Yona, a Project to Redesign the Pelvic Exam by frog, Named 2018 Webby Award Nominee in the Health Category

The passion project of four female frog designers to create a more human healthcare experience for people with vaginas honored by 22nd Annual Webby Awards.

SAN FRANCISCO—Yona, a project to redesign the pelvic exam experience for people with vaginas, created by designers at global design and strategy firm frog, was recognized by the 22nd Annual Webby Award as a nominee in the health category. Out of 13,000 entries this year, only five were selected as nominees for this category. Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, the Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet. Yona was also named an Honoree in the Best Visual Design Aesthetic category for the 2018 Webby Awards.

Yona applies frog’s human-centered design approach to pelvic exams, aiming to open the conversation surrounding vaginal health exams by eliminating taboo and empowering the patient to be an informed participant in their own health journey. The goal: to understand how the exam experience can be improved through industrial and interaction design for both patient and provider.

“We have been both blown away and humbled by the outpouring of positive feedback Yona has received since we launched the project in October 2017.” said Hailey Stewart, Industrial Designer at frog, who developed Yona alongside frog Visual Designer Rachel Hobart, frog Mechanical Engineer Fran Wang, and frog alum Sahana Kumar. “Our goal was to start a conversation and highlight that it is possible to balance human needs with clinical needs in the pelvic exam setting. Being recognized by the Webby Awards has brought more attention to this important cause, an important step as we seek partners to bring a Yona experience to life.”

“Nominees like Yona are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the over 13,000 entries we received this year.”