UnitedHealth Group, 2021—2022
Clinical Transformation Tool: reducing clinicians’ time & efficiency by 90%
I was tasked with revamping the app design end-to-end, handling everything from planning to execution by myself.
Products
Web
Team
Project Manager
UX Designer (me)
What I did
UX/UI design
Design Validation
UX Research
Conducted Surveys & User Interviews
UnitedHealth Group
(my employer)
In 2020, UnitedHealth Group assigned Quality Data Managers (QDM) and Quality Data Analysts (QDA) to oversee efficient operations in all U.S. facilities, ensuring quality, affordable, and efficient patient care for 152 million people.
What is the Clinical Transformation Tool?
The Clinical Transformation Tool streamlines facility monitoring, allowing Quality Data Managers to focus on maintaining quality and efficiency across all UnitedHealth Group facilities, saving time and resources.
UnitedHealth Group's Clinical Transformation Tool consolidates data entry, clinical action plans, and reporting, reducing staff stress and burnout while ensuring a quality patient experience.
My Role
The company opened new roles to monitor UnitedHealth Group's facilities. In a nutshell, I was assigned to:
01
Research & Identify User Issues
02
Redesign the CTT App, addressing the issues
We adopted the following design approach, prioritizing our users:
01
RESEARCH
UX/UI Audit
User Research
Qualitative & Quantitative Survey
User Interviews
02
DEFINE
Persona
Business Goals
Challenges
Deadlines
03
DESIGN
User Flow
Wireframing
Visual Design
Accessibility
04
TEST & DELIVER
User Testing
Expert Feedback
Edge Cases
Final Touches
I worked closely with the Product Manager
to understand project goals and maintained regular communication with developers, ensuring clarity and alignment.
Main challenges to be addressed
In 2021, UnitedHealth Group faced several challenges with Clinical Transformation Tool:
- The new roles required extensive manual work with numerous Excel files.
- Digital intervention was necessary to streamline the process.
- Clinical Transformation Tool was at an infant stage and didn't provide much value
- Interface needed to be scalable for the growing virtual care demand
CTT v1.0 had basic data entry and parameter assessment but fell short due to limited functionality and technical glitches.
The project kicked off with a UX audit
of the Clinical Transformation Tool, focusing on improving user-friendliness, simplifying the UI, and aligning with user goals.
KEY AUDIT INSIGHTS
- The UI was confusing and took up a lot of scroll space, leading to navigation issues.
- The functionality was too limited, with not much to do besides data entry.
- The pillbox-shaped tabs occupied excessive screen space, especially considering the need to add more tab rows later.
- The design required greater compactness and streamlining for user-friendliness and scalability.
CTT v1.0 - The product before
I surveyed 150+ clinicians
for insights on quality management.
This informed a 50+ page report addressing their habits and challenges.
Key Survey Insights
- Users questioned if the tool is really useful.
- Users feel some data entry questions aren't relevant.
- The tool sometimes doesn't work properly.
- Users focus on other tools like Impact, Office.
I interviewed 9 clinicians in quality management,
gaining insights on user needs and pitfalls to avoid, guiding future design decisions.
I initiated a collaborative Figjam canvas
for stakeholders, developers, and users to shape the CTT tool.
This facilitated instant feedback, crucial for iterative improvements in Wireframe Design.
I reviewed user flow sketches in our weekly Design meetings, collaborating with stakeholders.
The Design Wall empowered users with post-it voting for a democratic design process.
Weekly meetings with stakeholders, users, and developers
used it as a common ground to discuss and test prototypes, guiding the best approach forward.
I tested multiple layouts for the reporting screen. The list-style layout (2) was finalized for its simplicity and resemblance to how QDAs manage data in Excel files.
Selected UX/UI Improvements
Here are some design approaches that served as the foundation for the whole system redesign.
1. Removing excessive decoration
CTT consolidates complex functionalities under one system, requiring a ground-up UX/UI redesign for scalability and future feature integration.
Before
Graphic elements, like the pillbox tab menu, and space-occupying elements caused clutter, hindering comprehension.
After
The new design introduces a cleaner look, improving compactness and enhancing readability with a color-coded tab system.
2. Designing a space to monitor and track
We crafted the whole system from scratch, with the Clinical Action Plans Page being a standout. We listened to users, giving them a hassle-free space to manage action plans all in one spot.
The page lets users create or choose action plans, easily tracking changes, adding notes, attaching docs, and more.
Before
The old workflows were a pain. Dealing with multiple Excel files for data was a stress-fest, making it tough to stay focused.
After
I checked out how QDAs handle data and pitched a fresh dashboard for report monitoring.
Using visual data makes it easier on the brain, processing images faster than text.
3. SHORTCUTS AND FAST TRACKS
This change was driven by our pursuit to achieve two business objectives:
- For experienced users: quick access to their most-used features.
- Beginners: simplifying and speeding up the learning process.
We dug into the Design Wall's insights, figuring out what users love most. Shortcuts for quick access to favorite features? Done. Plus, they can create their own shortcuts – easy peasy.
The home page sets users up with quick alerts and lets you create your own bookmarks for easy access to their favorite sections.
Clicking on the facility brings up a detailed summary section with interactive widgets, allowing users to perform functions instantly.
Final Design
Before
After
Summary
After design and development, UnitedHealth Group's clinicians gave overwhelmingly positive feedback. The app slashed work time by 90%, as new users shifted from manual workflows to a single, streamlined system for all their activities.
It's truly remarkable to witness the Clinical Transformation Tool in action. The product has alleviated stress for the team, eliminating the need to navigate through various systems for tasks. Collaboration and decision-making have significantly improved.
Program Manager, Unitedhealth Group
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