Summary
Healthcare in the United States often struggles to innovate in delivering optimal patient experiences across acute and non-acute settings. However, those service designers who work within large health systems get to experience first-hand on why it is extremely hard to implement changes in a singular or multi-level service interaction across healthcare touchpoints. In this case study, you will hear first hand learnings on how to influence the decision-making process of solutions that shape the patient and the clinician experience.
Key Insights
-
•
Service design in healthcare must prioritize patient safety above all else.
-
•
Timing is critical; small changes can have life-or-death consequences.
-
•
Designers are often perceived as high-risk, complicating adoption of innovations.
-
•
The service encounter between clinician and patient is the crucial moment for design impact.
-
•
Top-down, sideways, and across are complementary strategies to implement healthcare service design.
-
•
Building interdisciplinary allies is key to creating effective internal digital tools.
-
•
Using standardized patients (trained actors) enables safe prototyping without risking real patients.
-
•
Participating in meetings even without leading helps designers build rapport and influence.
-
•
Respecting existing clinical and organizational legacy fosters better collaboration.
-
•
Experimental design work requires assessing organizational readiness and appetite for change.
Notable Quotes
"Safety is the first number one priority in healthcare service design."
"Timing is everything when you’re designing in healthcare."
"We are perceived as those providing high risk to the business."
"The service encounter, that 10 to 15 minute interaction, can save lives or improve health outcomes tremendously."
"Designing for health is multidimensional and not business as usual."
"Participating in key meetings not led by design is the secret sauce to build influence."
"We dropped the word prototyping and used simulation, which was more familiar in healthcare."
"We hired standardized patients, actors trained to portray patient situations, to enable safe testing."
"If you come in as a designer wanting to change everything at once, you won’t get the response you need."
"Good trouble is part of our craft—posing challenges that lead to positive change."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If design didn’t move the needle, we wouldn’t be having this conversation."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"I realized I was just making it up despite the company’s growth."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"If you’re in tech, you are in social change, whether you realize it or not."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"Taking responsibility starts with an apology and seeking regular feedback."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Timely engagement helps stakeholders make faster, more informed decisions that lead to better business and product outcomes."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"Empowering maker culture invites everyone to be part of a collective endeavor far beyond any individual."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"What’s so difficult about designing a login? On the surface, it’s simple, but the real challenge was cultural alignment across business units."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"Everyone wanted to know what was the official pattern and who was accountable for it."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"We believe tracking design metrics aligned to business goals is important to demonstrate design’s impact."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
