COVID-19 Vaccinations
Project overview
From 22 February 2021, COVID-19 vaccinations were being administrated in Australia. The Federal Government was distributing the vaccinations in phases, targeting the more vulnerable people first like the elderly, people with a health condition or work in a high-risk occupation. The Federal Government created an online eligibility checker to help Australian citizens identify whether they were eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccinations.
In the months that followed, through quantitative research and customer feedback, we identified that high numbers of citizens were searching the nsw.gov.au site for more detailed information about the vaccine and whether or not they were eligible to receive it.
I was briefed the task to look at the customer journey for all vaccination pages and design a customer-centric solution that enhanced the journey end to end. This journey included:
vaccination safety and phases
checking eligibility
booking a vaccination appointment
what to expect at your vaccination appointment
The problem
The user journey was difficult to follow and took customers to numerous different websites to complete the vaccination eligibility and booking process.
Started on nsw.gov.au to learn information about the vaccine
Directed to the Federal Eligibility Checker website to discover if they could get the vaccine
If customer was eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination then the Federal site would direct customers to a clinic or hospital’s website to book the vaccination. Additionally in some cases the clinic or hospital would ask the eligibility questions again to ensure the customer was in fact eligible.
The Federal eligibility checker has numerous questions making the process long and tedious.
Suggested improvements
Enhance the customer journey by reducing the amount of websites they are directed to while completing the booking process.
Design an eligibility checker to be located on nsw.gov.au
Design a clinic finder to link with eligibility results which will then connect customer with relevant vaccination clinics
Reduce number of questions in eligibility checker to make process easier for customers.
Research objectives
Evaluate if our new prototyped designs are easier for people to find and understand vaccination information they are looking for
Identify if our prototype addresses 3 key pain points for people across all eligibility criteria:
Customers want to see where they can get vaccinated
Customers want to understand the vaccination process (how, when, where, what they need to do)
Customers want to see information about the vaccinations
Identify any other customer queries
Key insights
What people liked
Most participants learnt information from using the prototype
The content covered was expected and desired topics from a Government source while researching COVID vaccinations
The NSW waratah logo was recognisable and gained several comments as the reason the site is trustworthy
Behaviour
While using the prototype, many participants wanted to check if they were eligible via the booking tool flow before anything else.
If they weren't eligible yet, they said they'd most likely skim content and make a mental note to come back just before their appointment or take screenshots.
What was missing
The most common request was for the following content, which would reassure people with their anxieties:
The ‘science’ behind vaccinations
What is in them
How do they work?
What is the dose?
Why are the doses that many weeks apart?
An explanation of why certain age groups are given different vaccination types
Statistics broken down by each vaccination type and first and second dose
Timing of side effects; when they generally start and how long they last, information about blood clots
Stories about people who have had the vaccination
Rollout date for 2b
Information about children and the vaccination, and ways to talk to children about the vaccination
Research summary
Overall, the vaccination prototype tested well with citizens. The content and flow between the Eligibility Checker and Clinic Finder were especially easily understood and easy to use.
Many participants:
Were pleased to learn new information while using the prototype and had their vaccination questions answered.
Wanted to wait and see how the majority of citizens reacted to the vaccination before getting theirs. Contributing factors to this were lack of motivation due to low case numbers and fear around long term side effects, especially blood clotting.
Were eager for detailed vaccination and appointment information, which was a positive sign citizens will engage with the vaccination content as presented in the prototype.
What this means:
There is an ongoing challenge to surface the most relevant information at a point in time, yet limit the amount of information so it's not overwhelming.
Immediate next steps
Update the eligibility checker
Add Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eligibility question
Add carers and household contacts to the health and high-risk occupation question
Update content in line with new ATAGI advice for pregnant and breastfeeding people
Explore adding more specific content
Expected timing of appointments and side effects
The 'science' behind the vaccinations, how they work etc.
Long term actions
Experiment with mobile map view
Explore using citizen stories and testimonies to provide reassurance and instil confidence
Explore making content about side effects its own page
Review what other statistics we can surface
Explore content about children under 16 and the vaccination
