A Decoupled Progressive Web App to Break Barriers to Sexual Health Information

Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights is an amalgam of three of Canada’s leading sexual and reproductive health and rights organizations. As a progressive, pro-choice charity, Action Canada advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and globally, emphasizing the importance of accessible information for all.

The project's primary objective was to develop a PWA that facilitates uninterrupted access to current sexual health information, even for users with limited internet availability. The PWA needed to align with Action Canada's branding, support bilingual content, and allow for simultaneous content updates with the website, eliminating the need to duplicate content in two separate platforms.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) represent a hybrid between traditional web pages and mobile applications. They offer a cost-effective, flexible version of a native web app without the typical restrictions of major app stores. A headless PWA is essentially a website that looks and behaves like a mobile app. It can be installed on a device and offer enhanced features that the parent website may not have. 

As a charitable organization, Action Canada needed results for their audience quickly and in a way that can be easily managed by their in-house content team. 

For Evolving Web, a PWA also made sense as it’s an open source alternative to a native app —something we strongly believe in and champion to our clients whenever possible. The advantages of open source include lower starting costs, faster setup and iteration, better security and flexibility, and support from a global community (to name a few.)

It was clear that a PWA was the best solution for Action Canada. It allowed them to leverage what they already had through their website and minimize the scope and time of the project, delivering the end result to their audience faster.
 

We designed and created a Progressive Web App that makes sexual health education resources more available and accessible, by providing an app-like experience without needing to download an app. 

Our work included:

• Creating a stronger visual distinction between the Action Canada website and PWA, emphasizing a simplified UI, mobile-optimized images and fonts, and bringing in more brand colours and icons above the fold. 
• Prioritizing accessibility, by minimizing the use of heavy imagery to accommodate users with restricted data plans or poor internet access.
• Comprehensive instructions for users across various devices/platforms, guiding them through the process of installing Action Canada’s PWA to their device.
   

The end result is a lightweight, mobile-optimized PWA that combines the functionality of a native app with the accessibility of a web platform. It broadens the reach of sexual health resources across Canada, catering to a diverse audience and accessible to everyone regardless of their internet connectivity. Through this project, Evolving Web has reinforced Action Canada's commitment to sexual health education and inclusivity, demonstrating the potential of PWAs to improve access to information.