Equity-Oriented Design Processes and Evaluation of Digital Health Technologies for Black Communities Beyond Usability: Scoping Review

This scoping review examines the application of equity-oriented design approaches in digital health technologies (DHTs) for Black communities, revealing an increase in related publications over the past 5 years, primarily in the U.S. The review included 34 studies, with HIV prevention or management as the most common focus and mobile apps as the primary technology. User-centered and human-centered design approaches were prevalent, but few studies explicitly evaluated digital health equity beyond usability or feasibility. The review highlights the need for consistent integration of equity metrics in the design process and suggests leveraging frameworks like the digital determinants of health (DDoH) to maintain equity focus. Five recommendations were proposed to standardize the design lifecycle for meaningful DHT design for Black communities.