Interaction Design for Screens (6 weeks)
Spring 24
Totem App
Totem was developed in a semester-long health studio sponsored by Cognizant. Teams were tasked to explore “the future of the emergency room”.
My team created Totem, an ER information system utilizing customizable modules to create a personalized patient journey that tackles information asymmetry in the ER. Totem aims to bridge informational gaps between physicians and patients, giving guidance through an unexpected and often stressful experience.
E.R. Information platforms focus on physician communication or electronic medical records. Though many EMR systems offer patient portals, patient experiences are limited. Totem hopes to center information not covered by patient charts, focusing less on documentation, and more on the active journey of check-in, waiting, assessment, and discharge.
Research
Our secondary research found post covid emergency rooms, are strained, overcrowded, and confusing. Patients are sicker, facilities are outdated, and many systems struggle to communicate efficiently.
We explored these findings in-person through tours, and interviews to better understand the nuances of the E.R. We worked with contacts in local hospitals, and observed the digital context of a popular EMR.
We received 20 patient responses through our surveys and interviewed 5 emergency room physicians.
Insights
- Communication Disconnect:
Doctors have a lot on their plate, and patients have a lot of questions. This is due to information asymmetry, where patients generally know less. If left unchecked this can create tension and aggression. - Confused Patients:
Many patients don’t know when to contact their primary care physician or go to urgent care. Inside the E.R., they often don’t understand why they are waiting, or what to expect. Confused patients slow down the process, creating unnecessary stress.
- Inaccessible Records
Interoperability issues between EMRs and hospitals create large gaps of waiting in the emergency room. Better connecting siloed resources will increase efficiency, and reduce communication issues.
- Perceived Wait-time:
Uncertainty, stress, and lack of communication allows many patients to feel as if they’ve been waiting too long. In some cases, they may even leave the E.R. without receiving care. By setting expectations, and educating patients, the emergency room can feel more inviting.
High-trust systems like EPIC offer many solutions for physicians but don’t offer comprehensive support to patients. This leaves an opportunity area to create a patient-centered information platform that focuses a patient’s dynamic journey.
Many hospitals offer curated information solutions to patients, but the experience is clunky and hard to find. Many patients are unaware of these apps, and the resources offered are often links to a separate webpage.
Concept Development
We developed our “patient-centered platform” into Superior Signage, brainstorming how information systems within the E.R. can evolve from waiting areas to the exam room. In our wireframes, we flesh the interaction out to a mobile app, administrated by a hospital-run web app.
Wire-Frames
We began testing low-fidelity wireframes, blocking information modules, and planning the mobile web interface.
We wanted hospitals to build their “Totem” experience with specialized modules supported by user-data, and contextual factors.
After testing with patients, and physicians we created a basic journey of check-in, assessment, examination, and discharge.
Each step would include articles tailored to the patients and hospital’s needs. The feedback we received was to highlight wayfinding, give less specific information during assessment/check-in, and ensure no information is given without physician sign-off.
Once the general journey and information was finalized, we began to explore brand-feel.
The color scheme was to be calm, and flexible. Ideally, any hospital could tailor Totem to fit with the colors used inside their facilities. Features such as the AI chatbot, Articles, Map, and Onboarding were then fleshed out.
Examination and Discharge is where Totem begins to specialize, recommending more detailed articles, and saving discharge information. It also allows physicians to update patients on their tests and exams while they are busy running them.
Once the active journey of Totem was finalized, we pivoted towards re-usability and patient profiles. It is important that Totem evolves with the patient, so we thought about how we could help beyond the emergency department. The inactive profile is accessed without a hospital code, and connects a patient with vital information before, or after they receive care.
Totem is an experience, not just a platform, utilizing pamphlets and customizable live slides created from the hospital’s active information modules. These in-person interactions allow Totem to be present every step of the way, regardless of access, while encouraging the use of the app through QR codes.
