 |
| |
Here you can explore personal interviews with women who have survived breast cancer, or access medical information about breast cancer.
We are working on a new and improved Breast Cancer Lighthouse web site that will be available during early Spring 1999.
Our Breast Cancer Lighthouse lets newly diagnosed women explore medical information and survivors' personal stories about breast cancer and treatment options - a virtual support group. This software will shape how medical communication will be provided to health care consumers in the future. The software can be used at home or in a clinic, where the woman (alone or with her family) can spend as much time as she wants going through the information.
Unlike a health care provider, the computer will repeat itself as many times and go into as much detail as desired. Also, unlike a health care provider, our software lets women explore in depth the experiences of other women who faced the same diagnosis. Both choices lead the user out to a particular part of the island where the women or the medical information can be found.
Our Breast Cancer Lighthouse software is different from a pamphlet in many ways. The overall interface design was developed to carry a strong feminine, calming and friendly tone. We use the metaphor of a lighthouse on an island (a beacon to guide you...). The interior of the island has a garden path, with wooden signs offering different menu options for diagnosis, treatment and recovery information. A competent and friendly nurse presents information. Music and environmental sound effects accompany the audio content and interface sound effects. The user can also choose to go for a "walk on the beach" to hear women who have survived breast cancer talk about their personal stories. Oceans are both calming and somber - the mood here is pensive but strong.
Our Breast Cancer Lighthouse is also different from a TV documentary. A two to three hour documentary could be created which contains the exact same content - the same audio and images as does our CD-ROM. But it would not be made. Documentaries present content in a single, linear order. When people are quoted, it is typically a 10 to 30 second sound byte making exactly the point the producers are seeking. With our interactive CD-ROM, we include 20 to 30 minutes of audio quotes. The user chooses and listens to the stories of most interest to her.
By separating personal stories from medical facts in the opening menu choice, we were able to skirt liability issues which might arise if personal experiences were construed as medical advise - but still include the experiences, both good and bad, of the real women.
The Breast Cancer Lighthouse CD-ROM and World Wide Website also makes a contribution to CD-ROM development through its visual artistry and emotional tone. By giving women time to explore their options in a self-paced, self-directed format where they can take as long as they want and repeat as often as they want, we hope to enhance the likelihood of reaching them at this highly emotional moment. The software is designed to be personal and intimate, with heavy reliance on photography, artwork and personal stories.
This World Wide Web version of the Breast Cancer Lighthouse is both similar and different than the CD-ROM version. Clearly there are design tradeoffs with major impacts on the experience of using the software. The advantage of WWWeb is its instant international reach, although the WWWeb does not allow users to hear women talk about their personal stories and is lacking the rich interactivity possible on CD-ROM.
The Breast Cancer Lighthouse CD-ROM runs on Macintosh, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95/NT and requires 16 MB of RAM.
$29.95
plus shipping and handling
To order the online
Choose the desired platform:
Macintosh Windows 
To order by phone call
517.353.9229
For more information on the CD-ROM, check out the CD-ROM information page.
The Breast Cancer Lighthouse CD-ROM is partially funded by grants from the American Cancer Society and Michigan State University Cancer Center. Principal Investigators are Darcy Drew Greene, Michigan State University School of Journalism, and Dr. Carrie Heeter, Director of the Communication Technology Laboratory at Michigan State University.
The WWWeb version is funded by the MSU Cancer Center and Office of Computing and Technology.
Very Special Thanks to the professionals who lended support:
up to Contents of this Page