Leaving behind
nothing but smiles.
Overview
Sailing Smiles is an innovative, non-profit initiative designed to address the urgent need for dental care in the remote island communities of the Caribbean and South Pacific Islands. This project provides a sustainable solution for mobile dental care in this region through a scalable voyage plan prioritizing high-need islands, ensuring strategic expansion and efficient patient outreach.
It envisions a fleet of environmentally-friendly catamarans delivering regular and reliable dental care to island populations.
To bring this vision to life, a team of SCAD graduate students collaborated closely with the Founder of Sailing Smiles - Dr. Sidney Sweeney - to develop the maiden voyage through a series of Co-Creation workshops.
Role
Design Researcher & Strategist | Visual Designer | Facilitator
Duration
10 Weeks (2024)
Team
15 SCAD Students | 1 Mentor
Delivering dental care among Caribbean communities.
Skillsets used
Co-Creation Workshop Facilitation
Qualitative Research
Industry and Market Research
Quantitative Research
User Research
Design Research
Visual Storytelling
Visual Design
UX Research
Data Visualization
Brand Diagnostics Workshop
Interviews and Surveys
Business Strategy
Business Model Canvas
and More...
Understanding the problem
Multiple factors such as socio-economic backgrounds, geo-politics, behavioral patterns and psychology, as well as dietary preferences, etc, contribute to the causes of major oral problems in these underserved and isolated communities.
And through research, we found that on average, only 20-30% of the population can access routine dental procedures without significant financial strain. We also discovered that:
Geographic isolation, sparse infrastructure, and severe workforce shortages leave 75% of the children and nearly all adults without regular dental care and service.
Poor oral hygiene knowledge, harmful habits, and reliance on traditional remedies contribute to high rates of decay, disease, and neglect across generations.
Limited funding, environmental obligations, and the operational maintenance across island chains makes it tough for dental professionals to provide necessary care.
Our approach
Our strategic approach for this project began with in-depth research and client briefings, followed by a brand diagnostic workshop to define the vision. Insights were synthesized through SME interviews, informing a co-creation workshop that shaped the service strategy. The outcome was a comprehensive conceptualization of the brand and operations, culminating in a roadmap and recommendations to launch a floating dental clinic, bringing critical care to remote communities.
Areas of opportunity
After conducting the workshops and synthesizing the collected data, we discovered enhanced brand clarity, a set of actionable strategic initiative ideas, a competitive advantage through clear differentiation, and effective stakeholder management.
For the scope of this project, we mapped out the potential areas of opportunity that would be essential in piloting the business model of Sailing Smiles and focused on three core business segments.
Patients and Care Providers
Strengthening patient-provider relationships, enhancing service delivery, and empowering care providers with innovative training methods.
Logistics and Operations
Streamlining the Catamaran clinic's logistics, including equipment transport, route planning, and itinerary design, to ensure smooth and effective dental care.
Fundraising and Marketing
Crafting strategies for sustainable funding, raising awareness, and building a strong brand by engaging donors and forming strategic partnerships.
Creating a business strategy
The data gathered during the workshops was translated into insights that helped craft a clear strategic roadmap and recommendations for Sailing Smiles' maiden voyage.
This included a comprehensive checklist of best practices and processes to be done, completed, and addressed during the travel while serving the island communities. A robust foundation document was designed by me that covers the legal, financial, operational, and philanthropic principles with visual frameworks.
Foundation Setup
Legal registration, compliance checklists, 501(c)(3) application, maritime permits.
Team Building
Defined roles, training modules, certification journeys, and journey maps for the SS team.
Dental Services
Prioritized treatments, SOPs, referral plans, and waste protocols for the maiden voyage.
Catamaram Outfitting
Equipment list, layout design, outfitting checklists, procurement plans, etc.
Volunteer Wellness
Dentist and team vacation ideas, work-life balance prototypes, and local activity ideas.
Voyage Planning
Route simulations, docking checklists, and island service criteria, etc.
Community Engagement
Education kits for island communities, outreach strategy, and local translator plans.
Financial Strategy
Budget tracking, fundraising ideas, financial dashboard, grant planning.
Curious to know the details?
Are you interested in knowing more about the above deliverables and get into the details? Below are snippets of our strategies and a link to the compilation of this 10-week business case study.
The process book
A detailed compilation of the Sailing Smiles project including the workshop series and final outcomes.
My role: Visual Designer
©2025 by Tanvi Lakdawala. All rights reserved.