The Design Thinking approach is a method of problem-solving that focuses on human behavior and needs. The process employs empathy, numerous idea generation, rapid prototyping, and continuous testing to tackle complex challenges.
5 PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN THINKING IN HEALTHCARE
- PATIENT OR PROFESSIONAL CENTERED
Service design should be experienced trough the customers eyes. - CO-CREATIVE
All stakeholders including the medical staff or patients should be included in the process. - SEQUENCING
The service should be visualized as a sequence of interrelated actions. - EVIDENCING
Intangible services should be visualized in terms of physical products. - HOLISTIC
The entire environment of the patients and medical staff services should be considered.
WHERE CAN YOU APPLY DESIGN THINKING IN HEALTHCARE?
DESIGN THINKING IN PATIENT CARE
- Patient care is more than merely exchanging pleasantries and getting the treatment started. When you apply Design thinking to this process, you’ll see that caring extends beyond therapy.
- A customer empathy map can assist you in knowing your patient’s pain, problems, and fears beyond the medical therapy.
- For example, merely listening to expecting women’ concerns might help them relax. You can come up with a recommended remedy to help them better understand the labour process after conducting depth research and brainstorming suitable ideas.
DESIGN THINKING IN CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
- Patients and their family spend a significant amount of time in waiting rooms, sometimes awaiting treatment or a doctor’s appointment. Design thinking might lead to new ways of making patients feel at ease and making their experience more tolerable.
- For example, one might begin by asking questions and learning about their perspective. Is it necessary to leave the patient alone while they wait treatment? Is there a better way to make use of family waiting time? If you are unable to shorten the wait time, consider how you may make the most of it. Once you answer these questions, you’ll be able to elevate the user experience of your users.
DESIGN THINKING IN WEBSITES AND INFORMATION GUIDES
- If one is creating a healthcare app or website, one must ensure that the information given is reliable and accurate. When it comes to tracking health patterns or discovering illness issues, a person’s medical data can be useful.
- Prioritize the information and fields that are most essential to your users.
- Take into account all age groups and build with their problems in mind.
- They may desire more information with fewer clicks, as well as larger, more readable fonts.
WHY HEALTHCARE MANUFACTURERS SHOULD EMBRACE DESIGN THINKING?
MADE TO MEASURE PRODUCTS
Design thinking should be a common tool for manufacturers but too often patients are not seen as consumers or customers. Needs-based product development can increase the success of a treatment and patients’ general quality of life.
Example – Ascensia’s CONTOUR NEXT ONE blood glucose meter and the CONTOUR DIABETES app—can give patients more clarity and control.
BETTER AND SAFER DEVICES
Well thought-out devices tailored to users’ needs don’t just make life easier for patients and medical staff. In medicine, an awkwardly placed button or complicated software can waste precious time and endanger lives. That’s why there are global regulations and standards governing the usability of medical devices. So, design thinking is not just a gimmick in the medtech industry: it helps improve device safety and performance.
BETTER COMPETITIVENESS
The boundaries between classic consumer products and medtech are becoming increasingly blurred: smartwatches that detect cardiac arrhythmias are now accepted even by cardiologists. Headphones that measure fever could provide serious competition for the time-honored thermometer. Injections without needles. With so much choice, who wouldn’t choose the product that best meets their needs?
