How to Improve Contact Tracing Apps for Future Public Health Crises

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed both the potential and the limitations of digital contact tracing. The UK’s NHS COVID-19 app, launched as part of the public health response, became a widely discussed case study in how technology, policy, and privacy intersect during a crisis. In her 2022 blog post for the Ada Lovelace Institute, Mevsimler M. reflects on lessons learned and proposes how contact tracing apps can be improved and made more effective for future public health emergencies.

This article summarizes key takeaways from Mevsimler’s analysis, highlighting what worked, what didn’t, and how to move forward with more trustworthy and functional health technologies.

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1. Transparency Builds Public Trust

One of the major themes of the UK experience was a lack of clear communication. Early confusion about how the app worked—especially around privacy and data use—led to public mistrust.

Recommendation:

• Future apps must be transparent by default.
• Clear, accessible explanations of how data is collected, used, and deleted should be provided.
• Use of open-source code and independent audits can strengthen legitimacy.

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2. Privacy Should Be a Feature, Not an Obstacle

The UK app adopted a decentralized, privacy-preserving model, which was more aligned with GDPR and ethical standards. However, there was a public perception that privacy protections came at the cost of effectiveness.

Recommendation:

• Frame privacy as essential to adoption, not a trade-off.
• Design privacy protections in parallel with functionality, not as an afterthought.
• Ensure that privacy-preserving technologies like differential privacy, MPC, or ZKPs are used to enable both security and public utility.

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3. Digital Doesn’t Mean Universal

Despite widespread smartphone use, not everyone has access to or feels comfortable using mobile apps. The UK app risked excluding older adults, people with disabilities, and those without smartphones.

Recommendation:

• Future systems should include hybrid models: paper-based solutions, wearables, or SMS services.
• Conduct inclusive testing to ensure accessibility and usability across demographics.

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4. Integration With Broader Public Health Infrastructure

The NHS app was initially launched as a standalone solution, often poorly integrated with manual contact tracing, testing centers, and healthcare databases. This led to disjointed user experiences and inefficient data flow.

Recommendation:

• Design apps to be part of a larger ecosystem, not isolated tools.
• Enable secure, real-time data sharing with public health authorities (while maintaining privacy).
• Ensure compatibility with other public health systems and protocols.

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5. Public Involvement and Ethical Oversight

The UK public was largely not involved in the development of the app, which may have contributed to suspicion and low engagement.

Recommendation:

• Include citizen panels, public consultations, and multidisciplinary ethics boards in the development process.
• Prioritize co-creation and ethical review to align technical decisions with societal values.

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6. Proactive Evaluation and Iteration

There was no systematic feedback loop for evaluating how the NHS app performed in real time, limiting the opportunity for improvement during its active use.

Recommendation:

• Establish mechanisms for continuous user feedback and iterative development.
• Invest in real-world testing and behavioral science research to understand how people actually use these tools.

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Conclusion: Preparing for the Next Crisis

Mevsimler’s blog post underscores a fundamental shift in how we should approach digital health tools. It’s not just about tech efficiency or epidemiological models, but about building trustworthy, inclusive, and ethical digital systems.

For future public health crises, we must:

• Prioritize privacy and transparency
• Design for equity and accessibility
• Integrate digital tools with human systems
• Engage the public as stakeholders, not just users

Done right, contact tracing apps can be powerful instruments of health protection, not only during pandemics—but as part of a resilient public health future.