Here are a few tips on how to achieve a balance and perfectly cover the needs of all parties:
- If we serve the business needs, we’ll create extremely efficient products with all of the financial incentives and rules in place to regulate the users.
- If we service the clinicians, we’ll build tools that make their lives easier but may not serve the business or the patients well.
- If we place patients as our top priority, we’ll likely establish a noble goal that, with careful pursuit, could serve business and clinician interests. However, even this latter goal could result in an extreme imbalance.
Inconsistent design of enterprise products
In healthcare, change isn’t embraced as much as in other industries. Healthcare products often have a strong technical and scientific focus, but they often fail to adequately consider the needs of the individuals involved, including doctors, nurses, and patients.
Moreover, many healthcare organisations have multiple software products from different vendors, resulting in a lack of consistency in terms of user interface and user experience.
- The consequences of inconsistent design systems within enterprise inner products:
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- User confusion – inconsistency in the design system can lead to confusion as users encounter different interfaces and interaction patterns across the inner products. This confusion can negatively impact usability and user experience.
- Inefficient workflows– inconsistent design systems hinder seamless navigation and workflows between inner products. Users may struggle to perform tasks efficiently, resulting in slower and less productive work processes.
- Additional trainings and support – different products require extra trainings and support for before users learn how to use them. This added complexity could result in increased costs for the enterprise when it comes to training resources and ongoing support.
- Development and maintenance challenges – maintaining multiple inner products with inconsistent design systems can pose development challenges and lead to higher support and maintenance costs. Support teams must address unique issues for each product, adding complexity and resource requirements.
- Negative brand perception – inconsistent design across inner products can create a negative perception of the enterprise's brand. Any deviation from the standard may be viewed by users as an indication of incompetence or disregard for precision, ultimately damaging the image and credibility of your organisation.
Lack of data visualization
The design of healthcare systems goes beyond just providing convenience and ease of use for patients and clinical staff. It involves collecting, storing, and managing a vast amount of information, which was previously done manually but has now been automated. However, effectively operating and managing such data remains a significant challenge, even with technology.
Designers can tackle this challenge by employing data visualisation techniques that simplify complex information without compromising accuracy.
- Enhancing healthcare product UX via data visualization – insights from the healthcare providers' viewpoint:
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- Quick and efficient data analysis – data visualisation helps providers analyse complex patient data for faster decision-making and improved care. It also allows reviewers to access care history, identify patterns, and suggest interventions.
- Enhanced data exploration – visualised data enables healthcare providers to interactively explore data, using charts and visualizations to filter, drill down, compare variables, and examine relationships. This interactive exploration helps providers gain deeper insights and discover valuable correlations that impact patient care strategies.
- Improved decision support & efficient management – data visualisation empowers healthcare providers with decision support, helping them identify key indicators, assess patient conditions, monitor treatments, and track progress. It also streamlines workflows, enhances care coordination, and optimizes resource allocation.
Conclusions
Our work in digital health design has been truly eye-opening. Having the opportunity to develop healthcare products that can make a real difference in patients' lives is an incredible honour, but it also comes with its share of challenges, such as lack of research and data visualisation.
To overcome these challenges, healthcare product designers must have a deep understanding of the complex healthcare ecosystem, empathy towards both physicians and patients, involve healthcare providers in the design process, and balance between the requirements of all stakeholders while incorporating the latest trends and technology practices.
