Try out one of the scenarios in the video by clicking on chapter 3 about choking.

Imagine that you’re walking down the street, minding your own business. Then, from the corner of your eye, you see a man lying on the ground. He’s unconscious. What do you do? You have to act fast.

This is just one of the scenarios that the Swedish Red Cross uses in their interactive web course “Save lives”. The web course launched in April 2019 and teaches First Aid by combining storytelling with gamification. Viewers find themselves in various stressful situations and by making the right choices they save a life and learn how to provide First Aid.

It’s been two years since the launch and it’s safe to say that the video is still performing well. In fact, over the last year we’ve seen an increase in the number of views.

Time to have a chat with the Digital Learning Specialist for the Swedish Red Cross, Johanna Casimiro, to talk about the success of the interactive video and what the future holds.

First thing first! What made the Red Cross decide to create an interactive video to teach people First Aid?

“The Red Cross works to ensure nobody is left alone in a disaster. Our First Aid courses are in very high demand, but it isn’t always possible to teach them live. So, we started thinking of new ways to offer our First Aid courses to a wider range of people.

We were looking for new teaching methods that catered to both this online course and also to traditional on-location courses. This called for an out of the box solution. Blue Billywig’s interactive studio met our exact needs.

We wanted to offer an easy way to continue training after completing a First Aid course to help sustain the knowledge and build confidence. I think the “Save lives” web course helped challenge the organization to think of education in different ways and sparked a curiosity in what we can do digitally.”

The gamification in the video enhances engagement and makes the viewer feel as if they are present in the emergency situation. What was the thought process behind adding these game-like elements?

“With gamification, we wanted to really put people into realistic scenarios. In the video, they feel the time pressure of giving the correct answer and of “losing a life” if they answer incorrectly. This all adds up to creating a stressful environment that feels close to a real-life situation. By watching and answering the questions, combined with the time pressure, the right answers really stick in people’s memory”

The interactive course has proven itself to be a success. It’s been nominated for several awards and two years later we still see a strong flow of views that has steadily increased in the past year in the midst of the Covid pandemic. Can you tell us a bit more about the results so far?

“Since the video launched in April 2019 it got more than 350.000 views and during the Covid pandemic we’ve actually seen a huge increase in the number of views per month. Several high schools and nursing schools use it as part of their curriculum and municipalities and companies use it to educate their employees.

One of the most significant results is that the video is seen by people that normally wouldn’t have attended our traditional programs. So, it allowed us to reach new audiences.”

Did the interactive web course change anything for your offline courses?

“We noticed that people want to practice their skills further after completing the “Save lives” web course, so we started offering the opportunity to practice with an instructor. This really shows how the interactive video works together with the different courses and brings online and offline together.”

The video has been nominated for multiple awards, like the Swedish Content Awards and the Content Marketing Awards. Your most recent nomination was for the Swedish Learning Awards. What did the jury report say?

“We’re very proud of the nomination and of all the recognition the campaign has received. The jury report for the Swedish Learning Awards stated that the web course helps with providing First Aid by increasing knowledge and giving people a sense of security in the event of an accident.”

“Save lives” is doing really well and now you’re working on a new interactive course. Can you give us a small sneak peek?

“We’re currently working on a new interactive web course called “Våga möta” (Dare to meet). As a participant, you will encounter different reactions of people in a crisis. The purpose of the course is to help people to gain the courage to face those reactions.

In this specific case, an apartment building has burned down. The participant gets to meet, talk and support people in various emotional states. By choosing different options, you’ll explore different ways of dealing with those reactions. This is an extension of one of our mandatory courses in Psychological First Aid, and it will help prolong the learning and give the opportunity to practice on your own time. As in the case of “Save lives”, the most important thing is to act.”

Want to watch the full interactive web course and learn more about “Save lives”? You can read the client case here.