What is ¡Vas!? 

The Secretariat of Welfare in Mexico, formerly, Ministry of Social Development,  launched a call for proposals to guide adolescents at risk to dropping-out of middle school.

I had the opportunity to spearhead a highly competitive process on behalf of Nao Kids, a studio specializing in children’s media design. After several rounds of pitches, we were commissioned with the project. My role as a project & product manager and UX Designer started in 2009 and continued until 2011.

This project had a strong research component including qualitative and quantitative data analysis. In the inspiration phase we conducted photo and video ethnographies with teens in three of the poorest communities in the country: Cochoapa, Guerrero; Santa María Chilchota, Oaxaca; and Ecatepec, Estado de México. During the ideation phase, I facilitated generative sessions in several locations in the north, center, and south parts of the country. Finally, we prototyped a website ¡Vas! (Go!) that included information and opportunities for the Mexican Youth with filters according age, location, and academic or employment status. We connected with several organizations to address issues that impact the development and well being of young people such as teen pregnancy, drug use, domestic violence, etc. Several user testing sessions allowed us to refine both the content and graphics and was positively accepted once it was launched. The project was recognized internationally as one of the 20 Best Practices in Public Policy for the Youth in Ibero-America by OIJ, PNUD, UNFPA, CEPAL and UNESCO..