Human-Centered Design for Engagement: Maturing from Newsletterville to Personalized, One-to-One Messaging
Summary
How do you design engaging communications experiences when the audience you serve faces obstacles to connect? The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) strives to provide Veterans with tangible resources and information to help with mental health and seeking treatment. Historically, there’s been a significant portion of the Veteran population NCPTSD has not been able to reach and they needed to better understand their audience’s pain points and how to connect effectively. Over the past two years, we’ve taken a human-centered approach to empathize with and understand the Veteran experience to better reach and communicate with them.
Key Insights
-
•
Up to 30% of Vietnam veterans experience PTSD in their lifetime, vastly higher than the 6% average among civilians.
-
•
Nearly three-quarters of those exposed to violent trauma report alcohol use disorders, linking PTSD with substance abuse and suicide risk.
-
•
Less than half of veterans who died by suicide had contact with VA healthcare in the two years prior, highlighting access and trust issues.
-
•
Military culture often stigmatizes admitting mental health challenges, making veterans hesitant to seek help.
-
•
Aligning clearly articulated goals with measurable success criteria is essential before designing outreach communications.
-
•
Superficial audience segmentation is insufficient; deep personas revealing demographic and emotional diversity improve outreach precision.
-
•
Mapping audience journeys with key touchpoints enables targeted messaging that addresses veterans' real concerns and obstacles.
-
•
Effective campaigns rely on combining core messaging themes with the appropriate communication vehicles—emails, SMS, social media—tailored to audience preferences.
-
•
Digitizing initiatives like the PTSD Pledge Form can dramatically increase participation and awareness.
-
•
The PTSD Coaching app campaign saw a 65% initial download increase, evidencing that direct digital engagement can empower veterans to manage symptoms.
Notable Quotes
"At any given year, 10 to 20% of veterans will suffer from PTSD, compared to only 6% of civilians."
"Nearly three quarters of those surviving violent trauma report alcohol use disorders, which can lead to thoughts of suicide."
"Military training focuses on strength and protecting others, not admitting vulnerabilities or asking for help."
"Knowing generally where you’re going is not the same as having clearly articulated goals, objectives, and measurements for success."
"Without alignment on goals, communication efforts get scattered, resulting in ineffective outreach."
"We created personas that address who the veteran is, what their goals are, their pain points, and their experiences with the VA."
"We break down overarching messages into pillar messages and key proof points to create digestible, empathetic communication."
"Between February and March 2020, promoting the PTSD Coaching app led to a 65% increase in downloads."
"The Step Up for PTSD Virtual Walk exceeded its goal of 2,700 participants, with more than 30,000 app downloads for the event."
"This veteran-centric approach gives us a foundation to grow outreach and better serve veterans struggling with PTSD over time."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Our goal is to be AI fluent, not necessarily AI experts."
Alnie FigueroaThe Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft
September 10, 2025
"There isn’t a time I can remember where there wasn’t a computer talking to me."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
March 11, 2022
"Standard design research looks for pain points, not harms, and harms often cannot be identified in typical user research."
Alexandra SchmidtWhy Ethics Can't Save Tech
November 18, 2022
"We need to stop centering ourselves in research and start fighting to pay participants, ensure representation, and use real data."
Jemma Ahmed Megan Blocker Eduardo OrtizRedefining the research toolkit: Expanding methodologies for a changing world
March 12, 2025
"What would Universal Design mean for communications, like a podcast that serves visually impaired listeners too?"
Ariel KennanCivic Design in 2022
January 13, 2022
"If we don’t find our courage and take on the fight, our field dies."
Jemma AhmedResearch at an inflection point: Adapting to a new era of collaboration, equity, and innovation
March 11, 2025
"Research and insights are only part of the information schema we’re talking about. There’s a vastness of complexity in design information we need at our fingertips."
Ellie Krysl Jon FukudaPlanned Right. Managed Right. Designed Right.
June 6, 2023
"No-And is like no idea sucks and my idea is better. It’s very easy to spot these things."
Cheryl PlatzCollaborative Creativity through Improv
November 7, 2018
"Failing early is critical because you can’t control the model."
Katie JohnsonDisrupting generative AI products with just-in-time consumer insights
June 4, 2024
