John Hay
John Hay Biomedical
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Mon, Dec 7, 2026Fall (Semester 1) · Week 16Day 68 of 7580-min block

Public-health design project

Today's target

Student teams design a usable public-health communication app for a surge scenario.

Due today · Pre-lab Required

Team deliverable: two user personas, a prioritized feature list, a low-fidelity wireframe of two screens, and a written usability check plan with one stated limitation.

Your 4 steps today
  1. 1
    Do this
    Student teams design a usable public-health communication app for a surge scenario.
  2. 2
    Use this resource
    Open the posted files in the Resources section below
  3. 3
    Submit this
    Pre-lab: Team deliverable: two user personas, a prioritized feature list, a low-fidelity wireframe of two screens, and a written usability check plan with one stated limitation.
  4. 4
    Submit it here
    1. 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
    2. 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
    3. 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
    4. 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
    The file to submit is named: Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science) › Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept. › Pre-lab
    Open Schoology
Were you absent? Jump to the make-up plan
Open PLTW / submit on Schoology Guided notes PDF If you were absent
AgendaPLTW WorkDaily TrackerResourcesVocabularyWebXamCareersAbsentExtra Credit
Where this fits
Tested on (Ohio WebXam)
Principles and Practice of Biomedical Technology · 072110
PLTW lesson
PBS · Public-health design project
WebXam domain
Biotechnology Research and Experiments
Evidence to produce
Pre-lab
Quick glossary
CER:
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
SOP:
Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
Tracker:
Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
myPLTW:
The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Learn first

Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block

💡 Big idea: User-centered design starts with who the user is and what they need: a wireframe that ignores personas is design fiction, not design.

  1. 0-8 minAgree on the user-centered design SOP the team will follow today.
  2. 8-20 minDefine target user groups (age, tech comfort, language, surge context); list variables shaping their needs.
  3. 20-38 minDraft two user personas: name, context, goals, and top three pain points each.
  4. 38-52 minBuild prioritized feature list: rank by persona urgency, not team preference.
  5. 52-68 minBuild low-fidelity wireframe for two key screens (home and alert screens).
  6. 68-80 minWrite usability check plan; state one design data limitation.
Mr. Mendoza's 5-minute intro
  • • Today you are a UX design team hired to solve a real public-health communication crisis.
  • • Your personas are your design constraints: every feature you add must trace back to a persona need.
  • • The wireframe is a testable artifact, not a sketch: someone should be able to navigate it without your help.
  • • The usability check plan tells you how you would know if the design actually works for real users.
Do this, step by step
  1. 1Record the SOP for the user-centered design cycle the team will follow.
  2. 2Define the target users and the variables that shape their needs.
  3. 3Draft user personas and a prioritized feature list for the app.
  4. 4Build a low-fidelity wireframe addressing key surge information needs.
  5. 5Plan a usability check and note one limitation of the design data.
You'll be able to
  • • Team produces personas and a wireframe grounded in user needs.
  • • Plan a usability check and state one limitation.
Know by the end
  • • A user persona is a realistic composite of a target user group: it names goals, pain points, and technology comfort level.
  • • A prioritized feature list ranks features by how directly each one addresses a persona's highest-urgency need.
  • • A low-fidelity wireframe shows information hierarchy and navigation flow without committing to visual style.
📺 Tutor me: Usability.gov: Usability Testing
Do the work

Your PLTW work today

Open this PLTW section today

Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept. · Public-health design project

Day 3 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.

Do this: Open myPLTW and locate the Lesson 3.3 Information Sharing design or user-centered design activity. Use the platform guidelines to align your persona and wireframe work.

Complete

Submit any platform prompts related to design process before end of period.

How far to get

Platform prompts completed; personas and wireframe substantially done before the bell.

Upload as evidence

Team personas and wireframe (shared document) plus platform submission.

All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.

The plan

Today's PLTW tracker

Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.

Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.

Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept.Day 3 of this projectSee the full week plan
Today's PLTW target

Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept. · Public-health design project

Open myPLTW and locate the Lesson 3.3 Information Sharing design or user-centered design activity. Use the platform guidelines to align your persona and wireframe work.

Platform prompts completed; personas and wireframe substantially done before the bell.

This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.

1 · What you do today

🎯 Student teams design a usable public-health communication app for a surge scenario.

  • Record the SOP for the user-centered design cycle the team will follow.
  • Define the target users and the variables that shape their needs.
  • Draft user personas and a prioritized feature list for the app.
  • Build a low-fidelity wireframe addressing key surge information needs.
  • Plan a usability check and note one limitation of the design data.
2 · Turn in today

Pre-lab: Team deliverable: two user personas, a prioritized feature list, a low-fidelity wireframe of two screens, and a written usability check plan with one stated limitation.

Submit on Schoology

Upload by 11:29 PM for full credit.

Where to find it
Open the posted files in the Resources section below
3 · Who's doing what (team)
TaskWho
Record the SOP for the user-centered design cycle the team will follow._______
Define the target users and the variables that shape their needs._______
Draft user personas and a prioritized feature list for the app._______
Build a low-fidelity wireframe addressing key surge information needs._______
Plan a usability check and note one limitation of the design data._______

Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.

4 · Words I can use correctly
5 · I'm successful today when I can…
  • Team produces personas and a wireframe grounded in user needs.
  • Plan a usability check and state one limitation.
6 · Reflection & next steps
Where are you today?0/7 checked
Pick your period and code first.
Explore

Resources & readings

Hand-picked materials for this lesson. Class file items open the document directly; the rest are vetted readings and interactives from other biomedical programs.

Office of Readiness & Response, medical surge & coordinationReadingCDC ORROpen Public emergency preparedness (for a public-health app)ReferenceReady.govOpen
Words

This unit's vocabulary

surge capacitymobile carepublic healthsurveillancecommunicationusability

Tap the speaker to hear a term. Weekly vocabulary task: add two of these terms to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.

Check yourself

WebXam practice

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
When presenting surveillance data to decision-makers, what makes a data display most usable?
Surge-staffing should be increased based on which evidence?
Why must surveillance data shared across a hospital protect patient privacy?
Check yourself

Cumulative WebXam review

A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
[Review: Nosocomial Nightmare: the chain of infection and how to break it] During plating, why is a face shield considered user PPE rather than sample PPE?
[Review: Outbreak Evidence: line lists, epidemic curves, and identifying the agent] To confirm the causative agent of a foodborne outbreak, what evidence is most definitive?
[Review: Emergency Response: assessment, triage, and stabilization] A solution at pH 2 must be made safe for disposal. What target pH should you aim for?
When presenting surveillance data to decision-makers, what makes a data display most usable?
Explore

Where this leads — careers

What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.

Forensic Science TechnicianCollect and analyze physical evidence to answer medical and legal questions.Medical ExaminerDetermine cause of death using autopsy, lab work, and case evidence.Clinical Laboratory TechnologistRun the lab tests that diagnose disease from blood and tissue samples.EpidemiologistTrack how diseases spread and design ways to stop outbreaks.
Safety net

What to do if you were absent

Today was a project — do this instead

Group public-health design project: teams build personas, a prioritized feature list, and a wireframe for a surge communication app, then plan a usability check.

Usability.gov: User-Centered Design

Then submit your Pre-lab on Schoology.

If MR. MENDOZA is absent

Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:

Ready.gov Emergency Preparedness
Explore

Optional extra credit (async)

You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home (virtual labs included) for extra credit, all submitted on Schoology.

Open the extra-credit track
How this is graded
For: Pre-lab — Team deliverable: two user personas, a prioritized feature list, a low-fidelity wireframe of two screens, and a written usability check plan with one stated limitation.
  • Complete
    Every required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
  • Accurate
    The science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
  • Scientific reasoning
    You explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
  • Professional communication
    Clear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
  • Submitted
    Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Submission Zone

Drop your Mon, Dec 7, 2026 · Public-health design project here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).

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