National Council of Cities Health Departments
Who they are
Institutional representative of the municipal management of the Unified Health System in the formulation and agreement of public health policies. They train city managers for the correct application of resources and to improve health care in the brazilian cities. For 30 years they helped to make the Brazilian Unified Health System a reality in the 5,570 Brazilian cities.
Problems
No digital presence and diffuse database, with outdated and mismatched information.
Ex: when accessing the site, it was not possible to identify who was the secretary of Manaus.This kind of information is essential to build the council contact network.
First steps
To create a single, shared database, organizing what was available so far. The information would be centralized by the council, a national entity and would also be available for the state representations of managers. This was very important for their communication. From the database, we would develop products that use this information and keep it updated, starting with the council news portal.
News Portal
They had an underused and outdated website with almost no reach. Together, we redesigned everything from scratch, transforming it into an information portal with diverse content relevant to the daily life of the health manager.
Combined with a good communication strategy, the portal has been gaining more and more relevance nationally and went from almost zero to more than 400 thousand hits per month.
Combined with a good communication strategy, the portal has been gaining more and more relevance nationally and went from almost zero to more than 400 thousand hits per month.
Briefing / Platform
In order for the work to support municipal management of the unifyed health system to be possible, the council works in a network with the state representations of the secretaries.
This dialogue is only possible if there is an efficient exchange of information between the two instances, which is crucial for the good execution of public health policies.
This dialogue is only possible if there is an efficient exchange of information between the two instances, which is crucial for the good execution of public health policies.
Digital communication on the council network was diffused through e-mail, groups, face-to-face meetings and messaging applications.They lacked a reference communication platform where relevant information could be recorded in a safe place for longer lasting consultations and discussions.
User interviews
We interviewed 6 potential users of the platform to understand their behavior, profile and needs that the platform could meet. The main conclusions were as follows:
Most of the users were able to use a new platform that was familiar and intuitive, as they have access to and use applications on a daily basis.
More than one statement about tools that presented impediments or difficulties and that discourage continued use. Very important for the new tool to be simple and easy to use.
We confirmed that a manager's schedule with documents to be delivered, integrated with notifications would be important and would save time and work.
More than one statement about tools that presented impediments or difficulties and that discourage continued use. Very important for the new tool to be simple and easy to use.
We confirmed that a manager's schedule with documents to be delivered, integrated with notifications would be important and would save time and work.
Other insights
The information needs to be centralized on the platform.
Creation of “private” discussion groups that are restricted to a few people, selected by a responsible person.
Content “curators” will be needed, who take care of the type of content, categorizing it to feed into different types of calendars.
A marketing strategy will be necessary not only to attract users but also to keep them using the tool.
User education is very important. In one of the state councils that had a forum, supporters could only discuss through the forum, with few exceptions.
Creation of “private” discussion groups that are restricted to a few people, selected by a responsible person.
Content “curators” will be needed, who take care of the type of content, categorizing it to feed into different types of calendars.
A marketing strategy will be necessary not only to attract users but also to keep them using the tool.
User education is very important. In one of the state councils that had a forum, supporters could only discuss through the forum, with few exceptions.
Desk research
After the briefing and interviews, we searched for similar and open-source tools.
The research was important to evaluate functionalities and even the possibility of using ready-made tools. Reducing costs has always been a concern, in general.
We concluded that for the ecosystem that the council needed and for the necessities of the council, it would be better to create the tool from scratch and that way we would have more control over it. This would mean more work at first, but would save time later on.
The research was important to evaluate functionalities and even the possibility of using ready-made tools. Reducing costs has always been a concern, in general.
We concluded that for the ecosystem that the council needed and for the necessities of the council, it would be better to create the tool from scratch and that way we would have more control over it. This would mean more work at first, but would save time later on.
Journey mapping
After an analysis of the old scenario in the council communication, we started by designing journeys with the main actions of the platform to understand how the features could be used and how the navigation on the platform would take place.
Low fidelity prototype
As the test time was short, the idea was to use as many references as possible of some already known communication tools (eg facebook, whatsapp, twitter and forums).
We made prototypes that were tested and validated with the council team, which represented part of the public that would use the platform, before the launch of the MVP.
High fidelity prototype and usage
The platform was designed as a social network where health managers could discuss specific themes within topics, such as a forum. These debates can be held both nationally and filtered according to each state and cities. This happens because the system was shaped according to the demands of the network formed by the council, the state councils and city managers.
Forums
Forums to encourage discussions between health managers. The forums are primarily divided into national (all states can visualize and can interact) and state (only people from the National Council and the state itself can interact).
This section allows you to create open or private topics, search by term, reply to a fixed post or any of the replies, attach files, insert videos or links, edit or delete comments, view, export and add members to a private topic.
This section allows you to create open or private topics, search by term, reply to a fixed post or any of the replies, attach files, insert videos or links, edit or delete comments, view, export and add members to a private topic.
Educational content
Interactive content for manager training. The first version was released with the main publication of the council, the Municipal Health Manager's Manual.
Allows you to control reading progress, navigate between chapters and search by content term.
Allows you to control reading progress, navigate between chapters and search by content term.
Control
The control section allows, for example, the creation of groups and sending of messages in batch, essential for important announcements of the council. The groups could also be used inside the forum to invite people to a private topic.
Calendar
Editable only by the National Council, it allows two different types of scheduling: the creation of reminders for the delivery of documents related to health management as well as events and manager meetings.
The appointment in the calendar can also be made to appear only to a restricted group of people.
The appointment in the calendar can also be made to appear only to a restricted group of people.
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There are user levels with different access to the platform. In general terms, the council administrators have access to all contents and can edit them. There are assistants responsible for minor accesses and supporters who are responsible for bringing users from their state, following the discussions and bridging the gap with the Council.
Results
The platform has more than 1,500 registered users from all over the country, who help to compose the database related to the network so they can participate in discussions.
The most used sections of the platform are the forums and the control ones. Discussions with pre-defined groups, in private topics, ended up predominating in the forums.
The council has control and can now use the platform to send batch email messages to predefined or customized groups per person.
Our experience with the development of this product would lead us to take a step further to improve the council communication: a system to organize and manage the entity's congress.
The most used sections of the platform are the forums and the control ones. Discussions with pre-defined groups, in private topics, ended up predominating in the forums.
The council has control and can now use the platform to send batch email messages to predefined or customized groups per person.
Our experience with the development of this product would lead us to take a step further to improve the council communication: a system to organize and manage the entity's congress.
Congress System
Another project worth mentioning was a management system that organized their national congress service from end to end, from online registration to on-site event management and post-congress service, with issuance of certificates. It is a broad congress that brings together more than 5 thousand people from all over Brazil, with lectures, activities and exhibitions.I actively participated in the organization of the congress and during it, I took the opportunity to make interviews with the participants and the attendants team (both users of the systems) so we could make it better for the next year.
With integrated communication and custom-made digital systems, the Council was creating a unified communication network and facilitating the exchange of information with the health System managers throughout Brazil.
In addition, now, with its own products, the council reduces costs and has the autonomy to update itself according to new scenarios.
The work done for the Council had impacts both internally and externally to the entity. Those who are part of the council began to feel more important in the work they do. The proactivity, relevance and actuality of the Council performance began to be reflected in the communication and felt by the employees themselves. In the same way, it gained legitimacy among entities in the area and occupied spaces that, until then, had no reach, such as the press.
In addition, now, with its own products, the council reduces costs and has the autonomy to update itself according to new scenarios.
The work done for the Council had impacts both internally and externally to the entity. Those who are part of the council began to feel more important in the work they do. The proactivity, relevance and actuality of the Council performance began to be reflected in the communication and felt by the employees themselves. In the same way, it gained legitimacy among entities in the area and occupied spaces that, until then, had no reach, such as the press.