Investing in the future of public health
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Healthy People initiative
For over 4 decades, Healthy People has been the nation’s premier public health initiative. Created by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), Healthy People sets shared goals that shape health promotion programs nationwide. It also equips health professionals with tools to track national progress — and to improve health in their own communities.
Recently, the need to invest in our public health systems has become increasingly clear. With health professionals across the country carefully tracking the health of the population, Healthy People is more relevant than ever. For Healthy People 2030, CommunicateHealth completely revamped the site so it meets the needs of current users and new audiences alike.
Our approach
We involved Healthy People users every step of the way. We learned that they needed a site that clearly communicated complex public health information and data without overwhelming them. Ultimately, we created a dynamic tool for health professionals to plan, implement, and track progress toward the nation’s public health objectives.
Impact
Through our human-centered design approach, we transformed the Healthy People site into a streamlined, easy-to-use, intuitive tool that’s highly relevant to priority audiences.
Created an updated brand identity to better reflect Healthy People’s mission and vision
Healthy People’s updated brand identity is friendly and accessible, while imparting credibility and staying power. The forward-thinking design mirrors progress toward a healthier nation, and bold visuals prompt action.
Revamped the Healthy People site for improved usability, readability, and relevance
Over 6 years, we conducted surveys, listening sessions, interviews, and website prototype testing with hundreds of Healthy People 2020 users — and we learned that users struggled to find what they need. So we used Drupal 8 to build an intuitive site that users can easily navigate to find information and resources relevant to their work. Changes included streamlined navigation, improved organization of objectives and resources, and an integrated search feature with filters and advanced search parameters.
When we learned that some health professionals weren’t sure how to use Healthy People in their work, we decided to show them. We created a graphic that explains the practical ways organizations, communities, and states can use Healthy People to improve health and well-being.
Wrote plain language descriptions for 354 objectives and 62 topics
Healthy People includes 509 objectives — wide-ranging and high-priority goals intended to improve health for all people. But many are complex and technical. We wrote short, easy-to-understand descriptions for the 354 core, or measurable, objectives to provide clarity and context for Healthy People users. We did the same for the 62 topics — like cancer, physical activity, and older adults — used to organize objectives.
Based on years of research and user feedback, we grouped Healthy People objectives into intuitive topics so users could easily find the data and resources relevant to their work and their communities.
Developed innovative, interactive features to meet health professionals’ needs
The Custom List tool will let users create a list of the objectives they’re most interested in and track progress toward achieving those objectives throughout the decade. And with the interactive data visualization tool, users will be able to measure progress toward objectives and identify and prioritize populations with the greatest needs.
