The Healthcare industry is an amalgamation of a diverse set of stakeholders. From doctors, healthcare professionals, administrators, CEOs to patients seeking treatment, this industry fulfils the expectations of every individual. However, this is better said than done. With the digital transformation in the healthcare sector and digital care products and applications, the shift has been drastic yet imminent.
Digital apps and other healthcare applications have dominated the healthcare system with better and more comfortable service. For instance, services such as searching for a doctor, booking an appointment, purchasing medicines or getting them delivered can all be done through an app that has made our lives easier. However, the success of these apps depends heavily on user-friendliness or user experience (UX).
The Healthcare sector is a complex industry that is always evolving and full of new opportunities. However, it is also highly regulated and risk-prone because of the dynamic services offered through digital apps. For this reason, designing Healthcare UX is not always easy. This article will demonstrate the importance of UX in the digital healthcare revolution and why it is more relevant now than before. We will also outline the top five UX challenges in the healthcare sector.
Why UX in Healthcare Matters
There is no denying that the healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world. With a diverse set of stakeholders and an even diverse set of services, poor usability of healthcare apps may lead to traumatic outcomes. Software designed for healthcare should be uncomplicated, easy to navigate and devoid of clutter and confusion.
On the other hand, a quality UX design helps deliver a better user experience. It can be achieved by conducting extensive UX research, especially during the early stages of app development. The design process also includes user testing and quality assurance towards the end of the designing phase.
Poorly designed apps cause more harm than we can imagine. Moreover, they have serious implications for the medical care service. Therefore, UX practitioners must clearly outline the requirements of end-users and aim to improve the delivery of care. How better healthcare UX enhances the quality of medical services includes effective communication, catering to personalized needs, excellent data management and storage, improving accessibility, etc. However, as critical, innovative features may sound, the apps providing the best user experience still come out on top.
Top 5 UX Challenges Facing Healthcare Industry
We have acknowledged the importance of UX in healthcare technology and why it matters. With the arrival of the latest trends in medical technologies such as telemedicine, health wearables, healthcare chatbots, medical VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), Electronic Health Records (EHR), etc., the market has become increasingly competitive.
However, perks and perils are the two sides of the same coin. As a result, Healthcare UX faces multiple challenges, and designing a good user experience is not easily achieved. Read on to learn the top five healthcare UX challenges that designers face while creating digital healthcare apps.
Security: The pandemic has just revealed how sensitive Electronic Health Records or EHR is in the healthcare sector. Therefore, any security breach or other cybersecurity concerns are unacceptable as it is extremely important to ensure maximum security and protection from such situations. The repercussions are severe, and thus, security measures such as multi-factor authentication and strong firewalls, etc., are the need of the hour.
Accessibility: When designing healthcare UX, accessibility and scalability factors are two top things to consider. Because requirements from a UX perspective would vary immensely as we move from country to country, healthcare applications should scale across global markets, and thus the UX design should be compatible regardless of distance. This is very challenging to achieve.
Building trust: The UX should be designed in such a way that it builds trust amongst the users. This is challenging because users may not trust services delivered directly from non-human interaction like AI or other innovative technology. Therefore, reassuring users and building up the trust level is paramount, and UX designers should consider this factor when designing.
Bridging multiple needs: A Good UX caters to multiple needs simultaneously. With automated algorithms and cutting edge technologies such as AI and AR, we can serve multiple stakeholders simultaneously. However, this requires healthcare UX designers to bring together the needs of multiple users and deliver quality services on all fronts.
Resist complex design: UX must be all about the user. When you implement complex designs, end-users lose interest quickly. Therefore, we need effective and intuitive UX design to make the app experience unique yet simple. Unfortunately, this is not easily achieved because all UX designs focus on their specific requirements, which may be difficult to implement in practice. Therefore, UX designers have to work hard to construct something simple and effective.
The evolution of healthcare UX has been nothing short of remarkable. Latest innovations and web design trends have empowered healthcare UX exponentially. However, app developers and designers always focus on overcoming the limitations mentioned above and practice responsible design. So, don't let these challenges stop you from building an app in the healthcare industry.