The client.
Patients First is a hypothetical government-led initiative aimed at improving healthcare for patients. As it was a 2 week project, our final product was intended to be presented in Mid-Fidelity.
Timeline
2 weeks
My Role
UX Researcher
UX Designer
UI Designer
The Problem
Each year in Canada, there are over
2,700,000 avoidable ER visits
Over 46% of all visits to Canadian Emergency Rooms (ERs) were for medical conditions that could have been treated in a family practice or another alternative care setting.
😩
but why?
Let's find out!
I conducted interviews with my target users to learn about their pain points, motivations and behaviours in their experience with the ER.
Participants
Young Adults
25-35 years old
Format
1 to 1 in Person
Video Call via Zoom
Kyle
Lynn
Hannah
“I don’t know how to really define what would be considered ‘serious’.”
One theme stood out from the others.
Canadians are not equipped with the necessary knowledge or tools to accurately identify their medical conditions, and determine the appropriate next steps for seeking medical care.
So who is our target user?
Haus is an avid young photographer who’s currently only covered by public health insurance. She is a user persona created from the interview insights I received.
Frustrations
Doesn’t want to waste time at ER for something potentially minor, but would rather be safer than sorry
They don't know what type of care is needed for undiagnosed ailments is frustrating
Goals
Desires resources and people she can trust
Wants more confidence in knowing where and how to seek appropriate care
Understanding Haus helps us empathize with 2,700,000 Canadians each year with potentially avoidable ER visits.
How might we empower Canadians with the knowledge and confidence they need to seek the most appropriate care for their medical conditions so that we can reduce avoidable ER visits and enhance overall patient experience?
Considering people like Haus
Knowing that Haus tends to be safer than sorry, and often doesn't know what type of care they need, I decided on an appropriate solution.
Getting a Diagnosis
As an undiagnosed person, I want to input my symptoms so that I can know where and how if necessary to seek medical care.
Let's grab our pen and paper!
These solution sketches were the foundation for my design.
Home
Searching
Details
Call Screen
Version 1
Home
Searching
Details
Call Screen
Makes sense to me! But what about unbiased people?
The Situation
Imagine you have been experiencing some discomfort in your ear today. Your ear has been really itchy, it’s been a little difficult to hear, and you feel a faint fever coming.
How would you go about getting a diagnosis?
🤒👂
Improving the experience.
I created a Design Matrix to prioritize usability improvements based on their impact on user experience relative to effort.
The 5 most effective changes
These items provide the greatest impact on usability and user experience relative to the effort required.
Most changes were focused on one screen in particular.
“I was scared to press it.”
- Tester 1
Ear Infection Screen
Issues
Testers were very hesitant to tap on the Video button
Testers were unsure of what the Chat and Video button would do
Testers believed tapping on video button would instantly bring them into a video call
Solution
Changing the Video icon to a Call icon would reduce intimidation and hesitance that testers felt
Labels were added to the Chat and Call button to provide more clarity to what tapping these buttons would do
A large “Join Waiting Room” button also alleviates hesitance about what will happen when tapping the Call button
Features that will empower Canadians
Input your symptoms
Your feed will contain posts that contain two sides to the story
Preliminary Diagnosis
Cultivate a story that shows more to the story than what someone first sees
Call a Doctor
Be a part of the community that you want to foster greater authenticity in!
Each year, Patients First will save Canadians and hospitals over
2,700,000 avoidable ER visits
What's next?
🎨 Color Injection and Hi-Fi!
The functionality has been tested and iterated. Now all that's left is to consider branding and the hi-fidelity design as I move into creating the MVP of Patients First.
❓ How will privacy work?
As this was a 2 week timeline, there are definitely a lot of unanswered questions and edge cases to consider. What type of verification and security would Patients First need to be used safely and securely by both patients and medical professionals?
Thanks for reading!
