Designing for Health Factors

When designing for healthcare we must consider a few factors which will impact the users opinion on our product.

Trust

A core part of a doctor-patient relationship is the patient’s faith in the advice and treatment recommended by the doctor. It has been proven adults with chronic conditions were more likely to put high trust in their doctor, compared to those who consider themselves in full health.
Trust depends on an individuals experience and what the context is. There is a direct link between patients trusting their doctors and complying with instructions, meaning that patients who trust their doctors will be more likely to use an app, as long as it has been ‘prescribed’ to them by a trusted doctor.
While data privacy is a general concern for many in all contexts - including health care, patients seem to be willing and expecting to share their data with their healthcare providers ****in exchange for a more personal treatment plan and improved health. This is crucial to remember whenever designing for Users as we must consider context and how personalised data can help in this occasion.

One thing to keep in mind is that we must design for all users, even for the most extreme. We must have a target audience but also consider everyone under the curve of who could use the app. When designing for healthcare we should consider those who are least likely to engage because of their age, low literacy, a disability, or any other health issue that could impact their ability.
To make treatment plans more personal, doctors collect and analyse patients's medical data. For a truly personal view of patients, digital healthcare will not only need to include “medical” data, but also information about sleep, exercise, and nutrition including alcohol consumption habits. This will allow doctors and/or patients to fully understand their health and how they can improve it.
To go a step further, an even more personalised approach collects information about lifestyle indicators such as travel, life transitions (e.g divorce), and emotional well-being (e.g stress level). These factors all can affect mental health and therefore have knock-on affects to physical health regarding eating habits and sleep patterns. Stress level tracking is important given that many chronic conditions, including depression, heart conditions, and diabetes, are worsened by stress. Mood trackers exist on the market, collecting data about lifestyle patterns and the users mood.

Accuracy is always a consideration when creating products surrounding healthcare, inaccurate advice can lead to making ill informed choices and inevitably could negatively impact health. There are two main concerns when it comes to accuracy, the first is sensor accuracy, such as heart rate or the new additions to the apple watch such as blood oxygen levels. The other is the accuracy of the analysis and insight.
Every sensor used in tracking devices comes with an accuracy level, but accuracy level information does not have a primary location on UI and often users are unaware of this accuracy level compared to a products competitors. From my research I have found that on the Garmin app, there is a written section about sensor accuracy found down the More Menu. Similarly, the Apple Watch does not communicate the sensor accuracy, but it does provide information on how to make the reading more accurate.
Similarly with how humans interact in person, digital products must act with the same transparency using clear and accurate information to build trust. Machines and humans alike are not perfect decision makers, so therefore all medical predictions on digital products to ensure accuracy must be based on information collected by both sensors and humans. Showing the data behind the prediction is one way to increase trust and accuracy between the user and the product, along with allowing human validation of all data collected by sensors.

When we are considering digital products for healthcare providers or patients we must use practical, empathetic design to maximise UX within the product due to the sensitive nature of content. By keeping a positive tone ****when educating and communicating patient information, patients could subconsciously feel more hopeful about the outcome of their treatment.
Another way to enhance positivity in the patient experience when using a digital product is to use positive reinforcement. We can do this simply by adding small additions such as prompts found in fitness apps (e.g “you’re awesome, keep going!”) can improve user commitment to the goals. These need used sparingly and in the correct circumstances, for example don't use words of hope and encouragement when symptoms could be worsening.
It is key to find the balance between speaking casually with the user and speaking professionally, a large factor of this product and the UX is to ensure the app meets the needs of the target audience and whether they need the app to be on the friendly side or on the clinical/medical side.

Measuring success for digital health varies depending on target. One of the biggest challenges for healthcare digitally is patient adherence, good design can be measured by engagement and the user participation. Ideally the product created should improve health and efficiency.
Currently, research states and general understanding is that chronic disease management is time-consuming, especially in cases when conditions need multiple stages to treat a condition. While patient's needs vary across many conditions, it is a common denominator that patients want to spend minimal time managing their condition.