Doctor’s Dashboard: Consulting patients online safely and effectively
Refreshing the interface and architecture of the dashboard to remove effort spent navigating usability shortcomings, so doctors can focus on the medicine.
Role
Key designer leading user research execution and reporting, information architecture and user flows, interface design.
Timeline
June – Sept 2022
Doctor’s Dashboard: Consulting patients online safely and effectively
Refreshing the interface and architecture of the dashboard to remove effort spent navigating usability shortcomings, so doctors can focus on the medicine.
Role
Key designer leading user research execution and reporting, information architecture and user flows, interface design.
Timeline
June – Sept 2022
Key research approach
Simulating real consultations to understand the friction between interface and workflow
Our users consist of an internal team of doctors who use the dashboard everyday. They informally share pain points and suggest solutions through work chats.
To get the whole picture from their feedback, I simulated online consultations with patients (read: colleagues) so the doctors could narrate their actions, contextualise how they worked around friction points, and avoid talking about solutions to the interface.
Format
Conducted a total of 35 contextual inquiries and usability interviews throughout the process with power users.
Key research approach
Simulating real consultations to understand the friction between interface and workflow
Our users consist of an internal team of doctors who use the dashboard everyday. They informally share pain points and suggest solutions through work chats.
To get the whole picture from their feedback, I simulated online consultations with patients (read: colleagues) so the doctors could narrate their actions, contextualise how they worked around friction points, and avoid talking about solutions to the interface.
Format
Conducted a total of 35 contextual inquiries and usability interviews throughout the process with power users.
Key friction points
Haphazard scrolling, opening of modals, and jumping between tabs
Overall, the interface and content architecture did not optimise for a doctor's workflow of cross-checking information, engaging with the patient, taking notes, prescribing medication, and updating medical history.
Other common issues
Overlapping generic note fields, mandatory fields during consult, incorrect video dimensions
Key friction points
Haphazard scrolling, opening of modals, and jumping between tabs
Overall, the interface and content architecture did not optimise for a doctor's workflow of cross-checking information, engaging with the patient, taking notes, prescribing medication, and updating medical history.
Other common issues
Overlapping generic note fields, mandatory fields during consult, incorrect video dimensions
How might we improve multitasking during consultation for the actions that matter most?
How might we improve multitasking during consultation for the actions that matter most?
It's crunch time
Getting doctors, product, tech, and business on the same page by bringing everyone along the iterative journey
Our doctors made sure the improvements worked to enhance their practice and workflow. Tech made sure the new design was feasible and stable. Product made sure the dashboard could stand against its roadmap and north star. Business made sure the final product was ready to move into new markets.
Importantly, the effort to collaborate and make sure everyone felt they had a stake in things paid off.
The iterations
We went through 4 major design iterations, 1 round of user interviews, 2 rounds of usability testing, and countless sessions with product, tech, and business.
It's crunch time
Getting doctors, product, tech, and business on the same page by bringing everyone along the iterative journey
Our doctors made sure the improvements worked to enhance their practice and workflow. Tech made sure the new design was feasible and stable. Product made sure the dashboard could stand against its roadmap and north star. Business made sure the final product was ready to move into new markets.
Importantly, the effort to collaborate and make sure everyone felt they had a stake in things paid off.
The iterations
We went through 4 major design iterations, 1 round of user interviews, 2 rounds of usability testing, and countless sessions with product, tech, and business.
Key design solutions
Designed for multitasking and optimal information density
Key design solutions
Designed for multitasking and optimal information density
1.
Content structured following the most common workflow, columns independently scrollable for cross referencing of information in any order.
1.
Content structured following the most common workflow, columns independently scrollable for cross referencing of information in any order.
2.
Secondary navigation to quickly move within the actionable column.
3.
Surfacing most recent medical history by default
3.
Surfacing most recent medical history by default
4.
Straightforward labels for non-medicine related fields.
4.
Straightforward labels for non-medicine related fields.
Reflections
Niche products require strong user research
Tech, business and operations colleagues still doubted design decisions, citing the overloaded interface. By following the research, our doctors loved the final iteration of the dashboard.
Use flexible prototypes with power users
The first, more structured usability test restricted users to comment only on major flows. The second, flexible prototype resulted in users commenting on aspects I did not anticipate and on smaller details too.
Reflections
Niche products require strong user research
Tech, business and operations colleagues still doubted design decisions, citing the overloaded interface. By following the research, our doctors loved the final iteration of the dashboard.
Use flexible prototypes with power users
The first, more structured usability test restricted users to comment only on major flows. The second, flexible prototype resulted in users commenting on aspects I did not anticipate and on smaller details too.
Reflections
Niche products require strong user research
Tech, business and operations colleagues still doubted design decisions, citing the overloaded interface. By following the research, our doctors loved the final iteration of the dashboard.
Use flexible prototypes with power users
The first, more structured usability test restricted users to comment only on major flows. The second, flexible prototype resulted in users commenting on aspects I did not anticipate and on smaller details too.
Next project
Designing for Scale at Singtel.com
Next project
Designing for Scale at Singtel.com
Next project
Designing for Scale at Singtel.com