Intermountain Health Analytics Platform - Elevating User Experience
Healthcare
Overview
In this project, I focused on overhauling a data insights platform that was originally designed to display fewer than 100 metrics, despite the need to manage and present tens of thousands. Additionally, the platform’s limitations led to significant challenges for its users, which included physicians and executives, as they struggled with a single, overly complex page that proved to be unusable in usability tests. The inefficiencies were so pronounced that users required extensive training and a personalized setup just to navigate the system, leading to high error rates and low engagement.
Recognizing these issues, the primary goal was to redesign the platform to be scalable, intuitive, and user-friendly. This comprehensive overhaul resulted in a 50% reduction in user error rates and a 450% increase in recurring users. Through iterative design, rigorous testing, and continuous feedback from end-users, we transformed the platform into a tool that not only simplified the workflow but also made it possible to manage and display thousands of metrics effectively.
Project Goals
- Simplification: Reduce the cognitive load on hospital executives, physicians, and nurses by simplifying the user interface and making complex data more accessible.
- Scalability: Transform the system from supporting less than a hundred metrics to efficiently handling thousands, ensuring it remains responsive and user-friendly.
- User-Centered Design: Engage with end-users throughout the design process to ensure the final product meets their needs and expectations.
Duration
June 2022 - July 2023
Laura Dahl, PhD, Primary researcher and designer
The Challenge: Physicians and executives at Intermountain Health were struggling with a cumbersome and inefficient insights generation process due to the complexity and inadequacy of the existing analytics platform. The internal system was not scalable, capable of handling only a limited number of metrics, and it led to high user error rates and low user engagement. The challenge was to redesign the platform to make it scalable, intuitive, and user-friendly, enabling it to handle thousands of metrics while reducing errors and improving satisfaction among both physician and executive users.
Process and Methodology
UX Research
I began by conducting comprehensive user interviews and surveys with executives and physicians to understand their pain points and needs. During usability tests conducted throughout late 2022, several critical issues were identified:
- Complexity and Usability: The single-page design was overwhelmingly complex, with users often unable to complete tasks without guidance. This complexity led to high user frustration and a significant need for training.
- Hidden Information: Key actions and information were hidden behind non-intuitive interfaces, making it difficult for users to access essential features like filtering, goal setting, and alert viewing.
- Inconsistent Design: The cards used to display metrics were confusing, with similar titles and no clear indication of applied filters or data updates, leading to user errors and misinterpretations.
These findings underscored the urgent need for a comprehensive redesign, which would address the platform's scalability issues and improve overall usability for its diverse user base.
Design
Based on my research findings, I created initial wireframes that focused on a clean, user-friendly interface. As the project evolved, the scope expanded significantly. What started as a single dynamic page with a settings page transformed into a complex, multi-page site. To tackle such a large design task, I worked closely with the product manager and developers by prioritizing key functionalities and using a ‘progressive disclosure’ technique, where advanced features are revealed only when necessary. This approach kept the interface clean and accessible, allowing users to engage with the tool at their own pace. The expansion also required careful planning to maintain usability while scaling from supporting less than 100 metrics to thousands. Key additions included:
- New Navigation and Home Page: To streamline access to various sections of the site and improve overall usability.
- Landing Pages of new sections: Dedicated landing pages for different data categories to better organize content. New sections (for Dashboards and Scorecards) allowed users to track and analyze key metrics more effectively.
- Metrics Page: Redesigned data summaries with options for viewing data in card or list format, catering to user preferences.
- Bookmarking Feature: A feature that enabled users to favorite and organize their preferred data visualizations, enhancing personalized workflow.
Note: The designs from Figma provided here are for illustrative purposes. The patient and hospital values are fictitious and only for visual representation.
Testing and Iteration
Throughout the project, we engaged in multiple rounds of usability testing, where the interface was put to the test by actual users. Each testing phase provided valuable feedback, leading to significant improvements in the tool’s functionality and user experience. This iterative approach allowed us to address issues promptly and ensured that the final product was both effective and aligned with user needs. The end result was a tool that reduced the time users spent on data analysis by 30%, exceeding our initial benchmarks.
Outcome and Impact
The project culminated in a highly effective tool that significantly enhanced the data analysis process for Intermountain Health's professionals. Key outcomes included:
- A 50% reduction in user error rates.
- A 450% increase in recurring users.
- A 30% reduction in analysis time.
- A 40% increase in user satisfaction scores.
- The successful transformation of the system to handle tens of thousands of metrics, ensuring scalability without sacrificing usability.
Positive feedback from users affirmed the success of the user-centered design approach, with many noting the tool’s ease of use and the value it added to their daily workflows.