A for Amanda

My role

The design work for this application was divided between two designers. I completed half the user research through user interviews and usability testing sessions. I also collaborated closely with my team to gather and analyze the information we collected to determine the themes that needed to be addressed. I iterated and finalized our user interface based on feedback received in the usability testing sessions.

Context

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic left employers searching for ways to maintain a safe work environment.

An infectious disease that spread globally, it resulted in significant disruption to workplaces. Thrive Health was the Government’s trusted partner in providing Canadians with the latest COVID-19 resources and self-assessment tools, so we were well positioned with the resources to help organizations return to work safely. We focused on facilitating the daily health assessment that were required before entering the workplace by producing an employee web application and an employer portal for monitoring responses.

Understand and define

To develop a deeper understanding of the workflows, concerns and motivations of employed individuals and HR administrators on returning to an in-person workplace, we conducted user interviews.

One of the themes we identified from our interviews was the concern for privacy. Employers did not want to collect any private health information from employees. The priority was around workforce planning and it was only necessary to see and understand the overall risk of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Planning and ideation

Using the information we gathered from user interviews, we worked closely with the product manager to define the user flows we would address.

I focused on the employer side. With the main workflows identified, we brainstormed and collaborated over sketches of initial ideas for screen designs. From there, we created our first set of low-fidelity wireframes to get feedback.

Usability testing and iteration

Collecting feedback early from usability testing the low-fidelity wireframes allowed us to quickly iterate.

For Administrators, the nature of this work was an additional task on top of their already busy schedules. They needed the information to be quick and easy to access. By usability testing early we discovered an alternative workflow most administrators preferred. They wanted to be notified right away of any urgent concerns. With this information, we created additional email notifications that would notify them of any urgent concerns. To maintain the privacy of the individuals involved, we do not include any identifiable information in the emails and instead provide a link for them to login to find out more.

On the employee app side, the initial COVID-19 health assessment only produced an overall risk status for employees that indicated if they could go to work or not. During testing, a number of people mentioned that if they were unable to go to work, they would also be concerned with what next steps to take. They wanted more guidance. This guidance would vary based on each organization, so we designed a format that could be customized by each organization. We created spaces for organizations to include a quick summary of recommendations as well as detailed recommendations on what steps to take based on the risk status they receive.

Final product & customer feedback

We wanted an easy-to-use system to capture daily COVID-19 screening for our staff. Thrive Health Workplace gave us an accessible, affordable platform for our staff which prompted them to complete their self-assessments prior to entering the clinic. Given how easy the platform is to use and manage, it means that the responsibility for administering the dashboard can be shared between multiple staff. We appreciate how the data is secure and does not reveal any personal health information. Because the platform is always up to date with the latest screening requirements from our Chief Medical Officer, it also means that we never have to worry about complying with public health protocols.

Harrow Health Centre

Improving my process

As more designers begin to work on this product line, it has become even more important to get a design system in place to ensure consistency across the platform. Following this project, the team has started putting together our design system and I have been contributing to the components found on the administrator’s side.