GIRL EFFECT ENTERPRISE INDIA PVT LTD (GEEI)
Terms of Reference for a Chatbot UX Designer
December 2021
WHO WE ARE
Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows, TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives.
We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.
Our reach is 20 million and counting. And we’re using technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning and her livelihood.
Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, her community, her country.
That’s the Girl Effect.
GIRL EFFECT IN INDIA
Working with girls in India, Girl Effect UK (a UK based charity) has created Chhaa Jaa (Go Forth and Shine) – a powerful youth brand that girls can access via social media. Chhaa Jaa focuses on inspiring, entertaining and empowering girls with the right skills and confidence to navigate adolescence – from accessing information about sexual and reproductive health to preparing them to enter the workforce.
Launched in June 2019, Chhaa Jaa is designed for girls aged 16-22, and accessible online and via mobile – because we know that’s the best way to reach and interact with girls. Our ecosystem of products include -
● Digital media content that girls can access on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, is both entertaining and informative. Characters and storylines have been developed with girls, and are designed to reflect their lives and the challenges they might face;
● An online, moderated peer-to-peer community Bak Bak Gang which acts as a safe space for girls 16 and above years of age, to discuss sexual and reproductive health concerns, interact closely with Chhaa Jaa’s content, explore the themes and topics that have been taboo, discuss their SRH journeys and apply what they’ve learnt to their own lives;
● A chatbot Bol Behen that offers a private way for girls to ask questions about the themes and topics raised by Chhaa Jaa content and safely get information.
The ecosystem has been designed for demand generation - encouraging girls to access relevant services (for example, health services include clinics, telemedicine, pharmacies, etc), and when they are ready, linking them to youth-friendly services. Through signposting, targeted campaigns, partnerships and a service directory - we have connected over 100,000 users to information about youth-friendly services to date.
BACKGROUND
Built on Rapidpro, Bol Behen is currently an automated, menu-based chatbot that lives on Facebook Messenger. It has been adapted from another chatbot product that Girl Effect has developed in South Africa, Big Sis.
Over the last two years, we have successfully piloted and launched Bol Behen through Chhaa Jaa. To date, over 99,000 users have initiated conversations with Bol Behen, and over 1.6 million messages have been received. We have also conducted impact evaluations which demonstrate that Bol Behen can successfully shift girls’ knowledge and attitudes on health-related issues (specifically tested around sexual and reproductive health, and COVID-19 vaccine confidence).
Now that the product has been tested and proved, we are in the process of building a roadmap for the next 1-2 years to evolve the product and make it much more relevant and meaningful for girls. A key priority that has been identified through this exercise is to link girls to health services (like clinics, pharmacies etc) more directly via Bol Behen.
OBJECTIVE
To build out the capabilities to link girls to services via Bol Behen, we require a short term 6-month consultancy, providing service design and conversational design expertise. We are also looking for this consultant to provide support in improving the current chatbot experience and other aspects of the chatbot product roadmap (as relevant).**
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
You Have
Experience
● 8+ years of professional experience in a design consultancy or equivalent position leading multidisciplinary teams
● Experience building conversational interfaces such as chatbots, ideally with the teenage/youth population
Skills
● Fluency in the human-centred design process from qualitative research and synthesis to ideation, prototyping, and implementation.
● Service Design, UX, UI
● Conversational Design
● Keynote Presentation
Mindset
● Solution-focused and medium-agnostic, willing to step out of your core skill set or discipline to find the correct solution to a challenge.
● Cultural sensitivity, creativity, and resourcefulness—comfortable finding your way through.
Highly Desirable
● Understanding of digital consumption behaviours and patterns of adolescent girls and young women in India - specifically in the Hindi belt
● Basic Understanding/development of Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning.
● Cross-cultural design experience and/or working in design for ICT4D.
● Experience collaborating with in-house and third-party developers in agile sprints, stewarding the transfer of design to development.
KEY DELIVERABLES
● Conduct an audit of the current chatbot experience and identify gaps/issues that need to be fixed
● Lead a design sprint / other user-centred design processes to understand key requirements of adolescent girls and young women when it comes to identifying and accessing relevant health services - and how the chatbot can address these
● Design conversational flows and pathways within the chatbot towards service linkage - this could include, but is not limited to building intention to access services, sharing options of different services and helping her choose the right service, integrating with service provider APIs to set up appointments, reminders and feedback loops post the access moment
● Conduct user testing of the conversational flows and analyze data to improve the user experience
INTENDED TIMEFRAME
● Terms of reference published: Friday 17th December
● Deadline for responses: Friday 7th January
● Supplier selection, contracting and briefing: By Friday 28th January
● Project commencement: 1st February**
EXPECTED COMMITMENT
Based on our estimate this commitment will cover a maximum of 40 days.
We anticipate the consultancy to require up to 1 day a week of work Feb-Apr 2021 and up to 2 days a week May-Jul 2021.
REPORTING
This consultant will be managed by Girl Effect’s Content Lead in India, supported by the wider Create team.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS
Interested suppliers are asked to submit a brief proposal (no more than 5 pages), setting out:
● Relevant qualifications and experience towards this consultancy
● Your approach towards conversational design, and this specific project, if chosen
● A detailed fee structure breakdown
Cost estimates (Management/Advisory fees). Technical and Financial proposals will need to be submitted as separate documents. Financial bids will not be opened until the technical evaluation and then only for those proposals deemed qualified and responsive.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below:**
Technical Evaluation
● Qualification of the consultant - 20%
● Projects handled – 20%
● Demonstrated experience working with chatbots in India - 10%
● Demonstrated experience working with young people in India - 10%
● Client testimonials (At least 3 references) – 10%
Financial Evaluation
● Value for money/proposed budget breakdown - 30%
GEEI is not liable for any cost incurred during the award/contract preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GEEI.
PAYMENT TERMS
● Monthly fixed fees, Invoice after each deliverable and time and expense as per the above details.
● The professional fee quoted by the consultant shall be valid for the entire contract period.
● Statutory Taxes will be paid at the prescribed rate during the contract period.
● TDS will be deducted as per prevailing rates prescribed in the Income Tax Act from all payments made by GEEI.
DISCLAIMER
GE India reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GEEI shall inform ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Girl Effect Services is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.
We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of, and works extensively with, the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.
How to apply:
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit proposals, as described above, to suppliers@girleffect.org by 7th January 2021, 5:00 pm IST latest. Please clearly mark your email with the subject ‘**Chatbot UX Designer TOR submission.**’