Abstract
This essay reviews an arts-based project based in Buffalo, New York, seeking to educate patients with kidney failure and their social network about the transplantation process. Through a multi-phase arts-based research project, informed by a community-based steering committee and key stakeholders, 33 educational animated videos were developed and tested for efficacy in samples of diverse patients at a regional transplant center. Animation was chosen for its potential to better explain health concepts more sensibly to patients and support knowledge dissemination to their social network, who may donate a kidney or support a recipient or donor. The videos are 2D, short in duration, and designed for easy viewing on small devices using characters, scenes, narration, and movement. Aesthetic choices reinforce learning: characters have confident posture, memorable features (e.g. hair style, clothing color) with minimal detail, and model diverse races, ethnicities, gender, and body types. Scenes feature light backgrounds, illuminate main images, and are as large as possible for small screens. Narration is slow, calm, and uses strategic pauses to introduce concepts. Movement is selective to reinforce the message (signaling). The animation was guided by self-efficacy theory and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Findings to date indicate promising results with respect to patient knowledge and the feasibility of using animation to address disparities in kidney transplantation. Figures illustrate the evolution of the project and provide examples of the art used to capture a given aspect of the transplantation process.