Universal Disaster Communications Tools for Health and Safety Services
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Emergency Preparedness Bureau
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health needed a tool to help first responders transcend communication barriers in an emergency.
Individuals requiring additional assistance in an emergency include people with disabilities, people with communication limitations, and those who speak languages other than English. First responders need an intuitive tool that will work for all of these populations.
First, the CommunicateHealth team identified what needed to be communicated (for example, “Do you need a battery charge for your wheelchair?”). Next, we worked through multiple iterations to come up with a simple set of icons that would be universally understood.
Result: We used an iterative process to develop the icons, including:
- Conducting a thorough literature review, environmental scan, and in-depth interviews
- Facilitating focus groups with first responders and individuals requiring additional assistance in an emergency to learn more about their needs
- Designing and testing several prototypes before finalizing the tool
Role: User-centered design, graphic design, usability testing
Fact Sheets for Refugees
National Center for Environmental Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
How do you communicate information about lead poisoning to recent immigrants and refugees… without using words?
In the United States, refugee children are twice as likely as non-refugee children to have high blood lead levels. Anemia, malnourishment, non lead-safe housing, and some cultural practices (such as eating on the floor and using traditional medicines) increase the risk of lead poisoning.
Result: The CommunicateHealth team used an iterative design process to create picture-based factsheets that can be used during home-visits with refugee families. We:
- Conducted in-depth interviews with local refugee service providers, environmental health educators, and refugee and adult educators
- Incorporated international symbols commonly used in refugee camps (like thumbs-up and thumbs-down)
- Created early prototypes and tested them with refugees from Burma, Somalia, the former Soviet Union, Mongolia, Iraq, and Bhutan
Role: Plain language writing, user research, graphic design
Lead Poisoning Prevention in Plain Language
National Center for Environmental Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For the past 7 years, we’ve been working with the CDC to create lead poisoning prevention information that’s easy for parents to understand and act on.
Result: CommunicateHealth developed a series of fact sheets and a plain language glossary written for parents with limited literacy skills and limited understanding of environmental health hazards like lead poisoning. Each fact sheet focuses on concrete action steps parents can take right away to protect their children (prevention) or reduce the harmful effects of lead exposure (mitigation). The glossary, Lead Poisoning: Words to Know from A to Z, includes pronunciation keys and examples of commonly used terms related to childhood lead poisoning. The content was tested and revised based on user feedback.
Explore More: Lead Poisoning: Words to Know from A to Z [PDF]
Kudos: In 2011, Lead Poisoning: Words to Know from A to Z won the ClearMark award for best plain language public sector original document. We took pride in the award winning product and in being part of CDC’s efforts to improve health literacy: 
Role: Plain language writing, user research
Consumer Involvement Toolkit
University of Massachusetts Medical Center
How do you transform an organizational policy into a hands-on tool to help social service providers engage consumers in their day-to-day operations?
Result: CommunicateHealth created the Consumer Involvement Toolkit for state agencies. We developed a series of icons and templates to organize the content and invited user interaction with checklists and self-assessments.
Role: Plain language writing, user research, graphic design
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