Evaluate impact of digital erotic cultural content on sexual health-related user behaviors

Problem: Lack of culturally-relevant, innovative, and sex-positive sexual health interventions for Black women.

Role: I conducted end-to-end mixed-methods research to understand the intersection of digital erotic culture and sexual health-related user behavior among Black women.

Process: I recruited participants using convenience/snowball sampling to study digital content impact on Black female users. I developed all study materials, including an interview guide and a custom metric framework to evaluate the impact of digital content on user behaviors, informing strategic recommendations for a positive user experience. I conducted 36 1:1 interviews and collected 337 surveys from Black female participants. I analyzed mixed-methods data using thematic analysis (Atlas.ti) and statistical analysis (R). Due to the nature of the research, I prioritized user trust and privacy through guaranteed anonymity and pseudonymization.

Impact: My work uncovered how digital erotic content by Black women shapes and positively impacts the pleasure-based sexual health behaviors of Black female users (i.e., masturbation and assertive communication with sexual partners). I translated complex findings for academic and public audiences, including publications, presentations, and a public-facing digital storytelling project to effectively communicate key user insights to diverse stakeholders.

Learnings: My research identified the impact of digital erotic cultural content on the pleasure-related sexual health behaviors among Black female users. These insights inform the improvement of future design initiatives for STI prevention, family planning, and other sexual wellness tools.