The document discusses the development of a mobile app called 'Solve the Outbreak' by the CDC, aimed at educating users about public health through engaging, game-like content. It targets a broad audience including teens and public health enthusiasts, utilizing plain language and clear interactions to enhance user experience. Key features include fictional outbreak scenarios based on real events, integrating epidemiological concepts, and a rewarding point system to encourage user participation.

1. Mobile User Experience &
Solve the Outbreak
Office of the Director
Division of News and Electronic Media
Electronic Media Branch (EMB)
Division of News and Electronic Media (DNEM)
Office of the Associate Director for Communications (OADC)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
February 27,2013

2. CDC Mobile Applications
CDC Main App CDC Framework
http://www.cdc.gov/mobile/mobileapp.html

3. CHALLENGE:
Develop a NEW app that is engaging and fun to
educate users about CDC and its mission.
CDC is the nation's health protection agency,
working 24/7 to protect America from health
and safety threats,both foreign and domestic.
CDC increases the health security of our nation.

4. CDC’s Disease Detectives
CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers are elite global
health sleuths that respond 24/7 to emerging threats and
disease outbreaks.

5. Inspiration: Disease Detective Camp
Exposes students to epidemiology, the field of
public health and the diverse career
opportunities within the field of public health.

6. Inspiration: Classroom simulations
 30+ page simulations
 3-4 hours to complete
 Group-based / team-based exercises
 Prerequisite in epidemiology or outbreak training

7. Goals of Solve the Outbreak
• Let users be the disease detective and solve the outbreak.
• Present fictional outbreaks (based on real-life events) with
clues in the same way that CDC’s disease detectives would
approach an outbreak.
• Integrate key epidemiological concepts along with new terms
and definitions.
• Make it fun!

8. Targeted Audiences
In initial design discussions, we labeled our audience.
PUBLIC HEALTH NERDS
In the end, we marketed
the app to:
Teens, young adults, and
public health nerds of all
ages.

9. Key User Experience Decisions
• Plain Language: Content had to be in easy to understand
• Tone: Casual, humorous (where appropriate), fun
• Design: Cool, science-y, and cutting edge
• UX: Interactions had to be clear, yet game-like
• Game Psychology: Badges / point system / achievements had
to be rewarding and something users would want to share

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27. Plain Language
• All content was written by non-scientists, with extensive
review & clearance by subject matter experts.
• All content went through a rigorous plain language review (all
content written at 7th grade level or below).
• Content for definitions came from the Learner’s Dictionary.

28. Content
This is an example
of the “before”
content. Using
scientific and highly
technical journal
articles, we had to
create content that
was user-friendly.

29. Tone
Fun, humorous, casual

30. Design
Inspiration from
Minority Report

31. UX: Interaction
Interactions had to be
clear, yet game-like
Example: Pulsating orbs to
navigate outbreaks (although a
list of outbreaks would have
been more intuitive, it wouldn’t
have had the same game-like
feel)

32. UX: Early Flows for Content

33. UX: Interaction Specification

34. UX: User Testing
• Guerilla testing
• Informal (although we
had a very detailed
moderator’s guide)
• Two rounds
• Tested interactions
• Tested point systems
• Results quickly delivered
and integrated into
designs

35. Lessons Learned:
What Worked Well
• Desired user experience (cool, hip,
game-like, fun) drove content, design
and development decisions
• Flexible team who worked very
closely together (daily meetings)
• Support of management/leadership
for something new and interesting

36. Lessons Learned:
What Could be Improved
• Content clearance process was
much more tedious and drawn-out
than was expected.
• Sometimes challenging to write
content, create designs and
develop the app simultaneously
• Not enough time for formal user
testing (now scheduled for late
March or early April)

37. In One Week:
• STO quickly moved up Education
category and made it as high as
#13.
• More than 10,000 downloads.
• 32 ratings, 5-Star Average
• 7,320 SM posts reference STO
• Potential reach 24 Million

39. Reviews from iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/solve-the-outbreak/id592485067?mt=8

40. NPR
“iPad app that lets you solve disease puzzles
— a kind of CDC CSI .”
“The gamelike app didn't disappoint. It's
slick, polished and pleasing edu-tainment.”
“After downloading the app, I immediately
solved all three outbreaks. And I craved
more.”
“It was fun. And even though I feel like I live
and breathe infectious diseases as a global
health reporter, I learned something from
the puzzles.”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/22/172693947/contagion-on-the-
couch-cdc-app-poses-fun-disease-puzzles

41. ABC News
“The game is the CDC’s latest attempt to
use pop culture to entice the public to
prepare for a major outbreak.”
“This morning over coffee, I worked
through the outbreak of a stomach bug
among kids on a school trip. It took me
back to the days when I was a disease
detective for the CDC. This is a great
way for people to learn a bit about how
diseases are spread and how the CDC
goes about solving outbreak mysteries.”
– Dr. Richard Besser
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/02/20/cdc-turns-from-
zombies-to-outbreak-ipad-app/

42. Mashable
“Now, a new game from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention takes the
armchair epidemiology to a whole new
level.”
http://mashable.com/2013/02/23/cdc-app-
disease/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaig
n=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

43. Questions?
Alex Casanova
CDC Innovations Lead
buq3@cdc.gov
Sharon McAleer
CDC UX Lead
zoo0@cdc.gov
Cari Wolfson
UX Contractor
cariwolfson@usabilityfocus.com