COVID-19 prevention UX design ideas: quick and dirty

How might digital user experience research and design help the community navigate the pandemic? The concept of universal design rings true as loudly as ever as we now find ourselves in this together. Some thoughts from early in the pandemic journey. . .seems like we could still explore this space . . .

Here are a few ideas for making our environment safe from COVID-19 infection. These are based on my user experience observations around Dublin.

You are free to run with this ideation and advance anything that resonates. These quick little ideas are based on my own everyday experiences and best practices in circulation about keeping safe during the COVID-19 pandemic (and beyond!). Naturally, the context of use varies.

The ideation uses a “day in the life” approach; ideas go a little further than the usual drone delivery, contactless payments, online ordering, digital healthcare, and remotely managing supply chain journeys thoughts.

See also this excellent Medium post From Inform to Persuade: How Can Tech Step Up for Humanity? for more inspirational ideas.

All good? All should be free.

Coronavirus doesn’t care whether you’re on iOS or Android, Apple OS or Windows.

Ideally, these innovations aids leverage mobile, voice, hands-free, gestures, or familiar features (notifications, audio alerts, NFC, sensors) so people can seamlessly integrate the experience into their daily lives depending on the context while putting the onus on each person to act collectively.

• Social Distancing apps. How about a proximity sensor app for the smartphone and smartwatches that detects if someone (or their phone) comes with the recommended two metres (6 feet) space (or other) and then alerts you? Bluetooth? Perhaps the notification could play a favourite tune or voice message.

Suggestion for audio notification for social proximity app.

• Safe exercise zone: If your COVID-19 curtailment measures include the provision of a “safe” zone for exercise, or moving about on your own (in Ireland, it is currently a radius of 2 KM). How about a smartwatch app or watch face showing and telling you where you are in that zone?

Safe zone Apple Watch watch face.

• Hands-off. Bag, pocket-swiping, for ID cards to enter buildings. Perhaps lower the sensors on doors or gates to enable people to either pocket-swipe or use NFC to enter and exit buildings without touching shared surfaces. Haptics hands-off possibility too, people?

Swipe or NFC control in public spaces.

• Geo-fencing sanity— use sensors on buildings and locations to notify you that you’ve now entered a zone with people at risk. So, use the hand sanitizer, go for that soap, don mask or vamoose if you’ve no business being there . . .
• Motion detectors or traffic management could send alerts about a person limit in stores, shops, and more. Any more people than the number recommended for safety will automatically send notifications. Or when there’s a free space, come on in!
• Touch-free light switches, doors, white goods, and so on. Use voice, gestures, or IoT hands-free integration to turn off lights, open and lock doors, flush toilets, turn on or off faucets, and handle other physical contact situations. How about “Alexa, did I turn off the cooker? Please do.”

We’re done. Probably needs gloves for that newspaper too.

• Community welfare app. WhatsApp-style daily check-in for seniors, at-risk community members — by exception. Voice or SMS confirmation once a day for neighbourhoods or apartment blocks to confirm everyone is OK or else needs intervention. “OK, Google, I’m OK.”
• Drone delivery of medications and essentials for people who are isolating or cannot access those services. If we can do it for Pizza, why not health care?

OK, that’s a few ideas off the top of my head. Feel free to add others and share, and develop those sketches and stories. If anything is already done or available, then let us know in the comments.

The concept of universal design rings true as loudly as ever as we now find ourselves in this together

Coronavirus doesn’t care whether you’re on iOS or Android, Apple OS or Windows. We’re in this together! Be creative!

Ultan Ó Broin: A digital UX design researcher and consultant from Dublin, Ireland, working in the education and mental health space. https://www.linkedin.com/in/UltanUX/

Images from the Internet (fair use), or by Ultan Ó Broin.