WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA

Commonly aggregated in spreadsheets, data is dependent on dedicated tools to glean insights of triggers and patterns that drive specific behaviors and outcomes. Enriched with layers of related data sets, one begins to create a fuller picture. But this can also render complexities that often discourage readings. To drive decisions that leads to action, dynamic data needs to be presented in an accessible form, giving everyone, from analyst to the general population, a chance to ask the ‘right’ questions; ultimately inspiring all towards enacting real change and transformation.

An Urgent Call To Action

Transforming Big Data
Into Action

Design Principles

Iterative projects benefit from design principles to guide and focus its evolution.

– Make It Simple

– Make Things Open

– Design Digital Services, Not Websites

– Iterate, Then Iterate Again

– Build For Inclusion

The Journey Strategy

The primary audience for PHE’s Longer Lives are local health authorities in each borough in England; specifically high level directors and CEOs who set, budget, and manage health initiatives for their local constituents. But in order to drive discourse about certain issues surfaced with the data, the press and media is key to facilitating people’s (patients, health providers, policy makers) thoughts, experience, and expectation. It was also important to use social media to engage those who will be impacted by any decisions and actions taken by their health authorities to feedback on policy shortcomings and successes.

Visualizing Dynamic Data Sets

Four things dictated how the website and data was going to be graphically represented. (1) Unlike static infographics, data visualization needed to be objective with no illustrative flair to avoid readings that might be mistaken for specific political positions. (2) Being dynamic, it needed to be scalable without compromising its direct simplicity when data sets are expanded or augmented. (3) It had to be quick and familiar in its form so anyone can easily understand it. (4) It needed to be designed within the constraints set by GDS (UK’s Government Digital Service), ensuring safe colors for blindness, scalability, legibility and many others ensuring alignment and compliant for accessibility.

From Insights To Solutions To Action

The core of PHE’s Longer Lives is visualizing complex data in consumable forms. It was also designed and built for successively integrating new data sets (disease categories, demographics, etc.) to get a deeper health picture. But that wasn’t enough to impact change. The underlying proposition of the site was to inspire action, so the experience had to encompass three areas to help achieve this: present rich data relevant to specific boroughs, offer case studies and programs of related health solutions, and provide a forum to facilitate discussion, collaborations, and feedback on a national and local level.

Social Media Playbook: The First 72 Hours

Public Health England’s Longer Lives was vested in conversations on a public level. Leveraging social media to transparently interact with stakeholders and constituents provided a turn-key solution. For a government arm, this sort of thinking was ground-breaking and disruptive. The intent for social media was to establish PHE’s new presence and mandate, publicize its Longer Lives initiative, reach influencers to promote and join the discourse, and to fuel ideas in reducing premature mortality. Social listening was also key in helping shape and validate health policies and initiatives. Within 72 hours of the launch of Longer Lives, results reflected success in meeting its goals.

Real Actions, Real Change In 30 Days

True success is measured by how individual lives are impacted in a positive fashion. Within 30 days of the launch of Public Health England’s Longer Lives, five boroughs in England—Bracknell Forest, Brighton Hove, Chesire East, Cumbria, and Lambeth—began initiatives to immediately confront the rise of early deaths. As PHE’s Longer Lives grows, clear and accessible data will help progress people’s engagement on improving the condition of their health, leading to discourse and debate, while networking ideas and solutions to collectively battle premature mortality.