The Challenge

‍‍Traditional methods of contact tracing have been critical to containing the spread of viral infections since the early 20th century. The COVID-19 virus spread faster than it could be traced, rendering manual methods ineffective. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) formed a non-profit called PathCheck Foundation to build a digital contact tracing app in response to the global pandemic. I joined the project as the design lead for the open-source software.

At the time of this project, we had a lot of questions — How does COVID-19 actually spread? When will we develop a vaccine? Will we ever go back to the way life was before?

We were not the people to answer all of these questions, but we did have ideas for how we could help.

Google and Apple’s Exposure Notification (GAEN) protocol was released in April of 2020 amidst the global COVID-19 health crisis. This was the first time Google and Apple had ever partnered on a cross-platform solution and the effort was on the cutting edge of how technology can make a social-impact. The technology made it possible for communities to track the spread of COVID-19 and warn citizens if they had been exposed.

The Solution

Step 1: Mapping the Exposure Journey

I began by partnering with the product manager and researcher to unpack our understanding of contact tracing and how it relates to community members.

Specifically, we sought to understand the physical and emotional journey of a person who has been exposed to COVID-19.

This exercise led us to defining the phases of a person's journey from healthy to sick. We realized that our users could be anyone, but depending on where they are in the exposure journey they might need different things. We defined our users by health status and started mapping their core Jobs to Be Done (JTBD).

Step 2: Defining Jobs to be Done

Defining the primary needs of a healthy, exposed, and sick person helped us identify pain points and start drafting "how might we" notes. This served as the insight that helped inform design direction.

Step 3: Research

We kicked off the design phase with market research into our competitors. We also looked at apps that indirectly related to the user experience we wanted to build — such as habit and period tracking apps.

Step 4: Design

Heading into Figma, we were now armed with insight into the user journey, inspiration across industries, and primary Jobs to Be Done that helped us prioritize the user flows.

Onboarding

The app would only be useful in communities where the majority of individuals turned exposure notifications on, so clear onboarding and storytelling around privacy were critical to driving adoption.

Reporting a Positive Test

The success of digital contact tracing relies on citizens anonymously reporting positive test results. Privacy is equally important here as someone who potentially exposed other people may be going through a range of emotions. They may also not be feeling well, depending on how early they are in their symptom onset or if they are reporting symptoms at all.

Enabling Exposure Notifications

There's a range of trust levels that users have in apps asking for permissions. The Google Apple Exposure Notifications only work if the setting is enabled. This is a critical conversion point in the flow and copy was very important in explaining what and why these permissions need to be enabled.

Finding a Test Center

Depending on the jurisdiction, it could have been difficult to find a local testing site. We were also living in a time when testing resources were limited. This feature was designed to make it easier for users to find a COVID-19 testing site verified by their local government.

Step 5: Test & Iterate

I partnered with another desginer and a user researcher to prototype the primary flows and recruit for testing. We were specifically interested in getting feedback on the riskiest flows:

Onboarding

Submitting a Positive Test

Enabling Exposure Notifications

We tested with community members as well as government stakeholders in the state of Minnesota, which was an early adopter of the white-labeled software.

Through our testing, we validated that copy was a key part of the design, as was emphasizing how the app protects the user’s privacy.

After testing we wanted to further emphasize privacy by design, so we added a drawer to each onboarding step that explained how the bluetooth technology works to preserve the user's privacy.

Contact tracing COVID-19

The Challenge

The Solution

Step 1: Mapping the Exposure Journey

I began by partnering with the product manager and researcher to unpack our understanding of contact tracing and how it relates to community members.

Step 2: Defining Jobs to be Done

Defining the primary needs of a healthy, exposed, and sick person helped us identify pain points and start drafting "how might we" notes. This served as the insight that helped inform design direction.

Step 3: Research

We kicked off the design phase with market research into our competitors. We also looked at apps that indirectly related to the user experience we wanted to build — such as habit and period tracking apps.

Step 4: Design

Heading into Figma, we were now armed with insight into the user journey, inspiration across industries, and primary Jobs to Be Done that helped us prioritize the user flows.

Onboarding

Reporting a Positive Test

Enabling Exposure Notifications

Finding a Test Center

Step 5: Test & Iterate

I partnered with another desginer and a user researcher to prototype the primary flows and recruit for testing. We were specifically interested in getting feedback on the riskiest flows:

We tested with community members as well as government stakeholders in the state of Minnesota, which was an early adopter of the white-labeled software.

After testing we wanted to further emphasize privacy by design, so we added a drawer to each onboarding step that explained how the bluetooth technology works to preserve the user's privacy.

The Impact

We launched in the state of Minnesota. The following jurisdictions have since adopted the open-source software to slow the spread of viral infections in urban and rural communities.

What I did

Research

Competitive analysis
Usability testing
Research synthesis

Design

User flows
UX/UI
Rapid prototyping

Product Strategy

Workshop facilitation
Journey mapping & JTBD
"How might we" notes

Interested in working together?

Contact tracing COVID-19

The Challenge

The Solution

Step 1: Mapping the Exposure Journey

I began by partnering with the product manager and researcher to unpack our understanding of contact tracing and how it relates to community members.

Step 2: Defining Jobs to be Done

Defining the primary needs of a healthy, exposed, and sick person helped us identify pain points and start drafting "how might we" notes. This served as the insight that helped inform design direction.

Step 3: Research

We kicked off the design phase with market research into our competitors. We also looked at apps that indirectly related to the user experience we wanted to build — such as habit and period tracking apps.

Step 4: Design

Heading into Figma, we were now armed with insight into the user journey, inspiration across industries, and primary Jobs to Be Done that helped us prioritize the user flows.

Onboarding

Reporting a Positive Test

Enabling Exposure Notifications

Finding a Test Center

Step 5: Test & Iterate

I partnered with another desginer and a user researcher to prototype the primary flows and recruit for testing. We were specifically interested in getting feedback on the riskiest flows:

We tested with community members as well as government stakeholders in the state of Minnesota, which was an early adopter of the white-labeled software.

After testing we wanted to further emphasize privacy by design, so we added a drawer to each onboarding step that explained how the bluetooth technology works to preserve the user's privacy.

The Impact

We launched in the state of Minnesota. The following jurisdictions have since adopted the open-source software to slow the spread of viral infections in urban and rural communities.

What I did

Research

Competitive analysisUsability testingResearch synthesis

Design

User flowsUX/UIRapid prototyping

Product Strategy

Workshop facilitationJourney mapping & JTBD"How might we" notes

Interested in working together?

Competitive analysis
Usability testing
Research synthesis

User flows
UX/UI
Rapid prototyping

Workshop facilitation
Journey mapping & JTBD
"How might we" notes