Yiliyapinya, an innovative organisation providing personalised, evidence-based, applied neuroscience programs to improve holistic wellbeing, recognised the need for a digital solution to empower young people by enhancing their brain health. While other programs are available, none are specifically tailored to this audience or built in Australia. To reduce administrative burden and provide a more accessible, engaging tool, Yiliyapinya approached us to help define the vision and direction for a product that would combine brain health screening with culturally relevant games, engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in a meaningful and empowering way.
The Opportunity
The primary challenge was navigating the different potential audiences, ages and needs and deciding where to focus. While some tools exist in this space across gamified learning, brain training, health and performance, these are primarily targeted towards adults and professionals.
In addition, providing an efficient, easy-to-use platform for administrators was crucial. The product needed to balance this with cutting-edge brain health science while reducing administrative complexity. There were many ideas and perspectives regarding the direction of the product, and Yiliyapinya needed clarity on how best to proceed to create a cohesive, focused solution.
Our task was to align all these diverse perspectives, ensuring that the product would not only serve as an educational tool but also support the target audience's cognitive growth, healing and self-awareness.
Our Approach
We began by collaborating with Yiliyapinya stakeholders through a series of workshops designed to uncover the deeper purpose behind the project. This process allowed us to align on the solution's vision, target audience, and core needs. Together, we worked through a collaborative framework to define the key features that would address user and administrative requirements.
Vision and alignment workshop
In this initial workshop, we focused on building a shared understanding of the solution’s purpose and audience. Engaging with Yiliyapinya stakeholders, we explored cultural values, empowerment goals, and the scientific foundation required to create a meaningful and impactful digital tool.
Prioritisation and features workshop
With the vision established, we shifted our focus to identifying and prioritising the key features to deliver the greatest value. These included interactive games to support cognitive growth, simple brain health assessments, and administrative tools for tracking and evaluating program data. Using the vision as our north star, we combined cultural insights and neuroscience research to create a product roadmap that balanced immediate needs with long-term scalability.
Product roadmap
The product roadmap served as our blueprint for development, guiding a phased approach to building and refining the solution. We started with a core set of high-impact features, designed to test the solution's effectiveness and gather valuable insights on user engagement. We planned future development phases to introduce additional features and make refinements based on real-world feedback, ensuring the solution’s continuous growth, adaptability, and long-term relevance.
Outcomes
By the end of the project, we delivered a clear and actionable roadmap that seamlessly aligned Yiliyapinya’s vision, cultural values, and scientific foundations. The key outcomes included:
- Vision and Alignment: Yiliyapinya’s stakeholders reached a consensus on a shared vision, ensuring the solution’s purpose and values are clearly articulated in both language and visuals to attract interest and support for the future product.
- Prioritised Features: Core features were carefully prioritised based on their relevance, usability, and impact on both young users and administrators, ensuring a focused and effective approach.
- Product Roadmap: A comprehensive strategic roadmap equipped Yiliyapinya with a clear plan for future development and iterations, making it easier to secure funding and maintain momentum.
The solution is uniquely positioned to empower young people to understand and improve their brain health while fostering self-awareness, confidence, and readiness for future opportunities.
Reflections
"The Portable team were professional, friendly and engaged with us in a thought provoking and useful way. The end result was more clarified thinking and a solid plan for next steps. We absolutely recommend Portable!"
Dr Rebecca Goodhue - Lead, Translational Brain Health
“Working with the Yiliyapinya team we really see the potential for this tool and are excited to be part of the early stages in defining the direction.”
Allison Snow, Principal Product Manager
Team
- Allison Snow, Principal Product Manager
- Luke Thomas, Principal Product Strategist
- Cristiano Fantasia, Senior Experience Designer
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