Challenge

With the pandemic evolving daily, we faced tight deadlines to deploy tools on restrictive platforms like Salesforce. Many community members confronted language barriers, limited technology access, and heightened emotional states including fear, grief, and confusion—all while needing to access critical services like testing and vaccination.

Solution

I designed with both technical needs and human emotional states in mind:

• Created rapid wireframes and prototypes that prioritized clarity for users experiencing anxiety and information overload

• Simplified navigation paths, recognizing that stress impairs cognitive processing and decision-making

  Implemented accessibility features acknowledging the compounded vulnerability of disabled users during crisis

• Designed forms and interfaces with awareness of the trauma and grief many users were experiencing

Outcome

The redesigned tools provided more equitable access to critical health services during peak pandemic uncertainty. Designing with awareness of users’ emotional states—not just their technical needs—we created interfaces that felt supportive rather than administrative.

This approach demonstrated how design can become an act of care during crisis, establishing new standards for public health tools that consider both functional requirements and the human experience of vulnerability.

For more read my Medium post How to Stay User-Centered in the Midst of a Global Pandemic.