Policy and Practice | June 2021

EMPATHY continued from page 15

social determinants of health to come up with a targeted set of touchpoint opportunities. Howmight the state lean further into its community leader network to improve healthy resident engagement? How can this network help residents make a plan for quar- antine and isolation before exposure? Working together with residents, the path to rapidly launch initial services while building toward longer term programs became more clear. The team was able to identify immediate next steps to start building inclusive and impactful services for residents who may have historically been left behind. TheTakeaway Applying human-centered research and design to the state’s COVID response, and particularly to topics of health equity, required a shift in mindset for how to think about experience design with the resi- dents of Rhode Island. It introduced

an important lens to approach the design and delivery of future health and human services. In this case, it surfaced the fact that not all interven- tions need to be centrally controlled. For residents who may not be citizens or are otherwise fearful of govern- ment, states might be better served to reallocate resources through trusted community liaisons. For residents who want to comply with state mandates but are uncertain how to do so, states might benefit from offering interactive guides that simplify instructions and relate services to critical moments that matter. Starting with a deep under- standing and empathy for those falling behind in terms of health equity measures brings a different perspec- tive to shaping programs, touchpoints, and services. Regardless of the need, human-cen- tered design is an essential ingredient for building more empathetic and inclusive health and human services.

lens to evaluate the experience. The research underscored the need for the entire experience to reinforce concepts of trust, community, and clarity. Vetting prototypes with real residents and contact center agents, we could quickly adapt the experience to improve syntax and amplify visual queues to empha- size key information. The benefit was twofold: residents could better under- stand how to stay safe and the state received a better funnel of self-reported information to stop the spread. When it came to new ideas, the research, along with resulting design principles and archetypes, served as a powerful launch point to tackle high- density community program design. The team specifically honed in on harder-to-reach populations, bringing together a diverse team of stakeholders and residents for ideation. Applying IBM’s Enterprise Design Thinking framework, they used resident pain points and the team’s understanding of

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