Redacted

Electronic Medical Record

How might we simplify the data entry process for nurses gathering and reviewing patient information for physicians?
Role UX Designer Candidate
Channel Responsive Web
Timeframe 3 days

Overview A design exercise for a healthcare software company focused on streamlining data collection for nurses gathering patient information. The challenge was to redesign the electronic medical record system to support efficient, on-the-go data entry while maintaining comprehensive patient documentation for physicians.
Contribution User Research; Wireframes; Interactive Design.

Problem Data collection in short amount of time: The constant expansion of support for healthcare providers, home, and mobile support is ever-changing and a necessary process to support our patients and medical professionals. Staying up to date with modern technology: The advancement of technology and our ability to build in-house software presents an opportunity to evaluate how we can reimagine how we collect and review patient information.
Hypothesis Prioritize questionnaires — Gather information based on appointment visit whether follow-up or concern. Become omnichannel — Support handheld devices on the go and not constraint to a room.

 

Overview

The work on this page is part of a design exercise for a private healthcare software company that creates electronic records for medical professionals and patients.Due to the secure nature of healthcare services, company and branding were removed for this design candidate. The work demonstrates thought process in a short, fixed timeframe.

Problem

Data collection in short amount of time — The constant expansion of support for healthcare providers, home, and mobile support is ever-changing and a necessary process to support our patients and medical professionals.Staying up to date with modern technology — The advancement of technology and our ability to build in-house software presents an opportunity to evaluate how we can reimagine how we collect and review patient information.
  • 01
    Data collection in short amount of time

    The constant expansion of support for healthcare providers, home, and mobile support is ever-changing and a necessary process to support our patients and medical professionals.

  • 02
    Staying up to date with modern technology

    The advancement of technology and our ability to build in-house software presents an opportunity to evaluate how we can reimagine how we collect and review patient information.

Solution

Prioritize questionnaires and become omnichannel to support mobile and in-room data collection needs.
  • 01
    Prioritize questionnaires

    Gather information based on appointment visit whether follow-up or concern.

  • 02
    Become omnichannel

    Support handheld devices on the go and not constrain data collection to a room.

Approach

Key areas to focus on include current and past health records, immunization history, family history, and patient concerns. Primary user: nurse collecting patient information to prepare for a physician.

Insights
  • Primary user: Nurse collecting information from a patient to prepare for a physician.
  • Focus on essential patient data to minimize time per encounter.
Recommendations
  • Conduct moderated usability tests to validate flows.
  • Iterate on questionnaire priorities and mobile interactions.

Ideation

Initial exploration for user interface layout based on analysis from looking at competitor experiences and grouped information.

Capture information prior to physician visit.

Patient questionnaires Capture information prior to physician visit.
Sync updates across for patient and physician to review.

Review and save updates Sync updates across for patient and physician to review.

Design system Standardize components to differentiate component states during user interactions.
Standardize components to differentiate component states during user interactions.
Visual language Type hierarchy, color palette and iconography.
Type hierarchy, color palette and iconography.
Navigation panel Maximize screen real estate by truncating when in client focus view.
Maximize screen real estate by truncating when in client focus view.

Wireframes

Wireframes and responsive screens representing primary flows for nurse data capture and chart review.

Sign on screenSecure patient privacy and verify nurse & physician access by location.
Secure patient privacy and verify nurse & physician access by location.
Navigation panelExpand/Collapse navigation options.
Expand/Collapse navigation options.
Patient vitalsView vitals and collect new patient information.
View vitals and collect new patient information.
Family historyCollect/update patient family history information.
Collect/update patient family history information.
Chart reviewVerify new and existing information before updating for physician notification.
Verify new and existing information before updating for physician notification.

Takeaway

This design exercise was one of my first introductions to using prototyping to convey behavior beyond interactive states. The opportunity to regain screen real estate allowed me to start expanding my deeper understanding of spacing principles in user interfaces.

Lessons learned
  • Ambiguity is a normal reality when navigating a problem space and areas to focus on to address with iterative updates.
  • Focus on context, user goals and tasks before investing too much time on visual design that may not solve user painpoints.
  • There is a distinction outside of mobile first foundations when it comes to designing for native iOS and Android and not just responsive web.
Potential next steps
  • Conduct a moderated usability test to define user insights and additional areas for improvement.
  • Test and iterate until design interactions are meeting goals presented by stakeholders.
  • Focus on patient user experience and their after visit sentiment and satisfaction qualitative insights.

Electronic Medical Record Streamlining nurse data collection to optimize patient information gathering for physicians

CDO Priority Set expectations for brevity (15 min), establish credibility, preview your direct leadership impact. Say Your title, company context, the business problem scale. Emphasize "I led" statements, quantifiable scope (users, teams, timeline). Avoid Generic team language—focus on YOUR role/decisions.

Context The Challenge
  • Organization Redacted is a healthcare company focused on providing innovative medical solutions and improving patient outcomes through advanced technology and compassionate care.
  • Problem Nurses needed efficient data collection tools that work across devices to prepare patient information quickly for physicians
  • Scope Design exercise for healthcare software company creating electronic medical records for medical professionals and patients
  • Timeline 3 days
  • Role UX Designer Candidate

CDO Priority Demonstrate strategic context awareness—why this mattered to the business. Say Root cause (acquisitions, tech debt, org structure), business cost/impact, constraints that made it hard. Emphasize Why YOU were brought in, executive stakes, urgency. Keep under 60 seconds.

Context My Role & Impact

  • User Research Analyzed primary user needs (nurses collecting patient information for physicians)

  • Information Architecture Organized patient data into logical groupings (health records, immunization, family history, concerns)

  • UX Design Designed questionnaire flows and review interfaces optimized for efficiency

  • Visual Design Created design system with standardized components, type hierarchy, and iconography

  • Omnichannel Focus Supported handheld devices for on-the-go data collection, not constrained to rooms

CDO Priority Prove you led hands-on AND strategically. Say Specific actions YOU took (audited, designed, trained), tactical deliverables with YOUR fingerprints. Emphasize Leadership evolution—IC work that built credibility → process/systems you established. Connect metrics to your decisions. CDOs want to see agency, not task completion.

Research What We Discovered

  • User Type Analysis Primary user is nurse collecting information from patient to prepare for physician

  • Workflow Analysis Need to focus on essential patient data to minimize time per encounter

  • Device Context Omnichannel support required for both in-room and mobile data collection

  • Time Constraint 3-day exercise limited research depth—assumptions necessary

  • Key Insight Prioritized questionnaires and mobile optimization would improve data collection efficiency

CDO Priority Show research rigor led to strategic insights, not just findings. Say Methods YOU used (interviews, audits, synthesis), key insight that changed the approach, how you reframed problems to leadership. Emphasize User empathy, business risk/opportunity, influencing up. 1 memorable story > 5 data points.

Exploration Approach

Desktop-Only Solution

Traditional desktop EMR interface—wouldn't support mobile workflows

Omnichannel Design (Selected)

Support handheld devices on-the-go and desktop—maximizes flexibility

Patient-Facing Portal

Let patients enter data themselves—out of scope for this exercise

CDO Priority Demonstrate design thinking—explored multiple paths, made informed trade-offs. Say Why each approach failed/succeeded, YOUR criteria for selection, what you personally built/designed. Emphasize Strategic architecture decisions (tokens, systems thinking), balancing user needs vs. business constraints. Show prototyping rigor, not perfection.

Process Critical Design Decisions

Prioritized Questionnaires

Gather information based on appointment type (follow-up vs concern)

Omnichannel Support

Designed for handheld devices to enable data collection anywhere

Design System

Standardized components to differentiate states during interactions

Navigation Optimization

Maximize screen real estate by truncating navigation when in client focus view

Why these mattered 3-day turnaround required assumptions and rapid iteration

CDO Priority Prove you make principled decisions under ambiguity. Say Each decision's rationale, what you traded off, how decisions connected to research insights. Emphasize YOUR convictions (why you fought for X), where you adapted based on feedback. Focus on 2-3 decisions that show strategic maturity. CDOs value judgment over process.

Outcomes What Worked

  • Prototyping Behavior Used prototyping to convey behavior beyond interactive states

  • Space Optimization Regained screen real estate through collapsible navigation

  • Component States Clear differentiation of component states improved usability

  • Result Delivered concept demonstrating efficient nurse data collection workflows

CDO Priority Show execution + change management skills. Say Specific tactics YOU ran (workshops, partnerships, pilots), how you drove adoption without authority. Emphasize Building coalitions, creating internal champions, adapting when initial plans failed. Mention systems/frameworks you created that others could replicate. CDOs hire multipliers, not doers.

Learnings What Didn't Work

  • Limited User Validation 3-day timeline prevented user testing—assumptions should be validated

  • Scope Assumptions Had to make assumptions about user needs without deep research

  • Key Learning Ambiguity is normal—focus on context, goals, and tasks before visual design

CDO Priority Demonstrate self-awareness and learning agility—critical for senior roles. Say 2-3 failures YOU owned, what you learned, how you pivoted quickly. Emphasize Personal accountability ("I pushed too hard," "I bottlenecked"), data-informed corrections, humility. CDOs respect vulnerability + action. Never blame team/stakeholders—show ownership.

Reflection Key Lessons

  • Lesson 1 Ambiguity is normal reality in problem spaces—address with iterative updates

  • Lesson 2 Focus on context, user goals, and tasks before investing in visual design

  • Lesson 3 Native iOS/Android differ from responsive web—platform considerations matter

  • Lesson 4 Prototyping conveys behavior better than static screens

CDO Priority Synthesize insights into transferable principles—show you build repeatable systems. Say 3-5 lessons that transcend this project, how they'd apply to new contexts. Emphasize Strategic maturity ("systems > heroes"), process innovations you'd bring to their org. Connect lessons to CDO concerns scaling design, org transformation, cross-functional influence.

Results Impact

Qualitative Impact Design exercise demonstrated potential for streamlined data collection and space optimization principles

CDO Priority Quantify business value in their language—this is THE slide that matters. Say How metrics were measured (methodology = credibility), before/after comparison, financial impact. Emphasize Metrics tied to YOUR decisions/work, exceeded goals (show ambition), qualitative transformation. Spend 90 seconds here. CDOs fund impact, not activity. Always tie to revenue/cost/risk.

Future What's Next

  • Next Steps Conduct moderated usability testing to validate flows and gather insights

  • What I Learned First introduction to prototyping for behavior and spacing principles in UI

  • What I Bring Ability to work within constraints and prioritize user needs despite ambiguity

CDO Priority Connect past success to future value for THEIR org. Say Proof of sustainability (what happened after you ), transferable capabilities you demonstrated. Emphasize Leadership philosophy, comfort with ambiguity, what you'd bring to their specific challenges. Close with confidence "This taught me to [capability], which aligns with your [need]."

Discussion Questions & Deep Dives

I'm happy to discuss healthcare UX challenges, rapid prototyping techniques, or designing under time constraints.

What aspects of healthcare design would you like to explore further?

CDO Priority Invite engagement, show depth without overwhelming. Say "Happy to elaborate on [their concern]—design process, stakeholder dynamics, technical decisions." Emphasize You have more depth than shown, you're collaborative and open. Read the room If early (13 min), offer areas to expand. If late (16 min), offer Q&A only. Demonstrate executive presence.

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