Putting users at the heart of design
In the world of animal and plant health surveillance, tools that help users make sense of complex pathogen and genetic relationship data are essential for rapid disease detection and effective disease control.
Recently, our team set out to transform how APHA staff and partners interact with genomic data by applying user-centred design (UCD) to two key platforms: ViewBovis and GenAPP. This resulted in clearer visualisations, streamlined workflows, and tools that genuinely reflect the daily needs of those managing disease in the field and in the lab.
Setting ourselves up for success: active listening and reiteration
The first step in understanding our users’ needs was simple: talk to them.
Our users span veterinarians, field operatives, bioinformaticians, epidemiologists and policy officials—each interacting with genomic data under time pressure and in high-stakes environments.
Over several months, we conducted interviews, surveys and usability testing sessions with these groups, gathering insight into the challenges they faced when working with complex sequencing and movement data.
One piece of feedback that significantly shaped ViewBovis came from veterinarians using the platform during Bovine TB surveillance. While we initially designed a broad set of functionalities, user testing revealed that vets needed a far more streamlined interface, one that aligned with field workflows and reduced the cognitive load when interpreting spread patterns.
We simplified the interface, reduced unnecessary steps, and improved accessibility in the field. These changes not only enhanced usability but made the tool more effective for real-world decision-making.
We used Agile Delivery principles throughout, enabling rapid adjustments and continuous refinement. Usability testing cycles of prototypes allowed us to evolve the platforms alongside shifting requirements, ensuring the tools remained relevant and grounded in lived user experience.
Fostering a multi-stakeholder approach
Work like this rarely happens in a silo – we collaborated with a broad range of stakeholders across government agencies, research organisations and end-users to make our vision a reality. Here are some lessons we learned along the way:
Reaching out: we engaged stakeholders early, inviting them to help shape the design from the ground up. By involving them before prototypes were built, we ensured their needs were not just “checked” but embedded in the foundation of each tool.
Feedback comes in various forms: we facilitated stakeholder workshops targeting specific needs as well as distinct user group sessions for hands-on testing of prototypes. This enabled us to align on our goals in an interactive way. Feedback never stops; it’s an ongoing cycle that keeps the tools grounded in reality.
Empowering our users: we provided bespoke training sessions and materials to make sure that our users understood how to use the tools, which reduced misinterpretation and improved user adoption. This saved time and significantly improved take-up of the tools, bolstering their value.
Our biggest lesson was that designing for genomics requires balancing scientific complexity with user clarity, and the only way to achieve this is to involve users at every step.
Results that count
Engaging in this process has brought us closer than ever to meeting our users’ needs. We’ve gained feedback on improved usability and higher impact across our platforms’ visualisations, as well as a scalable design for both platforms which ensure they’re adaptable for the future.
The experience of combining data science and user-centred design principles has demonstrated how complex data sets can be presented in more intuitive ways, putting the user at the centre of our work, and supporting vital decision making.
Ultimately, this work helps frontline teams make faster, clearer decisions that protect animal and plant health across the UK, while contributing directly to public health strategies and influencing policy. By putting users at the centre, we’ve created a design approach that will shape the next generation of data science tools at APHA and beyond, setting a benchmark for how data science tools can serve users across public health and research.
If you’d like to learn more about our processes, read our case study on the Analysis Function website, or get in touch at statisticsenquiries@apha.gov.uk.
Hira Naveed, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)