Learning about the needs of patients and providers within the Mass General Brigham health system

Challenge

The health system is a complex web of disparate workflows and teams. For patients, that complexity can lead to challenges as they navigate their care experiences. Uncovering insights from both the provider and patient sides of healthcare is a critical part in creating desirable solutions.  

Topics I’ve explored through user research:

• Patient experiences with cancer care
  
• Patient and provider reactions to health plan service offerings
• Patient experiences with chronic kidney disease care
• Early customer feedback about features and priorities for a postpartum digital exercise app
• User testing and stakeholder feedback on a patient mobility tool prototype 

Example: When the Springboard Studio was approached to work on a project aimed at improving patient mobility in the inpatient setting, we didn’t know where to start. We gathered insights from providers through individual interviews and workshops and eventually narrowed in on asking how we might better communicate about mobility between providers, patients, and their families. Learn more here.     

Process

I conduct HIPAA-compliant user research to understand processes, pain points and delight points across an experience or intervention, and reactions to proposed solutions. Most frequently, I conduct individual interviews with patients and providers as this is the most convenient and least burdensome way to learn qualitatively from our stakeholder population.

Methods:

• One-on-one in-depth interviews
  
• Workshops
  
• Focus groups / Feedback sessions

Example: I supported a team of innovators in the health system looking to support postpartum women with safe exercise plans. I co-organized a focus group with postpartum women—the team’s primary customer base—to understand their needs and challenges, which were then used to prioritize future app features. Learn more about the Core2U team here.

Outcome

These human insights add color to how we choose to address challenges in the health system. In an environment that is often not used to ‘design,’ it is impactful to provide insights in visualized formats that a range of stakeholders can understand and find actionable.

Deliverables:

• Process maps and journey maps
• Common themes & moments of divergence
• Personas

Example: We interviewed PCPs, nephrologists, surgeons, social workers, and ESRD nurses to learn about the current process for treating a patient from Stage 3 chronic kidney disease through renal replacement therapy (RRT). These insights led to a visualized workflow which laid the groundwork for potential interventions to better support patients.