Project Goals & Considerations
Before we even began trying to sketch this within the design language(s) of the existing NYSOH programs, pre-planning considerations and requirements for the sign up system were:
- Research similar text alert systems utilized by other state governments and see what similarities/best practices we could carry over into our designs
- If GDIT’s chosen text platform (Twilio) would play nice with existing NYSOH communications back-end
- Design fields, forms, and flow to fit within NYSOH’s existing sign up layouts as well as layouts for existing accounts across the various NYSOH software platforms
Other State Gov Examples: Pennsylvania
Other State Gov Examples: Kentucky
Other State Gov Examples: Maryland
Proposed Design Integrations
We started off right away designing in lower fidelity iterations by pulling elements from existing older NYSOH projects, which enabled us to get our proposals in front of DOH much faster. As we were working early on, the federal government began the vaccine rollout, so inter-department discussions between GDIT/NYSOH/DOH began morphing the project’s capacities to account for an endgame that:
- Anticipated larger numbers of New York citizens getting vaccinated against COVID-19
- Branding, promotion, and sign up instructions must accommodate other far-reaching public health concerns (of which to be outlined and overseen by DOH)
So the aperture of our design approach expanded to include:
- Adjusting required fields and forms for sign up/consent based on inter-department discussions
- Adjusting copywriting and sign up/consent instructions to accommodate the larger reach of the alert system
- Continue working in NYSOH designs with these new goals in mind
Signup Flow
Updated NYSOH Account Sign Up Integration
Updated NYSOH Account View Integration
Updated NYSOH CSR Integration
Conclusion
The emergency update signup processes were successfully integrated into every system under the NYSOH and DOH banners. What initially started as a COVID-specific project went through numerous managerial and structural revisions to become a much broader and far-reaching public health notification system.
The revisions and inter-department discussions also moved extremely fast, which cannot usually be said about government design projects.
So if you got your health coverage through NYSOH, or if you’re in Syracuse and get a text about an incoming swarm of Canadian locusts...you’re welcome. 😉