organisations hope to build connections with the community, attract new customers or members, and improve the wellbeing of their customers or members.
- Trail participants are likely to get different things from the trail, from practical guidance and information through to inspiration to change their behaviour, ideas for family activities, a prize or freebie, or simply a good day out. Longer term they may want more support to integrate wellbeing into their life and set an example for their family or others.
- Local businesses want to benefit from an influx of visitors on the day, and hopefully in future.
- Sponsors and partners hope to maintain or raise their profile while providing a service to the community.
- Samford Commons aims to be seen as an organisation that supports and nurtures sustainable approaches to living, working and playing. It also wants to build connections between community members, such as the trail participants and visitors.
Capturing stories
Together with the main stakeholders, I thought about ways to build on the Wellbeing Trail in future, as there are likely to be further events. Organisations participating in the Trail can share their stories of what worked well and any areas that could be changed or improved. Volunteers at the event will aim to capture feedback from trail visitors and take photos and videos for use on social media (with permission). The feedback and stories will be discussed at a stakeholder get-together after the Wellbeing Trail day.
Turning these stories into something people can relate to and act on will form part of the natural evolution of the project in future… watch this space!
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