OVERVIEW

Goal

To create the company's first handheld ultrasound device with a simple user experience that would serve the modern physicians' needs. 

Background

SonoSite has been the market leader in point of care ultrasound systems that are like laptops and can be fixed onto a cart and wheeled from patient to patient. Point-of-care systems enables the doctor to be mobile and brings the technology to the patient such as in the military, trauma care, intensive care, global public health and sports medicine disciplines.

Problem

There were two main problems to focus on:

  1. Physicians are extremely mobile, moving between rooms, floors, and sometimes even hospitals visiting a number of patients a day. Wheeling around a laptop sized ultrasound system on a cart can be a frustrating experience.

  2. Big box ultrasound systems can be intimidating and confusing for new ultrasound users. They look for experiences that are easy to learn , provide just enough tools for their goals and is similar to their personal electronic devices.

MY ROLE

I was responsible for the creation of the end to end user experience of two apps on the iViz ultrasound device :

  1. Patient Data Management App

  2. Ultrasound Settings App

For each of the above apps my tasks are listed below

  • Worked closely with the product owners to define each app's unique product and user needs

  • Built the information architecture for the overall the user flow and data flow through each app

  • Created tailored experiences for focused tasks on different screens while maintaining design cohesiveness

  • Guided visual design to implement design and information hierarchy

Additionally I also contributed to foundational project wide efforts

  • Created and championed iViz product personas from research data and insights

  • Established a design documentation template for easy consumption by software developers

  • Created concepts for the Learn app

PROCESS

Personas

I created personas for iViz based on the upfront user research that had already been completed. The insights and patterns that I identified from the research helped me extract over 12 different medical specialists who could possibly be an end user. Knowing that it would be impractical to have 12 personas, I grouped these medical specialties based on similarities in their needs, priorities and task flows and was able to reduce them down to 4.

Outcomes of creating iViz Personas:

  • Alignment and prioritization of MVP scope

  • Empathizing with target user needs at all stages of product development

  • Using personas as a design thinking tool to sow the seed for design thinking product development

Information Architecture

I created a task flow diagram to articulate the information architecture for the patient data management feature. Laying out the task flow diagram helped me map 3 distinct sections of patient data that users might want to access - 1. Patient data entry 2. Patient data access and 3. Syncing new patient orders from external servers.

Physician -_Patient-_Scan Workflow with color 1.png
 

Sketches and Wireframes

 

I used Axure to wireframe my designs. Since I owned the UX of the entire Patient data management area, my process was as follows:

  1. Break down the functional area into a list of features

  2. Map out the information architecture

  3. Design the sub features. For example, the landing page for the Patient data management app needed to have search enabled, which required that I:

    • Generate multiple design options for that feature

    • Review designs with cross functional team and stakeholders, which especially important to get input from clinical subject matter experts

  4. Get alignment on design solutions

  5. Document agreed upon design decisions

 

Testing and Design Evolution

The design evolved as assumptions were tested and validated through iterative testing.

One of the biggest shifts was between versions 3 and 4. We assumed that the ability to quickly search for patients would be a primary task, saving users precious minutes off their workflow. Instead, we learned that users entered patient information prior to beginning an ultrasound scan and then proceeded with scanning the patient. The search functionality was also dependent on connectivity to backend systems, which is not always reliable.

 

Implementation / Specification

Besides producing wireframes and getting alignment with the cross functional team, I used Axure to create design documentation that detailed the expected behaviors for every UI element and element. The design doc was used primarily by software developers for implementation.

 

LAUNCH and IMPACT

  • Launched into a new segment called “Ultra Mobile Ultrasound" as a disruptive form factor aiming to make ultrasound accessible to clinicians in remote locations.

  • More than 1,800 units have been sold globally, enabling the shared use of iViz across hospital departments, impacting tens of thousands of lives.

  • Compact form of the iViz is not intimidating to new ultrasound users, familiarity to consumer devices.

  • Clear identification of functional areas such as Patient and Scan helped users make easy choices on their preferred workflow.

ITERATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

  • User customization of the Patient data entry fields can be explored so that the user has control over what patient data entry fields they really need to enter and hide the rest.

  • More opportunities to expedite patient data entry and eliminate typing needs to be explored to save time and hassle of manual entry

    • Streamlining the barcode scanning workflow

    • Using RFID technology