Blog.

Over the past 15 years I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of products, teams, and companies, from start-ups to F500. I have joined software development teams with their own version of Agile, some embracing “lean” more than others, and some striving to find balance between vision and execution.

Regardless of who these team were, and in what market they operated, they all needed to integrate design into their process. This has been my personal challenge throughout the years, one which I have learned to tackle in parallel to my work, and one which has thought me a lot about people and my role as UX Designer.

Ultimately what I have experienced is that by working closely with teams and leadership, highlighting each one’s area of expertise, and stimulating a sense of partnership, we can generate meaningful output and create a healthy environment.

The trip feels long, I wonder how the experience could be designed to make it seamless.

Purchasing a direct flight from San Francisco to Amsterdam did help with simplifying the experience: no need to roam between airports looking for your connecting flight.

Packing everything in just one checked-in luggage, one carry-on, and one purse, takes care of the mobility: no dragging of heavy and bulky luggage.

Buying tickets in time helps with the choice of flights: no uncomfortable hours to wake up to.

Cozy clothing to endure the many hours sitting in a small place, and to comply to the airport screening procedures, softens the impact; as are the wheels to any luggage; valid passports; and a private ride to the airport.

Is there anything else a passenger can do?

I’m sure the seating position could be one, with the choice for first and second class being a differentiator for the experience during the flight.

But is this really an option? Who wouldn’t choose a first class ticket?

While each of the previous stratagems requires some planning, this latter one is of a different nature: the price difference between the two classes is so wide, that it almost takes away the option to choose.

Perhaps, this should be a shared responsibility, between the airline and its passengers, where the seating-design is comfortable across the spectrum, and the price difference is based on luxury services rather than experiences. *

Would this additional piece make the experience of flying across continents, seamless?

Interestingly enough, I don’t think so.

The time spent in long zig zag lines waiting to remove your shoes, the multiple stops to go through check-ins, custom, gates, and on-boarding penalizing lines, it all seems to be reinforcing a condition of punishment instead of delight. What modern retail store would ever ask its clientele to continue standing in long line to make their payments?

The flying journey is still an experience based on an old model, one that puts customers second, and justifies unfriendly experiences in the name of top-down decisions.

There is a great opportunity here for designers interested in changing the way we serve needs, one that can be accomplished by working holistically across the spectrum of interactions, technologies and innovative visions.

I would love to join the thinking for the next generation of “teleportation” 🙂

* This could be a blog for another time!

I recently found an article on Harvard Business Review* about Design Thinking and the role of leadership to enable it within project teams to overcome inefficiencies, uncertainties, and emotional flare-ups.

The challenge being that in work settings where employees are long accustomed to being told to be rational and objective, these methods may sound subjective and overly personal.

For a long time, DT has been part of the tools of designers, to create human-centered products, services, solutions, and experiences, by establishing a personal connection with the people for whom a solution is being developed. Designers seek a deep understanding of users’ conditions, situations, and needs by endeavoring to see the world through their eyes and capture the essence of their experiences. The focus is on achieving connection, even intimacy, with users.

With DT methods relying and encouraging divergent thinking to explore options that bring innovation, it may be potentially unsettling for people who are accustomed to valuing a clear direction.

Particularly when it comes to accepting the discomfort that comes from failure. Failure is an intrinsic part of the design process; it is the reason why we learn what works and what doesn’t. The iterative prototyping and testing involved in these methods work best when they produce lots of negative results—outcomes that show what doesn’t work. But piling up seemingly unsuccessful outcomes is uncomfortable for most people.

Failure is probably the most critical skill that any designer and now project-teams will need to learn if we want to discover greater new possibilities for change, improvement, and innovation.

Having the support of our leaders, to leverage empathy, encouraging divergence and navigating ambiguity, while rehearsing new futures, it will allow project teams to move faster and …

*March-April 2019. Harvard Business Review.

I have been researching and collaborating with Rian, from the ITS department, to improve patient-access to scheduling Imaging services and reduce staff time and resources when tracking down work-orders.

After putting together an analysis of the benefits, complete with diagrams, screenshots, and testimonials from in-person interviews, we submitted the idea to the Transformation Department for evaluation.

I am thrilled to say that we WON! This was a great example of collaboration across departments. Between Rian’s specialized knowledge of Epic Systems, and my user-centered approach, we have been recognized for combining both the technical and the human perspective.

   

 

 

 

 

Below is a summary of the suggestion with the journey map we put together to visualize the process [ view ]

Situation

When an imaging-exam is ordered by a provider–x-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.–the request is added to a scheduling work-queue for the PAS team to use when scheduling the exam. With more than 3,000 orders in the queue on any given day, the PAS team schedules only 700 of them on a daily basis, after a patient calls the Central Scheduling number.

With scheduling dependent on patients calling and talking to the scheduling personnel, it can lead to phone-tag and language misunderstandings, which in turns causes delays in patient care and patient overall experience.

 

Suggestion

With the new Ticket Scheduling, our system generates a one-time, single use option to schedule the associated test online directly from the patient portal. Once the test is scheduled, the option is removed, thus preventing inappropriate appointments or duplicates.

 

Advantages

Decreased turn-around time from order to appointment, to result, improving patient safety and adherence.

Diminished wait/hold times on the phone for patients.

Reduced miscommunication between patient and staff scheduling the appointment, and trying to answer screening questionnaires over the phone.

Guarantees the order is associated to the scheduled appointment.

Increased MyJMH Patient Portal activation rates as online scheduling functionality becomes a draw.

Improved imaging appointment utilization.

Improved patient access to JMH services electronically, at the patient’s convenience rather than during business hours.

Enable the PAS team to proactively focus on calling patients who haven’t scheduled, or that still do not have a myJMH Patient Portal account.