Designing Digital Products for Diverse Populations

1. Funded by Chancellor’s Strategic Initiative
funds, the Diverse eCohort project has a
vision of transforming UCSF through deep
community partnerships into a model
research institution that champions
diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels
of health and wellbeing for the Bay Area
community and beyond.
The goals identified by this academic-
community partnership are to:
1. Build an infrastructure to support
online research tailored to diverse
communities
2. Demonstrate and document how to
partner with communities to improve
research outcomes and achieve health
equity
3. Jumpstart innovation to include
diverse communities in collaboration
with UCSF clinical research projects
Designing Digital Products
for Diverse Populations
TEAM
BACKGROUND
PROBLEM STATEMENT
How might we expand UCSF’s research
capacity with digital tools designed for and
with diverse participants?
NEXT STEPS
• Development of two digital platforms for the SOLARS and Patient COUNTS research
studies has begun
• A Diverse eCohort Toolkit as a practical ”how to” for others
• Ongoing efforts to develop capacity for digital tool development with community
partnerships
DESIGN PROCESS
Usability Findings
• Strong preference for mobile
• Test even standard demographic
questions with your audience
• Consents were read thoroughly
• Strong concern on data security
• Accessibility important for
unexpected reasons (acrylic nails!)
Partnership
• Four community partners
across San Francisco
• Recruited > 55 participants
matching demographics of
research studies
• Five participatory design
groups in English, Spanish,
Vietnamese and Cantonese
• Three sessions to refine
insights and monthly reviews
by our Steering Group
Niloufar Abdollahi, Laura Allen, Beth
Berrean, Vanessa Bohm, Xochitl Butcher,
Brittany Chambers, Bonnie Cheng, Joyce
Cheng, Myrna Diaz, Michael Duke, Romisha
Dunn, Helena Eitel, Sky Feuer, Paula
Fleisher, Angela Gallegos-Castillo, Andrea
Gordon, Chinje Ijeli, Laura Jelliffe, Jane Jih,
Gretchen Kiser, Monique LeSarre, Wylie
Liu, Patrick Maher, Eric Meeks, Tung
Nguyen, Debby Oh, Alli O'Leary, Noah
Peyser, Omar Pimentel, Mark Pletcher,
Salma Shariff-Marco, Angela Sun, Brian
Turner, Roberto Vargas, Nancy Wu, Kara
Young, Leslie Yuan
Prototype & Design
• Who’s doing what on your product
may change! Prototype both the
product and its delivery.
• Choices such as colors, images and
language matter. Make sure those
choices resonate, reflect and are
understood. Include all target
languages in your design options.
Participatory Design Insights
• Everyone has and uses smartphones
• Other technologies more likely to
raise concerns on security, usability
• Trust and credibility around research
work differently in different
communities. Allow for both past
and current skepticism.
• Digital security concerned all
• Cross-generational support with
technology and health was common
• Partner-led sessions with on-the-fly
interpretation and code-switching
made for richer sessions