Youngin Park

Overview:

Safe & Sexy is a project that aims to empower young heterosexual adults aged between 18 to 24 to take control of their sexual health and prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK.

The STI epidemic is here.

In 2022, STI infection rates in England increased by 24% within a year, soaring above pre-pandemic levels. Specifically, gonorrhoea diagnoses increased to 82,592, with a rise of 50.3%. Despite free testing services from the NHS, there are challenges within individual and social behaviours resulting in record-high levels of STIs. The public services are out there. We now need behavioural changes that can fully utilise these services to create a safer environment for all.

The Trend of Casual Dating

56% of Britons have had a one-night stand in their lives, and this is widely due to the rise in popularity of online dating platforms that are creating easy access to connect with partners nearby, as well as a lack of need for emotional connection, more time freedom, greater kink compatibility, and influenced by the sexual revolution from 50 years ago. We're focusing on people who look for casual dates because they're most at risk for spreading and getting STIs.

Youngin is a passionate service designer, a dedicated design researcher, and a strategic leader. She excels in identifying real problems and pain points, ranging from individual challenges to broader societal issues. With a user-centred approach, She actively creates impactful experiences and adopts a holistic problem-solving mindset. Her expertise lies in delivering innovative solutions within dynamic environments, and she is particularly driven to explore social and climate problems, leveraging her deep understanding of stakeholders, ecosystems, and policy design. Her valuable experience as a design assistant at the IPCC has honed her skills in visualizing and prototyping concepts, efficiently managing events and developing a keen eye for detail. With meticulous attention to detail and proficiency in design and prototyping tools, she brings a fresh and innovative approach to service design.

Work experience:

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)- Design Assistant (March 2023 - Present)
Wintex- Product Designer, Design researcher (Six months in 2021)
Weldex- Graphic design intern (three months in 2020)
National Project with LG, Paprika: Flexible & Stretchable Display(one year in 2019-2020)

Education:

MA Service Design | Royal College of Art
BA Industrial Design | Sookmyung Woman's University, Seoul, South Korea

Key project during MA Service design course at RCA:

Elective entrepreneurial project with LBS: Sustainable Solutions for Abandoned Boats in the UK
Research & Service Design Project with Alvarez & Marsal: Addressing Mental Health in Consultancies

Why are we designing for short-term relationships

What do they wish to explore?

As a starting point, we aim to leverage the hookup culture and explore how an increase in sexual health knowledge can empower individuals to be resilient against stigmas around STIs, protecting themselves from physical and emotional harm by inspiring generations to come. Our core mission is to empower users to adopt behavioural habits that promote better sexual health and testing.

To vitalise behavioural change and create a social shift in the long run, five main steps are considered

Increase awareness of the dangers of STIs: Share knowledge about STIs in a fun and engaging way.
Encourage regular testing: Help users schedule and plan testing periods.
Existing users influence others to test: Focus on a small group of users who will act as players to inspire others.
As more people become responsible, this will lead to the development of testing habits: User engagement and will empower each other.
Reduce diagnosis rates of STI and increase social acceptance: If more people test, the number of people who get diagnosed will increase, but the overall infection rates will reduce in the long term.

In Collaboration with:

Xiaoyi Liu

Shivani Yadav