How UX Research Shaped Ontario's Vaccine Verification App

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User Research

Usability Testing

Outcomes & Reflections

The Essentials

The year is 2021. Cities around the world are beginning to reopen. But…. Businesses were vulnerable. Manual verification of PDFs meant staff had to interpret medical data on the fly, making them targets for confrontation and leaving owners open to non-compliance penalties.

Enter the Ontario Digital Service to design and build a mobile friendly digital solution to this issue.

Read the article

Who were the users?

Ontario frontline business staff/owners

What was the problem?

High friction and lack of clarity in verifying vaccine status at scale.

What was the solution?

Successfully launched a tool used by millions of Ontarians, directly supporting the safe reopening of the provincial economy.

A QR-scanning mobile app with clear, privacy-first feedback loops.

Successfully launched a tool used by millions of Ontarians, directly supporting the safe reopening of the provincial economy.

A QR-scanning mobile app with clear, privacy-first feedback loops.

What was unique?

Designing for high-stress, in-person environments during a global emergency.

Problems & Opportunities

User Research

Define & Research

Jurisdictional Scan

Identify key features and user flows across the globe
Attempt to understand how the verification app fits into an end-to-end service

Importance of disabling screenshots

One of the team’s highest priorities was protecting individuals’ privacy and their personal health information
Screenshotting prevents an individual's health information being saved without their consent

Screenshotting prevents an individual's health information being saved without their consent

One of the team’s highest priorities was protecting individuals’ privacy and their personal health information

Be mindful of scan result sounds

Sounds for a negative scan could cause onlookers to have a poor sense of that visitor
I conducted a survey of what apps used sounds and recorded them
Significant variance the “emotive” response of the sounds

Sounds for a negative scan could cause onlookers to have a poor sense of that visitor.

I conducted a survey of what apps used sounds and recorded them

Significant variance the “emotive” response of the sounds

🔊 App Sound #1

🔊 App Sound #2

🔊 App Sound #1

Guess which is a positive vs a negative scan!

🔊 App Sound #2

Balance severity of scan results screen

Trying to balance the clarity of scan results and its severity
Aggressive/Bold vs Mild/Subtle
I recommended that our app take an approach in between the two screens on the right

Trying to balance the clarity of scan results and its severity

Aggressive/Bold vs Mild/Subtle

I recommended that our app take an approach in between the two screens on the right

Netherlands

Ireland

Define & Research

General Public Interviews

I interviewed 8 members of the Ontario public to:

Identify their outlook on the current measures in place
Identify any pain points in their user experience

I interviewed 8 members of the Ontario public to:

Identify their outlook on the current measures in place
Identify any pain points in their user experience

Users have mixed awareness of the mandates.

User have mixed awareness of mandates.

Recommendation: The team needs to provide supplementary awareness campaigns and materials

Visitors were unclear on which ones were coming into effect and which businesses are impacted
Recommendation: The team needs to provide supplementary awareness campaigns and materials

Visitors were unclear on which ones were coming into effect and which businesses are impacted
Recommendation: The team needs to provide supplementary awareness campaigns and materials

Visitors were unclear on which ones were coming into effect and which businesses are impacted

Users store their vaccine certs in many different ways.

Users store their vaccine certs in many ways.

Businesses may be challenged by the range of formats that visitors will present vaccine certificates through.
- Photos of printed receipts, PDFs on their phone, Folded print-outs, Laminated cards, Digital wallet.
Recommendation: The scanning app would need to recognize these formats.

Businesses may be challenged by the range of formats that visitors will present vaccine certificates through.
- Photos of printed receipts, PDFs on their phone, Folded print-outs, Laminated cards, Digital wallet.
Recommendation: The scanning app would need to recognize these formats.

Recommendation: The scanning app would need to recognize these formats.

Businesses may be challenged by the range of formats that visitors will present vaccine certificates through.

Photos of printed receipts, PDFs on their phone, Folded print-outs, Laminated cards, Digital wallet.

Sample vaccine receipt from British Columbia, Canada

Define & Research

Business Interviews

16 businesses and 3 associations from the following industries:

theatre and events
gym and fitness
live music
restaurant and fast food
casinos

Businesses had structural concerns related to adoption.

Structural concerns related to adoption.

For example
- They might not have devices for the app
- Some did not see this as efficient enough compared to the current manual process
Recommendation: Speed and efficiency of scans would be required in order for adoption to be maintained

For example
- They might not have devices for the app
- Some did not see this as efficient enough compared to the current manual process
Recommendation: Speed and efficiency of scans would be required in order for adoption to be maintained

They might not have devices for the app

Some did not see this as efficient enough compared to the current manual process

Recommendation: Speed and efficiency of scans would be required in order for adoption to be maintained

Businesses need help with communicating the new normal

Need help with communicating rules

Businesses were frustrated with a confusing mix of requirements and how to communicate these to their customers
Recommendation: The application would need to be supported with FAQ information and outreach on why it is required in certain venues

Businesses may be challenged by the range of formats that visitors will present vaccine certificates through.
- Photos of printed receipts, PDFs on their phone, Folded print-outs, Laminated cards, Digital wallet.
Recommendation: The scanning app would need to recognize these formats.

Businesses may be challenged by the range of formats that visitors will present vaccine certificates through.

Photos of printed receipts, PDFs on their phone, Folded print-outs, Laminated cards, Digital wallet.

Recommendation: The scanning app would need to recognize these formats.

Informational poster I designed at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Validating our assumptions

User Testing

Usability testing at a restaurant in Toronto

The reality of usage would be chaotic. We conducted "Stress-Test" sessions in live venues to identify how environmental factors influenced app adoption and staff confidence.

Music venue/bar
Large music venue
Restaurant

Improved sentiment when the app was put in users hands.

Without the app, it's cumbersome. There are a lot of words on the [vaccination receipt] printouts. There are a lot of things that need to be checked."

Better differentiate between the yellow and red scan results.

Differentiate between yellow and red scans

In both cases they said they would ask to manually inspect the visitor's receipt

When a yellow screen is received they would inspect the receipt however they weren’t confident they would catch a fake.

In both cases they said they would ask to manually inspect the visitor's receipt

When a yellow screen is received they would inspect the receipt however they weren’t confident they would catch a fake.

In both cases they said they would ask to manually inspect the visitor's receipt

When a yellow screen is received they would inspect the receipt however they weren’t confident they would catch a fake.

Technical error with receipt

Does not meet current mandates

How would I redesign these screens in 2026?

Integrated "Help" & Verification Checklist

On the 🟡 yellow screen, include a 3-point verification checklist that appears when the staff scrolls; providing the support directly within the digital workflow at the exact moment it is needed

Improved error messaging detail

Utilize a "Reason Badge" at the top of the details section.

🔴 Red Example: A badge that says [Expired] or [Insufficient Doses]

Desire for improved signage and supporting materials.

Desire for improved signage

Businesses expressed a need for signage that clearly indicates what the results mean for each situation.

🎯 The goal: remind visitors that these are government driven mandates, not from the businesses themselves.

Businesses expressed a need for signage that clearly indicates what the results mean for each situation.

🎯 The goal: remind visitors that these are government driven mandates, not from the businesses themselves.

Businesses expressed a need for signage that clearly indicates what the results mean for each situation.

🎯 The goal: remind visitors that these are government driven mandates, not from the businesses themselves.

These resources were downloaded over 4000 times from Ontario.ca

I designed this poster for businesses communicate the scan results.

How did things go?

Outcomes and Reflections

Outcomes & Reflections

🏃‍➡️Providing Insights on the Fly

🏃‍➡️ Providing Insights on the Fly

Usability issues were immediately socialized on slack with "mini-reports" rather than time intensive slide decks.
This ensured the application was optimized before the provincial mandate took effect.

Examples:

Improving the legibility of visitors’ information which needs to be checked for entry
Flagging to the content team users’ confusion between red and yellow screen

🗺️ Opportunity: Digital Identities

Integrated Digital Governmental ID: Transition the app to hold diverse government-issued credentials (e.g., driver’s licenses, health cards, or professional certifications).
This brings up interesting challenges around data integrations and privacy

Examples:

The UK government is currently working on a comprehensive Digital ID Wallet