Georgia COVID Crusher
Mobile Notification App

We started researching user pain points through an online survey, user interviews, social media, and the news. Users were targeted based on current and future eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines; this was done to potentially increase ‘herd immunity’ for Georgians at a faster rate, as these individuals would benefit the most from the vaccines.

Out of all the pain points gathered, users wanted an app that would state who was eligible for the vaccine, where to find vaccine distributors, which vaccines were available nearby, and when they could register at nearby venues. This was extremely important at the time because, according to the information we received, over 90% of users hadn’t been inoculated against the virus by means of a vaccine yet.

As we were starting an app from scratch, the three of us separately researched applications and websites that provided vaccine information. On a macro level, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was at the top of our list because over 60% of our users ranked it the most trustworthy for reliable information. On a micro level, we chose to look at companies that affected Georgians specifically (the Georgia Department of Public Health, WellStar, Walgreens, and Publix).

Common features included highlighting vaccine eligibility, showcasing locations for distribution, informing the public on vaccine availability, and emailing users information. While we chose not to include features found on Virginia's COVIDwise app or Rhode Island's Crush COVID app, we pulled insights from online reviews, which helped us design the sitemap of our site.

As a whole, users fell into two camps: those whose doctor or employer registered them for the vaccine and those who had to register themselves. Self-registered users struggled to find vaccine suppliers because distributors (Walgreens, Publix, WellStar, etc.) were limiting registration to keep second vaccine doses available for those who had received their first shot already. Therefore, the main user pain point centered around supply and demand.

After much deliberation, we each came to the conclusion that it was unrealistic of us to tackle registering Georgians on behalf of distributors; vaccines were being used so quickly that we would still have a supply and demand problem, similar to overselling seats on an airline. We thought it best to be a supplier of information instead, allowing users to track registration windows for themselves or loved ones.

Users discussed preferences for app features during user research, including a notification process for places providing the vaccine nearby, information about vaccines available, and searching for locations through zipcode, GPS, and county. Users like Marie should, in our view, be able to find and save locations that they want updates on.

Similar to job boards, this app is designed to allow users to choose and remove notifications on vaccine availability as they see fit. They can also learn more about the Pfeizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna vaccines through videos, statements from the CDC, and so on.

Marie isn't as skilled as she would like to be regarding technology. However, she wants to avoid being on hold with the local vaccine distributor for over six hours too. Therefore, she is resolved to look outside of the box. She stumbles across the Georgia COVID Crusher app through the Google Play store and downloads it; there, she chooses to manually look up her county and finds six distributors nearby.

Marie saves three and signs up for frequent email notifications. When one of her saved locations opens COVID-19 vaccine appointments, she receives an email prompting her to sign up, which she does. Within a week, she has her first vaccine and goes on to register for her second with the location itself.

When sketching out design ideas, we each brought unique perspectives that improved the user's experience. Collectively, we agreed from the start to make the app for Android phones, which is why there are top and bottom navigations. The process started with copy and statistics; we built cards, scrollable sections, and a search feature from sketches shown below.

Ideas from our individual sketches emerged and, as a team, we decided to have the logo front and center, with a back button and search icon for easy access. We focused on the practical aspects of this app from start to finish. Users wanted a way to quickly find places nearby to receive COVID vaccines; ergo, we gave them a second navigation bar to find notification information quickly.

We conducted two rounds of user testing; four users tested our paper prototype and two tested our mid-fidelity app. Feedback from these tests focused mostly on aesthetics. For example, the peach color was considered too light, our font of choice ('Georgia') was hard to read in places, and drop shadows made some unclickable icons appear clickable to users. However, we made quick work of these user insights and updated the site to reflect these changes.

Through our user tests, we updated the homepage, removed most of the drop shadows, and fixed the font to be 'Open Sans'. Our color choice, peach, intentially picked for the Peach State, was altered slightly to be seen more. From a user's perspective, however, the site functioned well. We received few comments on where something was or how best to access portions of the site.

To conclude, our team launched this project because there was a need from the public to get COVID-19 vaccination information out quickly. Through our discussions with family and friends, we gathered user pain points that led us to creating a mobile notification app. As this three-week sprint concluded and our group went on to do other projects, the Georgia Department of Public Health launched its own app for finding and notifying Georgians of COVID vaccines nearby. All's well that ends well.