Super Abbu: Voice-based Health Platform for Expectant Fathers
Published:
Overview
Super Abbu (“Super Dad” in Urdu) is a speech-based platform that allows low-literate, low-income men to communicate with doctors and exchange experiences around Maternal and Child Health (MNCH). The platform was designed to engage fathers in improving health outcomes for mothers and children.
Impact
- 20,000+ expectant fathers used the platform in the first 71 days after launch
- Platform enabled discussion of deeply taboo topics (abortion, sexual dysfunction, pleasure) that men would never ask in person
- Spatial distance and anonymity proved critical for vulnerable disclosure
Research Findings
Our CHI 2020 Best Paper Honorable Mention compared seven recruitment strategies for Super Abbu:
- Facebook ads reached over 100,000 users but acquired retained users at $137 each
- Ads on Polly (a speech-based entertainment platform) acquired retained users at $0.61 each - a 225x improvement
This demonstrated that speech-based platforms can dramatically outperform text-based social media for reaching low-literate populations.
Funding
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2021-2023): $272,138 for Pashto-language expansion
- NIH (2018-2020): $250,000 for randomized control trial
- UNICEF Innovation Fund (2016-2017): $100,000 for initial design and deployment
Publications
- Naseem, M., Saleem, B., St-Onge Ahmad, S., Chen, J., & Raza, A. A. (2020). An Empirical Comparison of Technologically Mediated Advertising in Under-Connected Populations. CHI 2020 [Best Paper Honorable Mention]