Enhance Digital Healthcare for All: The Importance of Intuitive Design
It’s no secret that the patient healthcare journey has its share of difficulties, harboring feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. In my younger days, I was a long-term patient well acquainted with endless diagnostic testing and frustratingly brief interactions with doctors. During this time, I often felt overwhelmed by the continuous stream of medical records and powerless over the outcome of my experience. However, I was not alone. According to the CDC and National Health Council, over 83% of Americans make annual visits to a doctor, and more than 40% of the total US population suffers from chronic disease.
Determined to take my healthcare journey into my own hands, I organized a thorough system in Excel to help keep track of my records. I could better monitor my symptoms, test results, and appointments with all my patient information in one place. I finally felt a sense of control over my health, a feeling that would only grow as I continued to take charge of my healthcare experience. Today, we are living in a new era of healthcare with vast technological improvements – digital healthcare is more accessible than ever. With healthcare being one of the world’s largest and most vital industries, properly leveraging technology has genuine lifesaving power. We’ve come a long way from Excel charts and analog data input, but there’s still more progress to be made, specifically in improving the digital healthcare experience for patients.
Intuitive UX design considers the needs of all demographics, ensuring that the digital experience is accessible for all patients, regardless of age, income, or experience with technology. Patient-centric UX design can improve lives and positively impact a patient’s mental and emotional experience while navigating their health. When done effectively, it improves access to medical professionals, remote monitoring, and educational tools. However, patients aren’t the only ones affected by UX design.
While healthcare providers are our greatest allies, their ability to focus on our individual needs and care is often overshadowed by their operational responsibilities. According to Medscape’s Annual Physician Compensation Report, doctors spend an average of 15.6 hours per week on paperwork and administrative tasks. One might think that adopting digital healthcare and offering telehealth services can alleviate a physician’s burden, it frequently results in additional time spent addressing inquiries, completing supplementary paperwork, and experiencing increased stress due to suboptimal user experience (UX) design.
How can we improve digital healthcare experiences while simultaneously improving patient outcomes? Intuitive user experience.
By leveraging intuitive and thoroughly tested digital healthcare systems, physicians can streamline their operations, freeing up valuable time to dedicate to patient care. At the same time, it provides patients access to personal health records and vital information that promotes informed interactions with healthcare providers.
The 10Pearls Approach
At 10Pearls, our process begins with extensive research – this includes stakeholder interviews and user-based discovery methodologies such as user scenarios and user journey mapping. After understanding the users’ needs and pain points, we move into wireframing and prototyping, where we ideate the best possible solutions before sending out prototypes for testing and feedback. The design process is constantly evolving, just as the needs of users change with advancements in digital healthcare.
To put it simply, inclusive and effective UX design in digital healthcare not only enhances the experience for patients and healthcare providers but also holds the potential to save lives. At 10Pearls, we draw inspiration from the stories of individuals who have faced challenges in navigating digital healthcare. These experiences serve as guiding lights, empowering us to develop digital solutions that can truly improve the quality of life for patients.
Contact us if you’d like to have a consultation to learn more about how we can help you provide a more positive digital healthcare experience for your patients.
