Our Industrial Design partner Intersection engaged Powell Design to design the Carescape R860, a new patient ventilator for GE Healthcare that utilizes a full-touch human centered user interface to provide doctors, respiratory therapists and nursing staff with a clearer window into their patients. This patented UI allows for quick access to detailed historical data (past), current patient status (present) and clinical decision support (future.)
Our work began with observational research with 3 key personas—doctors, nurses and RT’s. That research effort was followed by a complete tear-down of the old, outdated user experience that allowed for a thorough exploration of UX concepts that were better suited to meet the needs of each of the unique personas. Once the new UX was solidified, multiple UI concepts were created to explore various options for the look & feel. A single direction was selected and a limited prototype was built to showcase the new UX + UI. The prototype was tested again with the 3 key personas and refined according to the research findings. Finally, a complete design system was created that detailed each screen within the application. These screens were then shared through a cloud-based collaboration tool with the GE Healthcare software engineering team for seamless implementation.
Highlights:
- Documented reduction of patient average length of stay in its intensive care unit by 28 percent*
- Empathic design adapts to 3 distinct user groups: Doctors, Respiratory Therapists & Nurses.
- UI Changes color (purple) to clearly designate Neonatal mode for patient safety.
- Encourages “dive in” use of UI where users are more likely to change behavior through improving Usability and Navigation
- Regards the family as key spectator in experience
- Five Patents awarded for UI & UX Innovation
*Cincinnati Business Journal story highlighting the success of the Carescape R860 launched at Cincinnati’s Jewish Hospital and the positive impact on ROI.
