ChristianaCare
UX Design Internship
Optimizing healthcare professionals experiences
Duration
Role
2 months
Results
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Scrum Dev Member
Scrum Product Owner
Delivered Gen AI software integration proposal.
Completed 30+ pages web wireframes.
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Improved user satisfaction score on usability and content, tasks success rate from main adopters; Received 100% team approval rate, 2/3 - 3/3 user approval on potential to enhance operational efficiency and performance
Tools
Figma
Adobe
Miro
Microsoft Suite
Team
Kelsey - Senior UX Analyst
Philip - UX Analyst
John M, John E- Senior Software Engineers
Ed - UI Designer
Anthony - Dev Team Member
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Overview
Background
During the summer of 2024, I interned at ChristianaCare as a Human Centered Design Intern, where I worked on two projects that optimize the experiences of healthcare professionals at the hospitals.
Project 1: Code Blue Event Recording App
Problem
Solution
How might we integrate generative artificial intelligence into the existing emergency procedures recording software and improve the team performance?
Focusing on post-event data analysis to maximize operational efficiency and documentation quality of emergency procedures
Project 2: Nursing Quality Website
Problem
Solution
How might we mitigate miscommunication between key participants (nurses, data analysts, & patients) of the nursing quality assessment?
Streamlining the information architecture and workflow to align with diverse user mental models, reducing cross-functional bottlenecks
P1: Code Blue Event Recording App
Design Process
ChristianaCare Health and Innovation Center is planning to integrate generative AI into its existing software ecosystem to enhance innovation, attract more business partners, and streamline healthcare workflows.
My role was to lay the groundwork for this initiative. The first step involved researching and proposing a generative AI solution for CritiTrac, the emergency procedure recording software offered to all ChristianaCare hospitals for 10000+ professionals.
Since ChristianaCare wants gen AI as a solution, my first question was:
How could I design with a solution in mind already?
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Therefore, I engaged in the following process:
ChristianaCare Business Objective:
Why do we need it?
How do we want it?
Any visions?
Research about Gen AI landscape, and healthcare applications in optimizing flow
Ask team members, several users, create personas
Find opportunity gaps for integration with business, technical, and user considerations
Come up with 10 “bad” ideas, receive feedback and zoom in on 3
Design for the 3 ideas with a human-centered approach (instead of AI-centered)
Present the proposal, gather feedback from team members
Results
After proposing my final idea and the wireframe prototype, I received feedback from both team members, who are also the designers, analysts, and developers of the software, as well as users who will directly use or manage the software.
Team (11)
Main Adopters
"Potential to enhance operational efficiency and performance."
Approval Rate
P2: Nursing Quality Website
The Nursing Quality Monitor (NQM) is the primary assessment tool used across all ChristianaCare hospitals to evaluate patient pressure injuries during monthly Process Improvement (PI) days. As part of the software upgrade, I served as a development team member and then a product owner throughout the three-week sprints.
Why important?
NQM data serves as a key performance indicator for the hospital, with its findings submitted to the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) for analysis. These results are directly tied to the Magnet designation, the highest recognition of nursing excellence for hospital systems. ChristianaCare is aiming to maintain this prestigious designation for the fourth consecutive year.
What is the goal?
We are upgrading NQM to modernize its outdated design and enhance usability. Our goal is to streamline the assessment process, reducing the workload for both nurses and data analysts.
My role?
Serving as both product owner and development team member during the first three weeks helped establish the foundation for the entire strategic software design update.
Product Development Process
Since it's a product upgrade, there are a lot of focuses in the development process. Through pre-sprint research, I learned the 3 key stakeholders: Data Analysts, Data Collection Nurse, Wound Nurse and their separate goals and workflows.
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When you expect a clear, one-way workflow, the reality is that there are a lot of factors involved that creates many mini sub-flows that drags the process longer.
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This finding begs the question:
How can we consider needs of 3 key participants: Data Analysts, Data Collection Nurse, Wound Nurse and reduce any potential communication and workflow bottlenecks?
Important for assessment databasse building
What do people call it? Think of it? Explore users’ mental models
Coming to an integrated decision for 3 workflows
User Research
To learn about the current experience and what's going on in nurses' minds, we conducted in-field observation and Pre-usability test.
What do people call as assessment? What action do people take to approve a wound? etc.
Usability Tests <--> Wireframing
I iterate wireframes rapidly and conduct usability tests with data analyst, data collection nurse, and wound nurse accordingly, and iterate again.
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Eventually, we synthesized and came to the decision to make three key interface flows with information relaying features that fit each user's mental model.
Data Collector Nurse Flow
Wound Nurse Flow
Data Analyst Flow
Results
After three rounds of usability testing with the main groups of users: Data Analysts, Data Collection Nurses, and Wound Nurses, we received the following feedback:
Data Analysts (1)
I like the clear lines between different data lookup and export formats. Looks like it will help me reduce some workload.
Data Collection Nurses (5)
The updated version of the assessment is life-changing. I can imagine myself being so productive in doing it, and training others.
Wound Nurses (2)
I like how the design pays respect to us Wound nurses...it gives us a sense of control and say in the flow of work, like when I delegate between other nurses and the system admin.
Estimated Satisfaction Score
Usability
Content
Tasks Success Rate
Challenges
Collaborating with Development team on real-time demands:
I worked very closely with the software developers in building the basic assessment database, which required fast-paced iteration on wireframes that is goal-driven instead of perfection-driven, which I grew to adapt to as a Product Owner.
Balancing between what user WANTS vs. NEEDS
Hearing what users would like to see and use made me overwhelmed at times --- users want EVERYTHING on the page. Learning to take inspiration from the big picture, such as users mental model, their patterns of behaviors, and taking only bits of the wants helps me make designs that drive the needs of the experience.
Making someone key
Having three key stakeholder each holding their own professional opinion is difficult --- and it all comes down to making the Wound Nurse perspective key since they are the middleman and expert of the assessment, and designing surrounding the idea.
If you want to learn more about this project, contact me at chiayu@seas.upenn.edu!