Creating a bilingual, localized glossary for end-of-life-decision-making in borderland communities

Abstract

Recent scholarship puts forth that although designers work carefully to craft, vet, and follow up on health communication, insufficient attention has been given to ways patients and health providers use materials in their own contexts and cultures [1, 2, 3]. While evidence-based practices matter and should continue to factor into medical decisions, many local resources are underutilized [4, 5]. This experience report documents how participatory, community-based User-Experience (UX) [6] was used to inform the design of a glossary to effectively facilitate how bilingual (Spanish and English-speaking) individuals on the Mexico-U.S. border interface with end-of-life (EOL) terminology. The report highlights the importance of expanding the boundaries of health-related communication design beyond single, static, dominant language ideologies. It describes lessons learned relative to UX, localization, language, and interdisciplinary collaboration.