AHA- Nog and the digital F.A.S.T. Experience

Project background and objective

The American Heart Association (AHA) has a program called FAST that helps people remember common stroke symptoms to help them know when it’s time to call 911 for help. When experiencing any medical emergency, time is critical- and it’s no different when you think someone is having a stroke. To reinforce this, they associated the most common stroke symptoms to each letter of the acronym: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech Difficulty, Time to Call 911.

AHA partnered with Precocity to design and develop the F.A.S.T. Experience- an engaging digital environment playing on the FAST acronym that would then be integrated into the AHA website. Our primary objective was to develop activities that users perform or play on a smartphone or desktop computer, reinforcing and reminding them of stroke symptoms. 

Nog

We began with an ideation workshop to create impactful experiences tailored to stroke survivors. This collaborative session brought together stroke survivors, subject matter experts, and AHA personnel to brainstorm activities.

To ensure these activities were engaging and cohesive, we designed them around Nog, an animated brain character we developed. Nog adds an element of fun, unifying the user experience in a supportive and enjoyable environment.

Within each activity, users guide Nog through interactive challenges designed to reinforce recognition and recall of crucial stroke warning signs. CUB Studios provided the captivating animation assets, while PlayCanvas powered Nog’s movements. The underlying technology driving the user interface combines HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for a seamless and engaging experience. This technology stack enabled the game to function seamlessly on mobile iOS devices, overcoming the webGL compatibility limitations that often hinder interactive elements. And to bring it all together, Charlie Pratt our talented Creative Director, composed an original score for the entire digital experience and Brandon Ward, our very own Chief Experience Officer provided all of the in-game SFX. 

The result

The initial F.A.S.T. Experience was designed and developed in about 8 months, and has been one of the more unique and rewarding projects we’ve had the pleasure of working on. It’s also been a significant factor in AHA’s marketing campaigns of FAST.

Due to the success of the first iteration, AHA once again engaged Precocity to bring the F.A.S.T. Experience to a Spanish-speaking audience as part of their R.A.P.I.D.O Experience. To account for the two additional letters in this new acronym, we developed two new games featuring Nog- a balance game and a vision impairment game. 

To see Nog in action for yourself, visit  https://www.stroke.org/en/fast-experience for the F.A.S.T. Experience or https://www.stroke.org/en/fast-experience-es for the R.A.P.I.D.O Experience.