How do you test a tool like this?

Testing a Suicide Prevention tool for

people with learning disabilities

Having produced a “See and Hear” version of a 40 page legally worded tenancy agreement for supported living tenants I was approached by Grassroots, a suicide prevention charity based in Brighton to make a suicide prevention tool for people with learning disabilities.

In common with many creative people the “black dog” of depression wags its tail from time to time. On reflection, although it made working on such an emotive subject really heavy going sometimes there was an upside. It gave me some insight into how my audience would be feeling.

I have always thought that having a learning disability does not mean emotions are perceived in a different way, it just means you have a “learning” disability not an emotional one.

When you invest as much as I did in a project like this it gets very personal, I had also foolishly promised a “benchmark” solution so when it came time to launch it in to the “Twittersphere” of academics and experts in the field I was one nervous puppy!

As the feedback started to come in each day was another box ticked and apart from a few technical glitches that were easy to resolve we have yet to receive and negative comments. Better still there seems genuine interest in it being used nationally rather than just Brighton and Hove.

That’s where you come in, we need your help, some things lend themselves to “trials” or “market research & consumer feedback” in my parlance. So how do you evaluate a suicide prevention tool, not a by mortality rate that’s for sure! I found it to be quite a brainteaser.

So here is my question for you...

What are the criteria you suggest for measuring the effectiveness of the tool and gaining “data” that is both meaningful and steers any refinements to be made? 

Through meeting people at the @NewHCVoices event in November my options have increased dramatically to the point where I have needed to take a step back and slow the roll out down to make best advantage of us all working together to make this a benchmark tool filling a gap as there is nothing else like it. We are also exploring its potential use in prisons.

Tweet me @Chicustard & @grassroots and let’s get the conversation started. 

Jon Bryant Copyright  2018