Pre-Covid, my team was tasked to create a concept product, a website-based service, for schools to address student healthcare needs. Our product would help school nurses communicate directly with doctors and parents to coordinate the health care needs of disadvantaged and low-income students. This would reduce lost wages for the parents, cut unnecessary ER visits and increase student academic success.
Role Research, UI
Tools User Interviews, Empathy Maps, Personas, User Flows, Responsive mockup, Redlines
Discovery & Research
Our team conducted reviews of comparable sites as well as read articles concerning the growth and opportunities in the healthcare industry, specifically for telecom and remote access to a specialist.
Comparative analysis-- similar products and product solutions had been in use or tested in various environments. Many insurance companies were beginning to offer similar products to their clients.
White paper reviews-- we learned about the feasibility of making the product and legal issues that could impact the use of our product.
Interviews-- We interviewed nurses with various degrees of experience with telehealth products. They were able to give us their insights and described their experience in similar technology platforms. We learned about their experiences and the current acceptance due in part to market and, more importantly, local laws. State legislation regarding remote access to doctors changed, allowing more access for patients and doctors.
Empathy Maps--Empathy Maps were critical in helping us maintain our focus on the user's needs. Later they were used by the programmers to better understand the users and why certain decisions in the design were made. To create these personas I spent time observing and talking to a local school nurse.
Design
A User flow diagram highlighted each user's entry and exit of the process. Each of four users had their own user flow depending on their role in the process. The user flows were instrumental in creating the design of our information architecture. Our focus was on the nurse, the one user with the most interactions with other users, for our two-week design sprint.
The team brainstormed the user interface, visual layout, and branding.
User Tests
Testing Round 1
Our first test was on ourselves. We took a step back from design to look at the big picture. We "walked" through each step in our user's shoes, we found that we needed to address issues with navigation, consistency of user interface, and vocabulary. Once we thought we had it ironed out, we engaged several people to test run our site. Our testers identified gaps in our flow and interactions and few inconsistent terms
A/B Testing indicated that multiple entries on a model pop-up form were confusing. Our users preferred a single entry for each pop-up, noting that it was less confusing. It was also suggested that we add a progress bar to show users where they were in the process.
A
B
Testing Round 2
Our initial testing helped refine our user flow and correct inconsistency, but our 2nd round of testing was user-specific. Our user suggested changes in language/terminology and specific documentation fields that would align our product with the standards required in the healthcare profession.
Testing Round 3
Final testing on our High Fidelity mock-ups resulted in the addition of checkboxes for common symptoms as a useful time-saving feature.
Team Iterative Process
Iterations were done throughout the entire process. Each of the team members worked simultaneously on tasks. Site plans, user flows, and layouts were all being built at the same time. As one artifact would update or change, other areas would be adjusted to accommodate the changes if need be. Many things like --rounding corners, adding or changing icons, softening colors, correcting terminology, and page progression were addressed quickly and as they came up. The developer team was looped in on our progress and helped in the process. Our design team workflow was very agile and highly iterative. Every iteration yielded breakthroughs in understanding user needs and solving problems.
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Test Results Iterations-- Iterations were made several times to accommodate our testing results. This was primarily done in a wire-frame format. Adjustments could be made quickly, saving time.
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Visual Iterations- were done on the fly throughout the build. As the Hi-fidelity designs were produced, we adjusted style guides to allow for softer lines, visual continuity, and aesthetics.
Retrospective
This project was a great study in expanding my skills within an undefined role. I found myself helping the team by doing whatever was needed. Tracking our tasks in Trello, creating user flows, empathy diagrams, or plugging gaps in our High Fidelity mockups, I did whatever I could to help to facilitate the team. This was the first project I participated in where the effects of User Research and Testing had a significant impact on our assumed outcomes, with the lesson being “I am not the user.” In the end, we produced a product that could be an asset to School Nurses, students, families, and the community.