We have been dealing with COVID-19 in the Netherlands since March 2020, and have already had three outbreaks resulting in lockdowns. In 2021, the House of Representatives did not want another outbreak after summer. For that reason, a legislative amendment was prepared that would make quarantine mandatory after returning from a high-risk area. To verify that obligation, a quarantine declaration was devised that had to be filled out by travellers.

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport asked for a party that could lead a design process within a complex and political organisation and cooperation. TD was asked to coordinate this process with all partners, being VWS, Justice, the security regions, the major carriers and the municipalities. Both the process and the means of controlling the quarantine declaration had to be designed, as did its enforcement.

Within five weeks, both the digital and print versions of the quarantine declaration had been designed and tested through user research. Its implementation had also been prepared and the process of monitoring and enforcement mapped out. Starting in April, this implementation was carried out by VWS itself. TD remained involved and assisted in the communication, translation and accessibility of the print version of the declaration and devised a Quarantine Service Point (QSP), for help from all partners. The entire process, including bill development and implementation was completed in 4 months and thus early summer 2021.

It didn’t take long for a new problem to arise. The vaccination campaign – led by RIVM – was in full swing. It was conducted in age cohorts. However, not everyone was getting vaccinated, and by June 2021 all ages had been covered. A follow-up strategy was requested. This was found in a new narrative “Every injection counts” and a platform prikkenzonderafspraak.nl. The idea turned out to be as simple as it was effective. It became the central narrative and platform from the government, emphasised in the press conference by Minister De Jonge. It was also a first successful integration between all vaccination sites of all regional GGDs with VWS together.

https://prikkenzonderafspraak.rijksoverheid.nl/en​​​​​​​

Hereafter, several design tasks were thus addressed, such as reaching groups that were not reached based on data research. Also, after a singleminded belief in vaccination, communication and services were opened up more to people who doubt vaccination through overvaccineren.nl. 

Currently – October 2022 – TD is leading a strategic collaboration process to achieve greater alignment of all services between RIVM, VWS and GGD/LCCB. A first result is the central counter MijnVraagOverCorona.nl that was launched before the summer recess. Intended result of the strategic trajectory is better Corona services to citizens.

In the wireframes below, you can see how we started with the old website flow and where the opportunities were to integrate the standalone websites within the platform. A good example of this is the implementation of prikkenzonderafspraak.nl. Previously, users had to navigate from the VWS website to PZA. In the new design, users can access services from any service provider within the same platform.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were continuous changes in regulations. During this period, it was crucial to constantly check if the website flows were still in line with the new guidelines. Below are some examples of interim updates for various flows, such as the isolation check, travel check, and vaccination check:

Isolation check: The isolation check flow was adjusted to comply with the latest guidelines for home isolation, providing clear steps and information for users who needed to quarantine.

Travel check: The travel check flow was regularly updated to keep travelers informed about current travel restrictions and requirements, such as testing requirements and quarantine measures at different destinations.

Vaccination check: The vaccination check flow was continuously updated to inform users about available vaccination centers, vaccination times, and the latest information on COVID-19 vaccination.

Thanks to the efforts of our team, users were able to quickly and easily access essential information and services in one central location during this uncertain period, making a valuable contribution to the fight against the pandemic.