Designing Innovation for the Healthcare Industry
“You know it really works.
We laugh about it – we don’t even have to demo it, they just take it out of your hands and start using it.”
Susan McBride
Haemonetics Software Solutions
Company:
Haemonetics Software Solutions®, a leader in medical software and support.
Challenge:
Provide phlebotomists with the ability to record the entire blood donation or apheresis processes, without continually breaking out of the process to walk to a cart mounted tablet PC.
Solution:
Design of a software application for an ergonomic handheld device that provides phlebotomists the freedom to move around the donor room and enhance the continuity of care and donor comfort.
Impact:
Enhanced user experience, delivering greater efficiency and effectiveness while increasing quality and eliminating errors
Handheld Medical Device Project Details
Haemonetics Software Solutions®, a leader in medical software development and support recently enlisted Pathfinder’s services to help tame the complexity and enhance the experience of using its newest product, Prelude, the first module of the Symphony Suite of products.
The challenge:
The objective of the design effort was focused on providing phlebotomists with the ability to record the entire blood donation or apheresis process using a hand held device rather than having to continually break out of the process to walk to a cart mounted tablet PC running the Prelude software.
- Research revealed that just repurposing the existing application to a handheld device did not meet the user’s expectations and needs.
The design effort included identifying the various user types (personas), defining and prioritizing their task flows, and creating an interface to maximize efficiency in terms of navigation and interaction. The process:
Pathfinder applied its proven user experience design process to create an intuitive and ergonomic product:
- At the core of our methodology is the identification of key user types, or personas. Each persona was researched in terms of goals, physical workspace, and application-use scenarios
- Ultimately, a detailed model of the blood center and the corresponding personas and scenarios was created
- Visualizations were created of the blood center environment and the work areas of the staff.
- After the work flows were understood, sequences of wireframe screens were created to provide representative experiences of the major functions of the application.
The solution:
Based on this research and employing usability best practices the design team created a software application for an ergonomic handheld device with real-time wireless access to the Prelude database. Designing a handheld application is different than a typical desktop application. Both the screen size and the physical movement of the user add complexity, as well as a need for multiple input techniques. As a result Pathfinder incorporated several iterations of user testing throughout the design process to insure user acceptance and make any adjustment necessary.
- Simple login scan function makes it easy to move from patent to patient and eliminates the need for manual data entry
- A new process driven work flow that matches the way a phlebotomist works
- Missing data is clearly visible and errors immediately identified
- Focus is on patient and procedure; not data entry
- Audio, color and large icons were all used to increase usability and enhance efficiency
The impact:
As a result of the user experience design process, several innovations have been integrated into the handheld device, delivering the following benefits:
- Accurate and timely data collection and delivery
- Enabled phlebotomist to keep attention on donor; not software
- Increased efficiency for donor and staff
- Reduced processing time with donor