Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN Collaboration Hub)
Because early warnings should save lives, not get lost in the noise.
GPHIN collaboration hub is an intelligence hub that collects, filters, and classifies global media reports to help analysts detect potential health threats. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, scrutiny arose over its effectiveness, leading to an independent review and a push for modernization.
My Role
As a UX Designer, I transformed complex concepts into intuitive user flows—redesigning authentication, user management, and flagging systems with a strong focus on information architecture and accessibility. I also collaborated with the design lead to build the foundation of a scalable design system, ensuring an easy handoff to developers.
Sector
Team
Timeline
October 2023 - May 2024
The system that failed to alert public health regarding COVID when it was needed the most.
The organization focuses on preventing disease and injuries, responding to public health threats, and providing information to support informed decision making.
What is GPHIN?
The Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) was set up as a global network of connected professionals working to rapidly detect, identify, assess, prevent and mitigate threats to human health.
GPHIN’s aging platform made it difficult for analysts to detect public health threats efficiently.
Analysts wasted valuable time sifting through irrelevant information, delaying crucial responses to potential outbreaks. With outdated technology slowing down operations, PHAC struggled to respond swiftly to emerging global health crises.
We had to start from the ground up
by
Creating a new design system
My approach was to look for inspiration in similar apps or sites and work quickly during sprint and try to validate design in meetings. I redesigned certain parts of the GHPIN collaboration hub based on use cases and problems that analysts and other health officials faced daily which slowed them down while flagging articles down.
Solution - A Smarter, More Efficient GPHIN
Optimizing Flag Management for Faster Threat Detection
Analysts no longer have to sift through irrelevant data. By restructuring the flagging system, I made it easier to track, reference, and manage critical reports efficiently.
• Added Location, Topic, and Unique Identifiers → Ensures precise tracking and easier communication.
• Created By" and "Program Area" Columns → Increases accountability and streamlines the review process.
Streamlining the Flag Editing Process for Analysts
Flexible Editing Before Approval: Analysts can now modify flag details until they receive final approval, reducing errors and improving collaboration.
Improving Security & Access Control for Administrators
Previously, administrators had limited control over user access, leading to security risks and manual overhead with emails.
Feature integrations
Intuitive Filtering Inspired by GitHub
The previous filtering system relied too heavily on dropdowns, making it cumbersome. Inspired by GitHub's SubNav, I introduced a more dynamic filtering system.
Tooltips
Designed to subtly guide users to discover less obvious features or functionalities that they might otherwise overlook.
Enhancing Security with a Clear Session Timeout
Given the sensitive nature of public health data, unauthorized access needed to be prevented.
User Authentication High level flow
Creating a new password process
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Accessibility
Findability
Error Prevention
Clear Navigation
A complete redesign of the GPHIN web app with improved flows that help foster collaboration with external health officials.
Improved user management control to Administrators compared to manual entry on excel sheets.
Improved flag management process by building a more useful table and integrating filters
Proper documentation and handoff is important when Working with developers
I learned how important developer handoff is and why it is important to have proper documentation to reduce the confusion. As a designer I practiced what we teach by talking to the users (developers) and asked them what their pain points were and what would make it easier.
Diving into designs with no healthcare knowledge
This unfamiliarity turned into an opportunity for growth. I used my first weeks to learn more about public health and how we prevent outbreaks.
This helped me to make informed design decisions, emphasizing the value of domain expertise for a designer.