Caring for patients with dementia presents unique challenges, especially in acute care settings. One of the most significant hurdles is the lack of patient-specific information, such as their background, triggers, and techniques that can help reduce anxiety. This often leaves care teams to make assumptions, which can hinder the quality of care. Providence Health recognized this gap and approached us with a vision to provide more patient-focused care by ensuring critical information is readily accessible to all care staff.

During our initial meetings, it became clear that service quality was at the heart of the challenge we were addressing. It wasn’t just about improving information flow—it was about making that information accessible and streamlined. By doing so, hospitals could not only enhance the care they provide to patients but also improve the experience for family members involved in their care.

Product Discovery: Building the Foundation of a Patient-Focused Solution

To keep the scope of the project distinct, we focused the initial engagement on Product Discovery. Understanding the needs of patients living with dementia, as well as the care teams, was critical to ensuring the solution would work for both groups. We conducted interviews and workshops with healthcare professionals and caregivers to gather insights, which then informed the creation of a detailed persona for our users—both patients and the care staff who rely on accurate information to provide compassionate care.

Mapping the Patient Journey

Next, we developed a comprehensive patient journey map, highlighting key moments where care staff would benefit from having better access to patient-specific information. This helped us identify areas where our solution could make the most significant impact, from reducing patient anxiety during stressful moments to improving communication between shifts. By understanding the emotional and functional needs of both patients and caregivers, we were able to design a service that aligns with real-world workflows.

Technology Validation for Patient Identification

In addition to design, we conducted extensive technology validation to identify patients accurately. We explored scanning technology to facilitate quick identification and established a cloud infrastructure to ensure that our data remained secure and did not interfere with existing patient records. This holistic approach was vital in creating a system that empowers care teams with the information they need while safeguarding patient confidentiality.

Collaborative Service Design and Prototyping

The solution didn’t stop at gathering information—it needed to be intuitive and easy to use. We worked closely with Providence Health’s team, applying our human-centered design approach to create an interface that was simple for care staff to navigate, even in high-pressure situations. Through Service Design, we focused on ensuring that the patient’s voice was central, allowing care staff to have immediate access to critical, personalized information that can improve care quality.

What the team hasn’t fully identified at this point was the main user, who is the main target group that will be inputting information, who will be sending out information to be filled out. The reason for working towards the prototype was for this purpose.

UX/UI Design and Alpha Prototype Development

Our design team crafted both the UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) for an application that brings all the relevant patient data together in one place. After multiple iterations, we developed an alpha prototype, which we then tested with real users—care staff who would be using the application on a daily basis. Through this testing phase, we gathered valuable feedback and insights to further refine the product.