Human-centered Design in Healthcare: Enhancing User Experience for Innovation Teams

Introduction

There is a progressive imbalance between the availability of resources and the ever-evolving needs of different stakeholders in healthcare. A wide variety of people avail healthcare services and products which presents an opportunity for innovative healthcare solutions that use artificial intelligence and robotic process automation (RPA). These new technologies can play a vital role in understanding human needs, adapting to an ever-changing landscape, and designing interfaces that cater to these needs. The integration of RPA in different facets can go a long way in achieving a revolutionary human-centric design (HCD) in healthcare. Inculcating a ‘Human-Centric Design’ to improve the overall effectiveness and quality of services is a worthy goal for most leading healthcare organizations.

Specifically, when it comes to digital transformation in healthcare, innovation teams play an important role. With the help of AI technologies, they can revolutionize medical devices, software solutions, and patient-centric services. The opportunity is tremendous, from remote patient monitoring to personalized treatment plans to medical imaging analysis to new drug discovery to virtual assistants for patients and caregivers. To give an example, a recent market analysis report estimates that the RPA market size which was valued at USD 2,942.7 million in 2023 is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 39.9% till 2030.

Incorporating HCD principles into the design of healthcare services

Understanding the needs of users, adapting to those needs, and designing solutions that address them while delivering desired results are the core tenets of human-centric design in healthcare. From an innovator’s perspective, it is important to understand the impact solutions built on human-centered design can have when we talk about health tech innovation.

• Integration with RPA: In a world that is so swift and instant, response management systems that can function without breaks and stay online 24*7 can prove critical in managing patient queries and sharing timely updates with caregivers. We can design automated assessment systems that assess the severity of a patient’s condition based on the symptoms they exhibit. Such systems can set expectations with patients as well as caregivers in terms of what is the best course of action.
• The powerful ‘sync-system’: Devising a mechanism that ensures patient data is synced, up to date across different systems and available to providers at the drop of a hat can make or break a medical case. It can provide a seamless view of a patient’s medical history, latest lab results, current medications, allergy profiles, etc. All electronic medical records need to be interoperable providing a one-stop solution for a patient’s healthcare needs.
• Collaborative EHR framework: Considering how fragmented the current health tech ecosystem is, a robust EHR framework is an absolute must. The framework needs to be such that it covers all factors like tabulating vitals, updating data to a digitally accessible backend, medication reminders, appointment scheduling, SOS/emergencies, and more. With the patient at the center, a cohesive interface can be built which can scan data in real-time and devise treatment plans based on symptoms, severity, locality, doctor availability, etc.
• Simple UI: A user interface designed with HCD principles will have higher adoption despite low or poor literacy levels. In today’s age, an interface liaising with patients needs to be self-explanatory to overcome barriers of language, culture, literacy, and technology adoption.
• Iterative design process: It is important to have an iterative design process that can make incremental improvements. It can receive inputs from all end users like patients, doctors, caregivers, etc. while ensuring innovators have the insight to build a solution that evolves in step with its users.
• Ethical considerations: Maintaining secure lines of communication between different stakeholders (patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, insurers, etc.) needs to be emphasized at every level of the design process. From framing ideas to gathering feedback to refining interfaces, innovators need to ensure that patient data is protected and patients feel secure while interacting with the healthcare interface.

HCD  is the way to go

Fostering collaboration between the different disciplines such as healthcare professionals, counsellors, programmers, and engineers can only be possible when all stakeholders are aligned on the value they want to generate for patients. To sum it up, while AI, automation, and other upcoming technologies will push the frontiers of healthcare innovation, a holistic approach which centers on the needs of its users – the patients – by incorporating human-centric design processes is essential to transform the healthcare landscape.

About us

Reveal HealthTech prides itself in being the torch bearer of human-centered design in healthcare. With specialized expertise in health tech innovation and a user-centric approach to devising solutions, we can provide seamless interfaces that have the power to revolutionize your organization. Get in touch with us today to explore how we can assist you.