How to streamline workflows in healthcare systems administration?
About the client
The client operates a network of hospitals and healthcare institutions requiring efficient management of health professional records. Their legacy help desk system, Medsync360, was used by administrators to process daily requests for creating, updating, and validating professional data. However, fragmented workflows and outdated processes led to inefficiencies, errors, and prolonged response times.
The challenges
Healthcare help desk administrators faced significant hurdles in managing professional record updates:
Fragmented Data and Workflows
Professional records were distributed across multiple data tables, forcing administrators to navigate disjointed forms and manually assemble information.
Tickets often lacked critical data (e.g., license validation, department placement), requiring time-consuming external searches.
Outdated Processes
Legacy forms included obsolete fields, creating confusion and redundant steps.
No centralized interface for task management, leading to context switching and errors.
Inefficiency and Errors
Task completion averaged 7 minutes per ticket, with frequent unforced errors due to manual data transcription.
Administrators spent 40% of their time validating missing information rather than resolving tickets.
The Solution
I helped to create a centralized dashboard unified fragmented data and automated real-time data validations, while streamlined data entry workflows.
The process
Empathizing Through User Research
Interviews with administrators and technical managers revealed the root causes:
Data Model Complexity: Records spanned identity, profession, and workplace data across fragmented tables.
Validation Gaps: Critical details (e.g., professional licenses) lacked real-time verification.
Organizational Ambiguity: Departments varied across institutions, with no standardized selection process.
Designing a Unified Dashboard
Centralized Task Management: A single interface consolidated all relevant data (identity, profession, workplace) and automated external validations (e.g., license checks via official databases).
Streamlined Forms: Obsolete fields were removed, and workflows were simplified to reduce cognitive load.
Automating Critical Validations
Real-Time License Verification: Integrated APIs pulled updated license data, eliminating manual checks.
Department Hierarchy Navigation: A dynamic search and filter system guided administrators to correct departments based on specialty (e.g., Ophthalmology → Ocular Oncology).
Iterative Prototyping
Rapid prototypes were tested with administrators to refine the interface, ensuring alignment with their mental models and reducing training time.
The impact on the experience
By applying user-centered design principles and iterative testing, the transformed system now supports:
Faster decision-making through real-time data validation.
Simplified workflows that empower both new and experienced administrators.
Enhanced Focus & Accuracy: Achieved by eliminating context switching through a cohesive dashboard.
Task erros
30%
improve
Fewer errors by automating data validation and transcription
Task completion
57%
Faster
Reduced from 7 minutes to 3 minutes per ticket.