Globally, policymakers and public health systems are trying to understand the impact of COVID-19 and plan the next steps in protecting or reopening their communities. To do this, they need information on whether preventive measures, like shelter in place, are working and how the virus is spreading.

We partnered with academic institutions through our Data 4 Good program to prompt people on Facebook to participate in a survey about their health. Having a base of 2.6 billion gives us the unique opportunity to reach people in an unprecedented way of conducting research.

Using the data from the survey, we created a responsive map and website to help policymakers and public health systems, along with researchers and nonprofits, understand COVID-19 in their area so they can make informed decisions about what’s best for their communities.

We positioned the map at the Company level, intending to send surveys across Facebook and Instagram. Protecting privacy was a core component of this research; and worked to strike a balance on how we talked about privacy and where we surfaced privacy statements.

I was brought into this project due to the high-pressure nature of this workstream. I was one of 2 primary designers in a cross-functional team, focused on ensuring usability, shaping the narrative and aligning the site with Meta branding.