Summary
Cross-disciplinary collaboration is key to tackling large scale change in hypertension rates (Margins of Victory) in underserved communities (Innovation at the Margins). Low income minoritized populations have shown to have a high prevalence of hypertension but a low treatment rate . There are many factors that play a role in these statistics many of them which are historical and systemic. In order to design a hypertension study for these populations, co-design methods that emphasize collective good must be employed by a comprehensive team. Our process to build this study focused on sharing power with members of the community to decentralize the designer and build design capability with the participants. We prioritized building relationships to combat mistrust of healthcare professionals and address difficult topics like social determinants of health (healthcare access, housing challenges, employment, etc) – both key factors in high hypertension rates. This presentation will bring together the collaborative team that built the Pressure Check study. First, a Yale cardiologist who is an expert in this space and acknowledges the influence and perspective that the design process can provide. The second speaker is a design research and strategy professional who defined an inclusive and relational protocol that tapped into the deepest needs of the study community and translated them into the study materials. The third, is a visual designer who incorporated the learnings into patient education and study tools to overcome deeply ingrained perspectives on healthcare. This team and the outputs demonstrate how critical it is to have a team that brings in shared and lived experiences into service design.
Key Insights
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Healthcare data fragmentation creates delays and risks in patient care, as illustrated by John’s story.
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Genomics England evolved from a sequencing project to building modular data services for NHS integration.
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Modular data services enable flexible, non-linear clinical workflows rather than rigid, linear processes.
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Service design embedded early in technical leadership allows anticipation of strategic infrastructure needs.
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Developers are the primary users of data services, so prioritizing their experience is essential.
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Use case-driven design helps identify meaningful data service modules that solve common problems.
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Comprehensive documentation, testing environments, and support channels are key for developer adoption.
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Storytelling through patient and clinician use cases makes technical discussions accessible and actionable.
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Iterative, slice-of-value delivery reduces risk compared to big-bang transformations in healthcare IT.
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Service designers benefit from engaging deeply with technical teams and learning enough to speak their language.
Notable Quotes
"This kind of issue—different hospital IT systems not talking—is happening almost every day to patients and doctors."
"Data standards are like selecting English as the common language even if systems natively speak Portuguese or Spanish."
"We are designing the data services that developers can use to build the clinician-facing services, not the services themselves."
"Building and nurturing relationships with engineers is key because they hold a massive stake in the service."
"It is uncommon to encounter service design working at the technical level, but this is precisely where it can have exponential impact."
"Imagine handing a developer a box set of Lego with instructions rather than a random selection of bricks."
"Use cases give human meaning to technical components and help product teams prioritize slices of value."
"Technical colleagues are amazing problem solvers and service designers have more in common with them than they might think."
"If service design wasn’t there, we probably wouldn’t consider data services stitched together to create seamless experiences."
"Mapping the data journey through technical infrastructure is like mapping a user journey—be curious and ask questions."
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