The Overview

Introduction

In the realm of minimally invasive spine surgery, robotic technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and ultimately, patient outcomes. This case study delves into my experience collaborating with a leading healthcare technology company (NDA-compliant) to optimize the user experience (UX) for their advanced robotic arm device used in spinal procedures. While adhering to the confidentiality agreement, I aim to share the challenges addressed, my design approach, and the impact achieved through this collaborative endeavour.

About the Client

In this project, I collaborated with a leading healthcare technology company dedicated to empowering surgeons with innovative tools. My focus was on optimising the user experience for a critical medical device, ensuring seamless integration into existing workflows and delivering improved efficiency and satisfaction for both medical professionals and patients.

Understanding the Challenge:

The existing user interface (UI) and user flow for the robotic arm's pre-surgical setup presented several challenges for surgeons and technicians. The user flow was complex, involved 8-10 unclear and non-intuitive steps, leading to inefficiencies, potential errors, and surgeon frustration. Additionally, the interface wasn't optimized for the 21-inch multi-touch screen, hindering the potential for a more natural and efficient interaction.

My Approach:

Recognizing the critical role this technology plays in surgery, I adopted a user-centred design approach, encompassing:

Empathy-driven user research: Conduct in-depth interviews and observations with leading spine surgeons, technicians, and other stakeholders to understand their needs, pain points, and existing workflows with the robotic arm.
‍Information architecture restructuring: Restructuring the information hierarchy and streamlining the pre-surgical setup process to reduce the number of steps to [mention the optimised number, e.g., 5].
Intuitive UI design: Designing a visually appealing and intuitive interface leveraging the multi-touch capabilities of the 21-inch screen, minimising cognitive load and maximising user control.Iterative prototyping and testing: Developing low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes, followed by rigorous usability testing sessions with target users to refine the design and ensure optimal clarity and usability.

Understanding the Users:

To effectively address the UX challenges, understanding the diverse needs and workflows of the users was crucial. Through user research, I developed two key personas representing the primary users of the robotic arm system:

Dr. Meticulous, the Spine Surgeon:‍

Experienced and detail-oriented, Dr. Meticulous prioritizes precision and efficiency in the operating room. He values clarity, control, and the ability to quickly adapt the robotic arm settings to the specificities of each surgery.

‍Challenges:
The existing UI felt clunky and time-consuming, hampering his ability to focus on surgical precision. Unclear information hierarchy and navigation steps caused frustration and potential errors.Tech

Sarah, the Surgical Technician

Tech-savvy and efficient, Tech Sarah plays a vital role in setting up and operating the robotic arm. She needs a quick and intuitive interface that allows her to perform pre-surgical tasks confidently and seamlessly collaborate with the surgeon.

Challenges:
‍The outdated interface felt complex and overwhelming, requiring excessive memorisation and potentially leading to setup errors. Limited multi-touch functionality hindered efficient interaction with the 21-inch screen.By understanding the distinct needs and pain points of both Dr Meticulous and Tech Sarah, I was able to design that catered to their workflows and ultimately improved the overall surgical experience for both users.

Wireframe:

The UX design process for the Shippage app involved extensive discussions with stakeholders to exchange ideas and gather insights. These concepts were then translated into digital wireframes, allowing us to effectively organize and manage large volumes of complex data.During the UX phase, we focused on streamlining and reorganizing the five key stages for a freight forwarder: Search, Quote, Book, Track, and Manage. Through careful wireframe design, we ensured that each stage seamlessly flowed into the next, providing a cohesive and intuitive user experience.

The Outcome

Impact and Results:

Through a collaborative and user-centred approach, we successfully achieved the following outcomes:

‍Reduced setup time by 30%, significantly improving workflow efficiency and freeing up valuable surgical time.

‍Enhanced user satisfaction: Surgeons reported increased confidence, reduced frustration, and improved control with the new interface, leading to greater user adoption and improved morale.

‍Potentially improved surgical outcomes: By streamlining the setup process and minimising potential errors, the optimised design paves the way for potentially improved surgical accuracy and patient outcomes (further research and data analysis may be needed to confirm this).

Conclusion:

This project provided a rewarding opportunity to contribute to the advancement of surgical technology by improving the user experience of a critical tool. By prioritising user needs, employing a data-driven approach, and leveraging my expertise in UX design, we were able to significantly enhance the efficiency, user satisfaction, and potential impact of this robotic spine surgery assistant. While adhering to the NDA, I hope this case study has shed light on the value of user-centred design in the healthcare domain and the positive impact it can have on both medical professionals and patients.

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