UX & Strategy
App
The problem
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of contact tracing as a means of slowing the spread of the virus. Many countries have developed mobile apps to assist with contact tracing efforts, but one challenge that has emerged is keeping users engaged with the app. The Dutch COVID tracing app 'CoronaMelder' struggled with this issue as it was quite static, with little changing on the home screen beyond the occasional notification.
Despite the importance of contact tracing, user engagement with the COVID tracing app was low. Many users would download the app, complete the necessary onboarding steps, and then rarely open the app again. This lack of engagement hindered the app's effectiveness as a contact tracing tool.
Solution
Together with my colleague Chris Scholten, Senior Designer at Valsplat, we got the opportunity to work on this. To address the issue of low user engagement, we proposed a concept for the COVID tracing app that incorporated real-time data on the home screen. The idea was to display the current number of COVID cases in the user's region, as well as other relevant data such as the percentage of positive tests and the number of deaths. By showing this information on the home screen, are assumption was that users would be more likely to open the app on a regular basis to stay informed about the local COVID situation.
To implement this concept, we first had to determine the relevant data sources for the real-time information to be displayed on the home screen. After researching various options, we decided to use the chosen data from the government health department as it was the most reliable and up-to-date source. We then worked with the app development team to incorporate this data into the home screen design.
Result
This case study highlights the importance of considering user engagement when designing mobile apps and the benefits of incorporating real-time data to keep users informed and engaged. Unfortunately but also luckely, this version of the COVID tracing app was build by development but never made it to the live stage because the COVID situation in the region began to improve and the need for the app decreased. As the number of new cases and deaths related to COVID began to decline, there was less of a need for the public to regularly check the app for updates on the local COVID situation. As a result, the app was no longer seen as relevant and was not launched. Also, I will be always curious if our assumption was right because we wanted to measure this and reflect if we made the right decision.
"It's a pleasure working with Joshua. Joshua is proactive, pleasant to deal with, quick of understanding, works in a planned way, asks questions and comes up with ideas, and has a lot of knowledge of digital solutions and mobile apps. He quickly mastered the CoronaMelder solution and so did the assignment he was hired for. His delivered design, and associated prototypes, met the expectations and were tested in a user test. After further refinement, that design is currently being implemented."
Thijs Weitkamp
Product Owner CoronaMelder at the Ministery of Health
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