Unicare
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The Problem
Canada's healthcare system is showing signs of strain on multiple levels. Overworked medical staff face burnout, managers struggle with scarce resources, and this results in patients experiencing dangerously high wait times. To view my research and process in depth, please see my thesis PDF.
Discovery
The catalyst for this project was personal: my mother, an infection control nurse, retired mid-pandemic due to severe burnout. This prompted me to investigate further.
Research
First, I conducted primary research to validate my initial direction. Through talking with both nurses and anyone else who would listen, there was an overwhelming sentiment that workers and the public we need improvements to our system.
Then, through secondary research through reading the News, Reddit, and scholarly articles, I solidified my direction.
The catalyst for this project was personal: my mother, an infection control nurse, retired mid-pandemic due to severe burnout. This prompted me to investigate further.
I then began gathering themes & trends.
What if we fuelled health decisions with data and tech to make better decisions faster?
"I feel sick, what should I do?"
A portal that uses health data and research to give patients an easy and explainable action plan.
Lowering wait times by empowering workers and public with AI.
"Ok Doc, here's your next best move."
Like a chess computer for priorities. Nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff gain a what to do and why using AI's ability to make complex data from medical IoT, process insights, and from shared lesson learning into something easily-digestible and actionable.
A shared lesson-learning platform for hospitals and research organizations generating revenue.
Powered by de-identified patient data, hospitals can freely share insights on a deeper level between each other, especially with actions taken towards success. Furthermore, this enables them to broker de-identified data to ethically generate revenue. Research organizations can benefit heavily from this rich data, and thus the medical industry as a whole.
Reflection & Takeaways
Talking to people = 👑
I spent as much time as I could talking to people. From nurses, classmates, colleagues, to even talkative people sitting next to me on flights. Whether done formally through a qualitative forms or casually Discord calls, you can find value through doing this and asking the right questions.
Enter: the magician 🪄
After creating this case study, I discovered a type of usability testing called "Wizard of Oz method". It works by letting someone behind the scenes work as the system you're trying to test. Though I got user feedback on prototypes, I may have gotten even deeper insights by opening this realm of possibility.
Validate UI & brand further 🔬
I intentionally chose to make the healthcare worker portal use a dark mode so that the screen wouldn't light up the worker's face and make it look like they were distracted. I also chose a sharper and slightly serious and corporate look to convey a sense of trust in users using adapting UI cues from both Material and Carbon. Though this may be pragmatic, it should be investigated further.
Usefulness > shiny ideas 🤔
While exploring blockchain and tokenization for health records, I realized the need to balance innovation with usability. After speaking with users, I foresaw that despite the tech’s potential, it likely wouldn’t be adopted in this case. By prioritizing education and intuitive design, I ensured the technology was approachable and beneficial without overwhelming users.
