Sequoia research selected for presentation at the World Meeting on Sexual Medicine

There’s still very little research on sexual health. Most existing studies are based on a small number of participants. That’s why Sequoia is so valuable for research - it allows us to study men’s sexual health quickly, anonymously, and at scale.

How a product insight turned into research

Not long ago, I wrote about how we managed to increase the number of new users reaching Sequoia’s main screen by more than 2,5 times. We achieved this with what seemed like a small and unexpected change - the tone of communication.

At first, it looked like a purely product and business win. But then we asked ourselves: What if this effect matters not only for growth, but also for medicine?

That’s how we formed the hypothesis that the way we talk to men may directly affect their engagement and willingness to take action when facing sexual health issues.

To test this, we converted the case into a research study and submitted it to the 27th World Meeting on Sexual Medicine (WMSM), which will take place from February 25 to 28 in Porto, Portugal.

This is especially meaningful for us because we already took part in this event in 2023. Back then, Olga presented our very first study on how Sequoia affects men’s sexual health. It was our first-ever medical conference experience.

What the study is about

The study is titled: “The Impact of Communication Tone on Men’s Engagement in Sexual Health Management.”

In simple terms, we looked at how men with sexual dysfunction behave depending on how the app communicates with them.

We used the same onboarding flow and tested two versions:

• old one with strict, clinical, medical language
• new one with a caring, supportive tone

Then we compared user drop-off at each screen during the same time period.

What we found

The results showed that men dealing with sexual dysfunction are often in a very vulnerable state. And something as simple as tone of voice can play a key role in whether they’re willing to take steps to improve their health.

The submission was under review for almost four months. Last week, we received confirmation that the study was selected for an oral presentation in the Sexology section. We were incredibly happy.

Why this matters

The language a doctor or a health product uses when talking to men really matters. It directly affects trust, adherence to recommendations, and whether someone seeks help again in the future.

It means a lot to us that our participation in 2023 wasn’t a one-time thing and that we’re returning to the WMSM once again. It’s an honor to share our work with the global sexology community and make a small but meaningful contribution to science - and to breaking the stigma around men’s health.

If you’re planning to attend the meeting too, drop us a line.
We’d love to meet. See you in Porto!