CDC Chronic disease indicator
Role: UX Research & Design | Challenges: Budget, Tech | Tools Used: Axure
As the Lead UX Designer, I collaborated closely with project managers, developers, and business analysts to redesign and modernize the CDC’s Chronic Disease Indicators application—a vital data visualization tool that provides insights into chronic health trends across the U.S. Given budget limitations, we couldn’t conduct traditional user research, so I led stakeholder interviews and analyzed existing user metrics and interaction data. This alternative approach allowed us to surface key usability pain points and guided us in creating a more intuitive, user-centered experience that aligned with both user needs and project constraints.
+127%
increase in page views
+137%
increase in visits
+211%
increase in search engine referrals
+1 minute
increase in avg time spent on page
(Left) Original CDI Home page, focused on “Explore by Location” and “Explore by Indicator” selection
(Below) Wireframe for CDI Home page without data selection drop-downs
(Top) Final re-designed CDI home page, showing the three types of data visualizations the system offers and allows users to select data without having to enter a different screen.
(Left) An early prototype of the map view. In an effort to ease comparisons and pull out information for the users, we planned to show multiple maps on a page. However, we faced limitations with the technology and had to pivot the screen to a single map per view.
(Left) A prototype of the data selection process inside the data view screen.
(Top) The final version of the indicator selection process - users are prompted to view all available indicators and select which they would like to generate.
Research
With a limited budget, we replaced traditional user interviews with in-depth stakeholder conversations and analysis of user metrics. From these, we uncovered three major problems:
Users were overwhelmed upon entering the home page due to an overload of options
The UI wasn’t clear on what kinds of visualizations would be available upon clicking
Metrics also revealed that essential features were buried in the UI—so much so that users weren’t even aware they existed. Instead, they stuck to whatever was immediately visible, even if it meant missing out on more powerful or relevant functionality.
Ideation
During the ideation process, I spearheaded the push for a more intuitive, visual-first approach, advocating for clearer data previews and ensuring technology constraints didn’t limit usability.
The original home page pointed users to data and used terminology that was difficult to understand without a deep prior knowledge of the system. Working closely with stakeholders and developers, we crafted design solutions focused on clarity and control. Our new approach visually previewed the types of charts and insights users could generate with CDI. This gave them an immediate understanding of what was possible with this new system.
Technology limitations
The original wireframe for the home page asked users to select the visualization they’d like to see before redirecting them to the next page. This was because, while the system was being built as a custom REACT application, the home page stood on the CDC’s wordpress-enabled website and we were unsure if it would be able to handle custom, data-driven drop-downs that led users to the correct information. Once I confirmed with the stakeholders that this was a priority for them, I met with the development team and confirmed this was possible. We were able to use other sites as reference and developed custom javascript to run this part of the system.
Surfacing Data
We also redesigned the data selection process. The original system auto-selected indicators and proceeded to hide the indicator selectors, which left users unaware of what else was available. Our solution: surface all available indicators up front, giving users full control and visibility over the data they wanted to explore. Users are now prompted to read through the list and select the indicators that they want to generate data for.
a successful design
While we weren’t able to conduct formal usability testing due to continued budget constraints, feedback from stakeholders and users has been overwhelmingly positive. The redesigned home page has made it easier for users to understand what the app can do, and the new data selection interface has empowered them to explore more confidently. Although minor refinements are still needed for smoother indicator selection, a noticeable uptick in page views and overall engagement suggests the redesign hit the mark.
Before: Essential features were buried, leading to under-utilization.
After: Surfacing indicators up front improved discoverability.
Before: Users felt overwhelmed upon entry.
After: A preview-based "show" approach improved orientation.
Although usability testing was constrained by budget, stakeholder feedback and improved metrics confirm the redesign significantly improved discoverability and engagement. Moving forward, continued refinements in indicator selection and deeper user testing would ensure long-term success.