Brady Jacobsen
Plan Builder Redesign
Year
2023
Client
IncludeHealth
Industry
Healthcare
Role
Product Designer
IncludeHealth is a remote physical therapy platform that utilizes computer vision to track and measure patient performance. A patient's home exercise plan is built within IncludeHealth by licensed physical therapists, then sent to their account where they are expected to perform it.
The portion of IncludeHealth where physical therapists build patient's plans is referred to as the "Plan Builder." During Q2 of 2023 the IncludeHealth team decided to make improvements to the Plan Builder, being the portion of the platform where physical therapists spent the majority of their time and an area where we saw great room for improvement. Redesigning the Plan builder would allow us to address user feedback, reduce friction, and streamline time spent in-app during the plan creation process.
Role & Responsibilities
The existing Plan Builder predated my time at IncludeHealth and was one of the last remaining original features in the clinician portion of the platform. Armed with newly established design principals and design system, combined with a wealth of user-feedback, I was tasked with leading the project in both a Squad Lead (Shape Up process lead) and Lead Product Designer capacity.
Wireframe Creation
Prototyping
User Testing
Feedback Analysis & Dissemination
UI Design
Quality Assurance
Squad Lead
Existing Pain Points
Along with updating the design to meet our new standards, there were a number of pain points that we knew our users were experiencing, including:
Workflow
The existing workflow required users to create a client(patient) profile before initiating a plan, contrary to industry standard HEP (Home Exercise Program) workflows. Therapists were used to creating a plan and utilizing it with a number of patients, avoiding time spent in the HEP. However, due to our billing structure, a plan had to belong to a single patient. This requirement would have to persist, however we were able to delay the creation of a client until the plan was saved, meeting the in-clinic flow of our therapists. To avoid time spent duplicating plans, we gave templates/protocols a greater presence within the Plan Builder. This shift, which seems impossibly small made a world of difference to our users.
VS
Screen Real Estate
The Plan Builder and "Activity Drawer" showcased a limited number of activities, making it challenging for PTs to find, modify or browse activities effectively, especially on smaller laptop screens.
Verbiage
The "protocols" feature, which referred to pre-selected activity collections for quick plan generation, was not intuitive language for physical therapists. This coupled with the fact that protocols were not accessible through the plan builder led to low usage of this feature.
Goals
In order to ensure that our redesign was successful, we went about setting three goals for the new Plan Builder.
01
Reduce friction and time spent generating plans.
02
Improve understanding and usability of features by enhancing the "protocol" feature and rebranding it as "Templates."
03
Increase the creation and utilization of templates.
The Approach
Stakeholder Collaboration
Following the Shape Up Process, as the designated Squad Leader, collaboration with leadership from Product, Business, and Engineering was crucial to understand diverse needs and requirements. This paved the way for comprehensive requirements gathering and team alignment.
Research & Discovery
A mix of competitive audits, customer interviews, and close collaboration with the clinical team provided a rich understanding of user needs.
Design & Development
The process started with creating workflows, then low-fidelity wireframes which were used to gather stakeholder feedback. After their feedback HIFI mockups were created and turned into an interactive prototype in Figma. Usability tests on Zoom further refined the design, leading to changes in workflow and UI adjustments. Close collaboration with the Engineering team ensured that the design was both innovative and technically feasible.
Results
In the end, it was evident that our endeavors had borne fruit. The updated tool was not only a testament to meticulous design and collaboration but also a resounding success in the eyes of its users. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, signaling that we had effectively addressed the concerns and needs of our user base. Furthermore, a significant uptick in the use of templates underscored the tangible impact of our efforts, showcasing that our design improvements directly translated to enhanced user engagement and efficiency.
The "Plan Builder Refresh" for IncludeHealth wasn't just a design project; it was a journey of understanding user needs, navigating technical challenges, and fostering collaboration. The positive reception of the revamped Plan Builder stands testament to the team's relentless efforts.
Lessons Learned
Billing Structure Challenge
In contrast to conventional HEP settings, IncludeHealth's billing structure necessitated each plan to be linked to a specific client. Every possible barrier was identified and minimized.
Technical Constraints with Activity Catalog
Presenting a vast catalog of activities posed significant speed and performance issues. Both design and technical finesse were required.
User Desire for Choice
Users showed a clear preference for flexibility and personalization.
Balancing Technical Limitations with UX
An evident theme was the tension between design aspirations and technical constraints. This underscored the critical importance of symbiotic collaboration between engineers and designers.
Designed & Built by Brady Jacobsen
©2023