Creating the Home of Health Data.
An Accessible, Multilingual, Global Data Hub.
World Health Organization (WHO)
CLIENT
The World Health Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.
BRIEF
WHO commissioned the development of a new World Health Data Hub; a centralised platform designed to revolutionise the management and dissemination of global health data. Kore was engaged to research, architect and design the dissemination aspect, providing a robust, scalable and accessible solution for multilingual data consumption. With a requirement to serve all audiences, the challenge was to create a platform and framework that unified historically fragmented data products under a common experience and harmonised visual language for the first time.
From research and design to development and launch, Kore lead the development of data.who.int, ensuring a platform that is accessible, interoperable, and equitable for users worldwide.
Comprehensive Research and Stakeholder Engagement
Kore began with in-depth stakeholder interviews, analytics analysis, comprehensive SME input and user research, which led to the creation of the WHO Audience Framework for Data Consumption. This framework informed the information architecture (IA), content model architecture, and taxonomies, ensuring the platform was interoperable with regional systems, the primary WHO content website and understandable for its breadth of users.
Design and Development of the WHO Data Design Language
Kore authored the WHO Data Design Language (DDL) in collaboration with global data visualisation expert, Moritz Stefaner, to create a comprehensive toolbox designed to create rich, informative, and accessible data experiences. The DDL includes a chart library, design guidelines, colour and typographic style specifications, and usability guidance for internationalisation (i18n) and accessibility (a11y). This living system was designed to evolve over time, providing a robust foundation for WHO’s data communications across web and other channels.
Launch of the WHO Data Platform - data.who.int
Providing the IA, domain modelling, UX design, and design system creation for data.who.int, Kore built upon the findings of the Audience Framework, product definition documentation and the DDL. The platform was designed to be multilingual, offering support for six languages at launch. We worked closely with WHO operational teams, as well as other vendors in a multivendor environment, to ensure seamless integration with the existing CMS, APIs and data infrastructure.
Tailor-Made Data Visualisation Framework
Together with our partner, 9elements, Kore developed a custom data visualisation framework that meets WHO’s strict requirements for accessibility and data integrity. This framework supports interactive data experiences, allowing users to explore over 2,000 health indicators through customisable charts and widgets. The framework is flexible and extensible, capable of generating content in various formats, including Javascript, HTML, SVG, and pixel-based images.
Focus on Access and Equity
By implementing our Access and Equity Framework, contextualising it to WHO’s needs, we ensured the platform was built for a global audience regardless of location, language, device, impairment, context or connection speed. The DDL and data visualisation framework were designed to be culturally aware, accessible in different contexts, and fully responsive. Features such as inline label placement and responsive typography were implemented to enhance readability and reduce cognitive load for users.
IMPACT
At launch, the website was the first and only enterprise-level website from any UN agency to be available in six languages as standard and meet the UN’s own minimum requirements for multilingualism, setting a new benchmark for accessibility and equity in global health data dissemination.
The WHO Data Design Language and visualization framework provide a standardized approach for data representation. This ensures consistency and interoperability across WHO’s global data products and processes, and has been acclaimed for its approach by industry leaders.
The platform’s user-centric design has improved the accessibility, usability, and actionability of WHO’s health data, empowering policymakers, scientists, and the general public to make informed decisions based on reliable data.
The tailor-made data visualisation framework has resulted in one of the most accessible data visualisation systems in the world, and allows WHO content editors and data curators to create and explore data visualisations easily, making complex datasets more accessible and comprehensible for diverse audiences.
Kore’s work has provided WHO with a durable, scalable foundation for future data-driven initiatives, supporting ongoing efforts to enhance global public health through improved data governance and communication.
Our approach to content structure and hierarchy, combining our SEO expertise, an understanding of the wider subject domain and user motivations, led to consistent first place page rankings in Google and Bing for generic search terms within two months of launch.
First ➊
UN agency enterprise site available as standard in six languages
2 months ⇡
to top global Google and Bing search results with generic user search terms
Top ⏶
One of the most accessible data visualisation systems in the world.
Gallery
