Getting back to basics:
Finding what design elements create a good user experience for emergency medical teams performing acute rehabilitation treatment post-disaster.
Project Overview:
Defense Committee:
Research Chair & Advisor: Karen Bucher, MA, CMI, FAMI
Committee Member: Leah Lebowicz, EdD, CMI
Committee Member: John Daugherty, MS, CMI, FAMI
Content Expert: José-Luis Barnay, MD
Deliverables: High-Fidelity Wireframe & Style Guide
Software: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Qualtrics XM, Procreate, Zoom
Final Deliverables
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High-Fidelity Wireframe
This clickable, high-fidelity wireframe adapted from user testing, serves as a framework for a rehabilitative application intended for use by emergency medical teams in a post-disaster setting.
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Style Guide
Made in tandem with the wireframe, this style guide serves as a reference on essential elements that can improve utilization of acute rehabilitative treatment post-disaster.
Research Background
Research Question:
What design considerations for usability should be made when developing an interactive mobile application for rehabilitation professionals on emergency medical teams to promote utilization of acute rehabilitation treatment in post-disaster settings?
Research Problem:
Due to the nature of a post-disaster setting, research on post-disaster treatment is limited. Alternatives to a prospective, randomized controlled trial have included retrospective analysis of EMTs, observational studies, and surveys to measure the impact of physical rehabilitation in such a setting. While this information has proved beneficial, the lack of systematic and standardized data collection during past disasters is amplifying a major void in current research and limits the range and quality of what is available today. Essentially, if the data are not there, organizations may not see the need for implementation.
Additionally, while the use of mobile applications is making its way into everyday healthcare, including in the emergency department, there is little evidence of clinical mobile applications in a disaster setting. In such a fast-paced, ever-changing, high-stress environment, mobile applications offer solutions to minimizing the adverse effects of these characteristics in a post-disaster setting.
Study Design
It starts with a prototype.
I began my design process by constructing a paper prototype from initial sketches to get a sense of what the application could be. This involved utilizing office supplies to create a simple, large-scale version of the application. The nature of this prototype allows for easy revisions in the early stages of development.
While I chose to conduct user testing digitally, this was an essential step that helped me see any initial problems to solve or changes to be made.
Stage 1: User Testing
Low-fidelity wireframe V2
After refining the paper prototype, I created a low-fidelity wireframe in Adobe XD.
In order to gain real feedback on the application, I utilized the prototype feature in Adobe XD to make the wireframe clickable. In other words, I was able to connect the pages of the wireframe in a manner that allows users to use it like a real application.
The process:
Users were given 45 minutes to complete 3 tasks.
Tasks involved adding a new patient, completing a triage algorithm, and changing the date settings.
Click below to try out the clickable low-fidelity wireframe:
Stage 2: Development
The final stage of the study involved implementing all the feedback given in user testing to develop a high-fidelity, clickable wireframe with accompanying style guide.
