User Experience (UX) Design is one of the most important aspects of developing digital products for businesses of any industry, and the healthcare sector isn't an exception.
According to the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF), UX Design, when used correctly in digital healthcare services, can improve everyday lives.
This is a key reason why there's been an increasing demand for digital healthcare products over the past few years!
Moreover, the Digital Health market is projected to have an annual rate of 8.49%, reaching a rapid growth of US $258.30 billion by 2029.
Let's explore the main implications, benefits, and potential issues of User Experience Design in the Healthcare field.
What is UX Healthcare Design?
UX Healthcare involves creating User Experiences for digital products to complement the services provided by physicians and healthcare organizations.
According to the Interaction Design Foundation article mentioned before, UX Healthcare can be useful for creating digital products that manage electronic health records, book appointments, track symptoms and medications, and support the creation of wearable devices.
However, beyond usability, User-centered Design for medical care also requires strict compliance with regulatory constraints and laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the US.
Why is User Experience in Healthcare Important?
As it helps make information more accessible, accurate and easy to understand, UX Healthcare can greatly impact the patient's quality of life and ease the medical professionals’ job.
UX Design can reduce errors and improve safety while providing patients with more personalized information, such as helping them follow medication schedules and avoiding wrong dose intakes.
Digital health services can also track drug regimes and symptoms, which can greatly impact patient satisfaction and streamline workflows, communication and collaboration among health professionals.
On the other hand, poor UX Design in healthcare digital solutions can have terrible consequences for users.
For example, a glucose activity level tracker with a confusing interface could make patients with diabetes adjust their insulin shots improperly.
What To Consider in UX Healthcare?
Regulations in UX Healthcare
As mentioned, UX Design in healthcare involves significant challenges, such as compliance with regulatory laws like HIPAA.
Crucial stages of UX Design, such as testing, can be hard to implement due to strict regulations in the field.
Data privacy and security regulations are very strict regarding the use of sensitive information.
In this manner, it can be harder or take longer for teams to collect the data they’ll use to improve the UX healthcare product or service.
Data Visualization in UX Healthcare
The healthcare industry produces massive amounts of data that can be very hard to synthesize.
As a result, creating user-friendly interfaces with intuitive graphics to present data clearly can be very complex.
The fact that designers should make interfaces easy to understand for people who may not have medical training makes things even more challenging.
Digital health systems should include features like data charts that allow users to explore without being overwhelmed by information.
According to UXmatters, you should consider the unique requirements of different user groups, such as age, literacy level, and cultural background, to overcome this challenge.
Accessibility in UX Healthcare
Since healthcare tools normally target a wide range of users, ensuring accessibility can be challenging.
According to the Population Reference Bureau, the US population above 65 years will increase by around 47% in the following years.
As a result, Product Design and Development teams should consider tailoring digital solutions for people who may not be proficient in handling basic software.
In this context, making digital solutions accessible and usable for older people is especially important.
To ease workflows, Digital healthcare solutions for old adults should include features like text size options, color variations, and simple navigations.
There’s often a misconception between the actual costs and efforts required to make UX products in healthcare accessible.
As a result, businesses tend to think that making accessible digital products is more expensive than it actually is.
The truth is that neglecting the benefits of accessibility is not something a business can afford in the current competitive market.
This approach to Digital Product Development should be a priority as it can improve User Experience for all users.
For instance, features that help visually impaired users, such as large, high-contrast fonts, audio cues and alt texts, can also benefit the rest of the users.
Empathy in UX Healthcare
Digital solutions in healthcare target people who may be dealing with chronic medical conditions and diseases.
In this way, products should cater to users facing emotional challenges, considering their frustrations, anxieties, and pains.
Empathy is not just about creating beautiful interfaces but about building an entire user journey that resonates with patients and helps their recovery process.
A healthcare digital product with an adequate patient experience should feel smooth and comforting instead of frustrating and counterintuitive.
Before designing, businesses need to grasp the target audience’s needs. In this way, they should conduct thorough research to be able to provide a product that resonates with them.
Empathetic design should be deeply rooted in the team’s culture, as it can improve patient outcomes, enhance treatment quality, and boost healthcare service operations.
Usability Testing in UX Healthcare
Medical workers have to deal with heavy workloads, bureaucracy, and hospital regulations.
As a result, recruiting them for Usability Testing can be much more complex than recruiting regular users.
On the other hand, there's very little investment in UX research in the healthcare field, which often leads to insufficient valuable insights for testing.
Popular Trends In UX Healthcare
VR and AR in UX Healthcare
Virtual (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can allow physicians to examine a patient virtually before a procedure or train the personnel in "life-like" situations.
Additionally, VR can help doctors put themselves in their patients’ shoes by simulating the situations they go through.
Iowa Spencer Hospital’s AR tool is a real-use case of how this technology can boost doctors’ efficiency, making medical procedures and manipulations safer.
With simultaneous localization and mapping technology, Spencer Hospital increased the accuracy of biopsy analysis and aneurysm surgery by 50% and 30%, respectively.
AI in UX Healthcare
Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions are a game changer in healthcare systems.
Experts have mentioned that AI can help clinicians structure, summarize, and organize data from electronic health records.
A great example is the service provided by The Mayo Clinic, which helps healthcare providers anticipate critical events through AI-driven predictive analytics by monitoring patient vitals in real time.
Another great use case is AI-powered chatbots for tasks such as symptom checkers, patient triage, mental health support, and medical research assistance.
However, it’s worth noting that these digital tools are just an extension of the service physicians and other healthcare professionals can provide.
The knowledge and expertise of human physicians and teams are the centerpiece of healthcare user interaction processes and communication.
Wearable Devices in UX Healthcare
Medical wearable devices, such as bracelets, smartwatches, and fitness trackers, have also become increasingly popular.
These people-centered approach tools monitor well-being metrics on a daily basis, tracking blood pressure, sleeping habits, steps, heart rate, etc.
Regarding human-centered design, experts recommend creating user-friendly interfaces with quick access to essential features and designing wearable devices.
4Alivio, one of our recent projects, is also a great example of a healthcare experience involving a wearable device.
Pet Care in UX Healthcare
Around 66% of households in the US own a pet, and up to 97% of people consider their pets part of their family.
So, it's not surprising that digital health solutions that aid animals have become popular to provide the best possible patient care for pets.
In this context, wearable devices and other digital products allow pet owners to see early disease symptoms.
A great example of a digital health tool for pets is another of our most recent projects, which also involves AI, Sylvester.
Sylvester’s AI systems can decode subtle nuances of feline facial expressions and posture to let their owners know how their cats feel.
Conclusion
UX Design has a pivotal role in the future of healthcare solutions that target the needs of real users, physicians, and healthcare institutions.
As a UX-driven Product Development agency with over 14 years of experience, we believe UX is crucial for making things easier for patients and health providers alike.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to hear about our unique approach to bringing even the most disruptive business ideas to life.
