Making sure a double doesn't lead to trouble.
Lots of people drink. Some people drink too much. And some of those want to do something about it. It's a delicate subject. Excessive alcohol consumption does have an associated cancer risk. So Cancer Research UK asked us to approach it constructively by building a Gadget that helped people keep a track of their drinking. Our start point was the iGoogle platform. The personalised homepage has an excellent user base. And because the Gadget was intended to be used daily, it felt right for it.
The Gadget works by plotting drinking on an interactive chart. After a few inputs (how much alcohol, when and what type of drinks etc), the Gadget starts suggesting ways the drinker can avoid potential problems. These are delivered in the form of personalised health messages, tailored specifically to the drinker. At the same time, the Gadget links to relevant information and projects on the Cancer Research UK website.
Altogether, the Gadget is a clever, intuitive app that has enabled the charity to engage with a new audience in a whole new way. It won the 'Not for Profit' gong at the 2009 Revolution Awards. But please don’t drink to that.
