COVID Alert PA

Add a Digital Vaccine Record Card as a New Feature

Role

UX Designer

Industry

Medical

Scope

Add a feature to an existing application

Design Tools

Figma

Buzzwords

UX Design & Research
ADA Compliance
Minimizing Changes

Problem

With the COVID-19 vaccination taking place in Pennsylvania, millions are receiving their vaccination. Paper cards containing relevant information are distributed to each Pennsylvanian who receives the vaccine.

However, fears of loss or theft of the card, as well as the potential of fraudulent cards being produced have created the need for a more secure solution with a better overall user experience for Pennsylvanians.

Solution

A Digital Vaccine Record Card added as a new feature to the existing COVID Alert PA application would mitigate or remove pain points currently being experienced by vaccinated Pennsylvanians.

Constraints

Branding & Minimize Changes
The branding and UI must match with the existing application. All changes to the design have been minimized to reduce costs and increase the likelihood of existing users natively understanding the newly added feature.

ADA Compliance
Provide full and equal access, effective communication, and meaningful access to ensure ADA compliance. WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance was ensured for all designs.

Themes

Minimal disruptions to user flows

Minimize disruptions to current user flows and utilize innate user knowledge

Ease of Use

Easier use than currently experienced by Pennsylvanians with paper cards

Safe & Secure

Safer and more secure way for users to store cards and prove they are vaccinated

Research

Explore

Quotes from healthcare, government, and technology leaders
News reports
Social media
Competitor analysis of existing similar applications
Preliminary open-ended interviews with likely users

Analyze

Branding and User Interface (UI)
Integration of new feature into existing designs
Design patterns used in the original application
User flows of the current application and how new flows will fit in

Persona Development

Top 3 archetypes
Motivators
Pain points
Fears
Goals + frustrations
Biography + personality traits

Interviews

Validate assumption that people are experiencing problems with their paper vaccine cards
Test to ensure users want and will use a digital vaccine card
Test to determine what would prevent usage
Define usage scenarios

Usability Testing

Evaluate interactions users have with the features added to the application
Identify and define pain points
Identify successes and weaknesses of the new features
Iterations based on feedback

Ideation

Problem Statement

Pennsylvanians need a better way to handle their vaccination records and prove they are fully vaccinated. Ideally, they should be able to quickly prove they are vaccinated when necessary, as well as be able to handle the records and prove vaccination status for dependents with the same ease of use they would have for themselves.

Cases

"I want to quickly prove I am fully vaccinated"

"I want to quickly prove my children are fully vaccinated"

"I want a better solution for storing my vaccine records"

"I want all Coronavirus information in one place along with my vaccination records"

Executive Summary

COVID-19 has brought significant changes to our world. The development of vaccines against the virus has created a need for Pennsylvanians to quickly prove they are vaccinated. However, the current paper card solution is fraught with difficulties from loss or theft to the creation of fraudulent cards. A Digital Vaccine Record Card included in the current COVID Alert PA application would minimize threats and significantly increase the ease of use for all vaccinated Pennsylvanians.

Design Principles

Feature Narrative

Jonathan does not like the current paper card solution. He fears he will lose the card so he took a picture of it with his phone and keeps it in a safe place at his home. Jonathan very much wants a digital solution that he can access quickly and easily when necessary to prove his vaccination status.

Robert isn't sure how to handle his children's paper cards. He decided to take pictures of them -- as he did with his own -- and keep them with his own card in a safe place at their home. He is concerned about keeping the cards safe and does not want to bring the cards with them to prove their vaccination status. He has no problem displaying his family's information when asked, but only feels comfortable with a digital solution.

Rebecca is aware there are members of her community who do not believe the virus poses a real threat and actively takes measures to break safety protocol. She believes a digital vaccine record card would be much harder to fake or use fraudulent data with and keep her and her community safer.

Judy is frustrated with paper cards and wishes there was a digital solution that contained all COVID-19 information including news reports, local data, and her vaccination records. She wants an application that acts as a COVID-19 hub.

UX Flows

User flows were developed as part of the research conducted for this project. Below are two proposed user flows that will be integrated into the application.

#1 Proposed User Flow: Creating a New Account
This user flow shows how a new user would create an account that would also begin the process of connecting their vaccination records to the application.

#2 Proposed User Flow: Creating a New Account and Viewing their Digital Vaccine Record Card
This user flow continues the New Account user flow to include viewing their Digital Vaccine Record Card. It also mimics how a user would view their Digital Vaccine Record Card if they needed to log back into the system.

Design

Wireframing

High-fidelity Prototype

(Click to View)

Iterations

The Solutions

Seamless Integration

Creating a seamless integration of the new feature to the existing application was a high priority. Fonts, weights, color palette, icons, and spacing were analyzed and applied to all new elements.

In addition, existing user flows were analyzed to locate logical locations for new branches and minimize changes to the existing application.

Access and View Your Records

The primary new functionality added to the application is the ability to view one's own COVID-19 vaccination records digitally. Using the paper card supplied to all vaccinated citizens as a template, a digital card was created and integrated into the application. With this addition, Pennsylvanians could view their records and verify their vaccination status. This solution reduces the chances of loss or theft of a physical card while speeding up the process of verification.

Connect & View a Dependent's Records

In addition to viewing and proving one's own vaccination status, there is a significant need to address how a person would do the same for a dependent such as a child.

The ability to connect a dependent and their records was added and integrated in addition to viewing one's own records.

Login/Out & Create a New Account

The ability to log in and out as well as create a new account was added as it is a required safety feature for applications with user accounts that display sensitive information.

Next Steps

Research indicates users prefer the fastest experiences possible when verifying their vaccination status. A QR code that can be scanned and immediately show a citizen's status would provide a much faster way of verification -- ideal for verifying large numbers of people quickly.

Add a QR Code

The addition of a QR code that could be quickly scanned, pull vaccination data and display a simple status check is a suggested next step to further increase the usability and overall experience of the application.

Employee Version of App

Building off of the QR code addition, it is suggested a second version of the application, specifically for employees verifying citizens, be developed. This would allow checkers to scan a QR code and immediately determine vaccination status -- ideal for verifying large numbers quickly.