Redesigning Public Health Access in Rural Colorado

Role: UX Researcher | Timeline: Aug 2019 – May 2020

Team: Solo researcher with faculty advisor

Methods: Mixed-methods research, interviews, contextual inquiry, ethnographic observation, co-creation, journey mapping, service blueprinting

Huerfano County is a rural community in Southern Colorado. The county’s public health department needed to redesign its facility and service model to better meet the needs of residents facing geographic isolation, limited resources, cultural barriers, and chronic health disparities.

I led a 10-month end-to-end UX research initiative to understand how residents access public-health services, identify systemic and behavioral barriers, and surface service design opportunities that could guide future facility planning.

The goal: Create a research-backed understanding of the community’s needs and translate insights into actionable design recommendations for a new public-health facility and service delivery model.

My Role

I served as the UX Researcher, responsible for:

Research planning & scoping
Fieldwork & contextual inquiry
Semi-structured interviews
Ethnographic + behavioral observation
Community co-creation workshops
Data analysis & synthesis
Communicating insights to leadership
Delivering personas, journey maps, service blueprints, and recommendations

Research Questions

I framed the study around the following questions:

How do residents currently navigate public-health services?
What behavioral, environmental, and systemic barriers limit access?
How do cultural and trust-related factors influence engagement?
What services, spaces, and resources do residents need but lack?
Where are the highest-impact opportunities for future redesign?

Methods

To uncover a complete picture of the community’s needs, I applied a multi-modal research approach:

Participatory Methods

Community co-creation workshops
Rapid concept prototyping
Moderated usability testing of early ideas

Synthesis Activities

Affinity mapping
Insight clustering
Journey mapping
Service blueprinting
Behavioral pattern analysis
Prioritization frameworks

Qualitative Methods

Semi-structured interviews
Ethnographic field visits
Contextual inquiry in clinics, libraries, homes, and service centers
Community stakeholder interviews
Shadowing staff
Behavioral observation (ABA techniques)

Participants

18 community members (ages 19–79)
Older adults, caregivers, teachers, low-income families, bilingual residents
3 public-health staff
3 community advocates

Process

Step 1: Scoping & Field Engagement

I partnered with local leaders to define research goals and began immersing myself in community spaces — including town halls, health clinics, and local gathering spots.

Step 2: Interviews & Contextual Inquiry

I conducted interviews and observed how residents accessed, scheduled, and navigated health services.
ABA principles informed how I documented behaviors, contextual triggers, and environmental barriers.

Step 3: Synthesis & Framework Building

Using affinity mapping and thematic analysis, I identified cross-cutting patterns around access, trust, and system breakdowns.

Step 4: Co-Creation Workshops

Residents helped generate ideas for improved services and facility layouts. Their lived experiences shaped early prototypes.

Step 5: Concept Testing

I facilitated moderated feedback sessions to evaluate concepts such as service flow, waiting-room design, outreach materials, and scheduling improvements.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse