The Problem:
The University of Virginia Outpatient Epilepsy Clinic has always used a lilac printout of all patient information regarding seizures. The printout contains all medication, imaging, and seizure histories, all of which are crucial when treating a patient. A database manager from the hospital reached out to us to improve the system.
Below are a couple example pages of the original printout system.
Step 1: What's important?
Our first step in solving this problem was to determine what information was most important from the printout. After a consultation with the database manager, we created a list of critical information to include in our new design: seizure frequency (text and graphical), seizure type, current and past medications, and all EEG and imaging results. Another important piece of the design is a data entry field to make updates to the patient.
Step 2: The Media.
We ultimately decided to base our design on a desktop computer instead of the current paper products. Every room in the clinic has a desktop computer making it possible to switch to digital. The screens also could be printed if needed.
Step 3: Initial Designs.
Our initial sketches included a "file folder" mimicking design with tabs containing each important category of information. The home screen contains an enlarged seizure frequency graph containing all four types of seizure with the option of turning them off and on. The initial sketch also included a table of all of the past seizures listed in the graph with a split screen and a button linking to a pop up for the doctor to make updates.
The next page designed was the seizure information and medication page. The original seizure information table was reworked to reduce redundancy. The large medication table was removed and replaced with a roll over function. When the user placed his or her mouse over a date, a small table would expand and show the medication information at that date.
Step 4: Preliminary Digital Prototypes.
After initially sketching out our design, we designed a digital mock-up of the interface. Several changes were implemented when changing our design to digital. The tabs were moved from the top to the left hand side in order to conserve space. A notes section was also added under the tabs to mimic a doctor writing in the margins of the paper for his own reference. The table of data was also removed from the front page to reduce clutter and redundancy from the graph.
The next page on the interface is the Seizure/Medication Info. The frequency table gives a brief overview of the patient's seizure information and has a field for the doctor to enter new information. The medication table lists all current and past medications and their dosage. Current medications have their "Reason for Discontinuation" blacked out since they are still on the medication.
The image below shows the roll over function for medications at a certain date.
The final tab is for Imaging/EEGs. The information is presented in an accordion table so the user can view as much or as little information that they want.
The final page of the design shows the make updates page.
Step 5: Initial Design Review.
We presented our first prototype to our peers to gather feedback for the final design. We instated a lilac background to pay homage to the original lilac paper used to print the information. We redesigned the notes and make updates tab to eliminate the use of popups and make the screens printable if necessary. From the feedback, we decided to reorganize some information and make the interface more cohesive.
Step 6: Final Design.
