Altered Lives: assessing the effectiveness of digital storytelling as a form of communication design

This article considers the effectiveness of digital storytelling as a form of communication design in addressing stigma and discrimination associated with being human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive. The Altered Lives digital storytelling project was a collaboration between a group of New Zealand women who live with HIV and a team of artists, including communication designers and an oral historian/writer. The final DVD was shown to a series of focus groups, consisting of young people aged 15-20 years who may or may not be sexually active; social service and health care professionals who work with people who need to be tested for HIV, aged from 25 to 73 years; and women aged between 22 and 38 years who have been affected by sexual violence, all of whom are currently being tested for HIV as part of their recovery/treatment. Findings suggest that collaboration of this nature has potential to raise and challenge the stigma attached to having an HIV diagnosis whereas at the same time acts as an educational tool across different segments of the community.