Community-Centered User Research for the Development of the WHO's Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Platform, the Hive

Abstract

Each epidemic and pandemic is accompanied by an infodemic. The infodemic during the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented. Accessing accurate information was difficult and misinformation harmed the pandemic response, the health of individuals and trust in science, governments and societies. WHO is building a community-centered information platform, the Hive, to deliver on the vision of ensuring that all people everywhere have access to the right information, at the right time, in the right format in order to make decisions to protect their health and the health of others. The platform provides a safe space for knowledge-sharing, discussion, collaboration, and access to credible information. The Hive platform is an innovative minimum viable product that seeks to leverage the complex information ecosystem and the invaluable role of communities to share and access trustworthy health information during epidemics and pandemics.