The Pacific Cyber Security Operational Network (PaCSON) is a group of cyber security and technical experts from eligible governments across the Pacific, working to improve capabilities and readiness in the region, supported by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

The ACSC engaged BEING to develop the PaCSON Cyber Upskill Program (CUP), a comprehensive suite of digital and print learning products that PaCSON members can use to educate their communities and strengthen cyber security awareness and resilience.

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With most existing cyber security educational programs largely catering to a Western audience, there was an opportunity and a need to tailor something unique for the Pacific, representing local stories, faces and voices, to connect with Pasifika peoples of all ages, cultures and levels of digital literacy.

How do you convey the importance of privacy practices and create behaviour change within cultures whose strength is openness and sharing?

Strategy and Consulting

To gain a deep understanding of the context and need for the program, we began with extensive research, co-design workshops and meetings with key ACSC personnel and PaCSON Executive Committee members, as well as Working with Pasifika Peoples training by MANAWISE Group

While the cultures of Pasifika peoples are diverse and varied, we identified several key commonalities that would shape our approach: a spiritual connection to land and the ocean; a strong sense of openness, collectivism and community as family; and a high context, oratory tradition of sharing information.

It was also clear that the CUP’s target audiences covered a wide range of experiences, base knowledge, levels of digital literacy and technical skills, and access to digital resources. To reach three broad audiences — community, business and government — we would develop 15 different print and digital learning products, including high-level standalone videos, in-person courses, printed materials and seven interactive e-learning modules, plus training content and lesson plans to guide PaCSON members on program delivery.

Branding

To establish a connection with learners that would ultimately lead to better educational outcomes, the CUP needed a visual language and brand identity to resonate with the diverse communities across the Pacific. Design needed to fit within the existing PaCSON brand, while establishing a distinct, recognisable identity for the program.

Developed in consultation with PaCSON members, design is inspired by the intricate geometric pattern work of Pasifika peoples. It features a combination of recognisable motifs derived from the land, sea, sky and cyber space, with an oceanic colour palette of different blues, greens and greys.

Circular base patterns, symbolic and technological icons, and a minimalist illustration style form a versatile visual language that is flexible across a variety of mediums and can be layered or paired back to suit different audiences.

Together, brand elements allow us to present complex concepts and ideas in a familiar, engaging and accessible way for learners with limited existing cyber security knowledge.

Video and Photography

Following an extensive pre-production process to gain the necessary permits and coordinate travel and filming schedules, members of our visual media team travelled to the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga and Kiribati.

In each country, we interviewed cyber security experts, government employees, small business owners and local community members, capturing authentic, candid and vibrant imagery of people and places to contextualise learning content. Representing countries and cultures from across the region, footage shows internet-connected devices as part of daily life, highlighting how the internet connects us and the relevance of cyber security to everyone.

Footage pairs seamlessly with dynamic and engaging animated graphics in the first four learning products of the CUP — a series of standalone videos that introduce common cyber security threats, how they can affect learners and what people can do to protect themselves, with each video tailored to the experiences of its target audience.

With background colours shifting from light to dark, animations feel as though a viewer is moving through water, using illustrations of familiar sea creatures and ocean scenes to represent and convey key ideas. A bubble motif is used to house iconography, often as a pop of animation over live footage.

E-learning

Drawing on education principles of how adults learn, e-learning modules highlight relevance to learners, present information in a way that fits with their experiences and values, and allow them to put their learning into practice in solving real world problems.

Heavily informed by insights gained through filming, six e-learning modules are tailored to the security needs of business and government employees in different industries and roles.

For example, those who don’t work in an office are likely to have less time for training and might not realise that cyber security is something they need to prioritise. In shorter, more concise modules for these workers, users see and hear relevant examples of how a cyber attack could impact them, learn to identify moments in their day where they use internet-connected devices, and gain quick practical tips for staying cyber secure.

Business owners and government leadership learn about managing cyber security in the workplace, with an additional focus on positively influencing employee behaviour.

A final e-learning module, aimed at everyone, focuses solely on scams — an issue identified through in-country interviews and conversations as one of the biggest issues facing Pacific communities.

To promote effective learning, content in all modules is varied, and balances written information, video, animation, educational activities and downloadable resources. Contextual information, relatable stories and motivational messages are mostly shown through live action video content, integrated with animated elements for emphasis. Technical information and key practical advice learners need to adopt is effectively explained through animation in the established CUP style, with text on screen to reinforce understanding.

After each core lesson within a module, learners have the opportunity to test their knowledge or reflect on what they have learned and how it relates to their own experiences, through quizzes, or interactivities where they need to identify threats or scams.

Best-practice digital design of the custom-built e-learning modules prioritises user experience and accessibility for mobile devices, including comprehensive voice over tracks by male and female Pasifika talent.

In-person Learning

To support PaCSON members in educating and upskilling everyone in their communities, we needed content for those with limited internet bandwidth or access to devices. A range of downloadable and printed resources and in-person courses includes a slide presentation, brochures and posters for use in community groups of various sizes and circumstances, all featuring simple, plain English, practical advice and familiar visuals.

For use in schools, a student workbook utilises comic-style illustrations and relatable stories to connect with a younger audience. Through the lives of a multi-generational Pasifika family and a series of games and activities, students learn how cyber security is relevant to them and how they can protect themselves and their families. Topics also include cyberbullying and socialising safely and respectfully online. Content is aimed at middle grades and activities are modifiable to suit younger or older students.

Designed in consultation with PaCSON members, characters aim to appear familiar to audiences across the Pacific. Comic strips are hand drawn, complementing the main CUP brand in a youthful way while incorporating brand iconography into the characters’ clothing and settings. All youth content adheres to the CUP branding, with the addition of playful comic-style typography and hand-drawn elements.

A card game helps to reinforce and test students’ learning, developed through extensive testing and prototyping. The deck of Threat and Defence cards can be used for several modes of game play, making it suitable for a range of group sizes and students of all ages, including adults.

‘Train the trainer’-style user guides, lesson plans and game instructions guide PaCSON members in delivering courses and resources to different audiences, including how to best facilitate in-person learning.

Program Launch

Copy and design of the CUP website (not built by The Being Group) prioritises user experience and accessibility for learners who don’t know anything about the program, and for PaCSON members to be able to share the content easily and effectively.

After introducing the CUP as a work-in-progress and gaining valuable feedback from members at the PaCSON Annual General Meeting in Vanuatu, we presented the final product in a virtual meeting, stepping through the website and how they can best use it to upskill their communities.