Reaching Communities through the Design of Information Visualizations (ReDIVis) Toolbox for Return of COVID-19 Results (RCR)

Background: The purpose of this study was to reduce COVID-19 health disparities by improving how underserved communities understood and used their diagnostic and antibody test results. Many individuals struggled to interpret test results, which affected their ability to make informed decisions about isolation, medical care, and prevention. The ReDIVis Toolbox for Return of COVID-19 Results aimed to provide clear, culturally aligned, and health-literate infographics that supported comprehension, informed decision-making, and motivated appropriate behaviors.

Materials/Methods: The research team partnered with the Association to Benefit Children and used a mixed-methods design to identify factors that shaped how underserved and vulnerable groups interpreted their test results. Activities included focus groups, interviews, surveys, participatory design sessions, and usability testing. Insights guided the co-creation of infographics that explained SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic and antibody results in English and Spanish. The work drew on a Latino adult research cohort and the Visualization Design Studio of the Precision in Symptom Self-Management Center. The resulting web-based ReDIVis Toolbox included infographics, implementation guides, evaluation materials, and software for creating tailored, culturally congruent visualizations. All activities were informed by seven public health ethics principles and reflected input from community members and RADx-UP partners.

Outcome/Impact: The study improved understanding of how individuals interpret and act on their COVID-19 test results and highlighted common barriers to comprehension in underserved groups. The final ReDIVis Toolbox provided a scalable resource for returning diagnostic and antibody results in a clear and actionable format. The toolbox supported better decision-making around testing, isolation, masking, and vaccination, and offered a model for community-driven communication tools. The toolbox strengthened national capacity to deliver test results that were both accessible and culturally aligned, and broadened generalizability by incorporating feedback from RADx-UP collaborators.