What are You Missing? Why User-Centered Design Matters in Health Tech

In the fast-paced world of healthcare and health tech, we're constantly striving to innovate and improve patient care. We have truly come to see AI as a hammer and consequently now envision every problem as a nail. But how often do we stop and ask ourselves: is this product or solution truly fit for purpose? This question is paramount, especially when developing digital health solutions. A beautifully coded app or a cutting-edge piece of hardware is useless if it doesn't address the real needs of its users or creates burdensome workflow pain points.

The concept of "fit for purpose" hinges on understanding the "jobs to be done" or the "needs to be filled" from the end-user's perspective. Consider the EHR. While intended to streamline healthcare, many EHRs have earned a reputation for being clunky and difficult to navigate. They often fail to integrate seamlessly with a clinician's workflow, leading to frustration and inefficiency. Anyone who has used a popular EHR like Epic can attest to this. The sheer volume of information and buttons crammed onto the home screen can be overwhelming, often hindering rather than helping the user. It's like walking into a restaurant and being handed a giant menu with everything listed on one page – overwhelming and impractical.

A poorly designed EHR, or any digital health product for that matter, has serious consequences. It prolongs tasks, forces users to invent workarounds, and ultimately breeds dissatisfaction. No one wants to use a tool that actively hinders their work. Achieving "fit for purpose" requires a deep understanding of the diverse needs of all users. Recognizing this diversity is crucial. As the saying goes, "the actual problem is always broader" than we initially perceive. We can't assume we fully grasp the situation based solely on our own experiences.

Tony Salvador's TED Talk on Listening Bias

This brings me to Tony Salvador's insightful TED Talk on listening bias. He highlights the "imagination gap" – the difference between what we think needs to be built and what actually needs to be built. We often fall into the trap of rationalizing our own assumptions, minimizing this gap and neglecting valuable user input. Salvador's rowing example perfectly illustrates this point. When trying to row synchronously in a crew boat without any preparation, each individual in the group thought they knew how to row, but their individual approaches led to chaos and poor performance. This underscores the importance of "listening for what's not being said." Only by truly understanding the unspoken needs and challenges of our users can we bridge the imagination gap and create products that truly meet their needs.

In the digital health space, user-centered design isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have. Whether you're a health tech startup developing a new telehealth platform or a healthcare leader implementing a new EHR system, prioritizing "fit for purpose" is essential. It's the key to creating digital health solutions that are not only innovative but also effective, efficient, and ultimately, improve patient care. So, let's ask ourselves the tough questions: Are we truly listening to our users? Do we know who our users are? Are we bridging the imagination gap? Are our products truly fit for purpose? The answers to these questions will determine the success of our digital health endeavors.