Public Health Data Dashboard Design (PH3D) Project

Public health data dashboards have a significant potential to support sound public health policies and practices because they appeal to a diverse range of users, including policymakers, public health professionals, health care providers, community leaders, and advocates. As use of public health data dashboards becomes more ubiquitous, it is imperative to proactively consider how such tools may be optimally integrated with data systems and the decision-making routines of key stakeholders to improve actionability.

This project aims to advance theory, research, and practice regarding the future design, implementation, and evaluation of actionable public health data dashboards by systematically mapping and analyzing the current landscape of national public health data dashboards in the U.S. To accomplish this goal, the project utilizes mixed methods research, including (1) a comprehensive scoping review of the interdisciplinary literature on public data dashboards, (2) theory-grounded coding and analysis of U.S. public health data dashboards, and (3) a survey and key-informant interviews with creators of national public health data dashboard. The primary objective of the project is to unpack the data architecture infrastructure (i.e., models, policies, rules, and standards that govern decisions regarding what data are collected and how data are stored, arranged, integrated, and used), design elements (functional, visual, and experiential), and funding mechanisms that can improve the actionability and sustainability of public health data dashboards moving forward.

Support for this research project is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.