Student Profile

I graduated in Creative Digital Media at MTU with first-class honours in 2021. I'm a creative and curious thinker, interested in understanding user needs and solving complex problems. I love the design thinking process, especially ideation, where I can blend creativity with analytical thinking to create impactful prototypes. I hope to work in research or design to develop intuitive, user-centred designs.

Project Overview

CareLink is a mobile application designed to support Home Health Care professionals in improving Care Co-ordination, with the aim of reducing the challenges associated with collaboration and communication. To achieve this goal, I adopted user-centred and participatory design approaches involving interview sessions and usability testing to understand participants' needs, pain points and preferences. I created Low Fidelity Prototypes and evaluated its features, providing valuable design suggestions to enhance the application's functionality. Building upon those initial results and the recommendations received, I designed a High-Fidelity Prototype, where participants expressed positive feedback and validated the necessity of such an application to collaborate effectively and efficiently, with the aim of improving patient care delivery and staff experiences.

Background

Home Health Care refers to the medical treatment and caregiving in a patient’s home. The term Care Co-ordination also refers to several participants exchanging information for different aspects of the patient’s care for effective care delivery. This typically includes help with daily activities, and it’s becoming more complex due to a range of sensory, cognitive, psychological, social, and environmental factors. As these complexities grow, it’s important for healthcare professionals to work together effectively. Research shows that eHealth services can improve coordination in healthcare, but many current digital systems struggle with effective information management. This often leads to fragmented systems that create cumbersome and time-consuming tasks. Approaches like the Bridge and Integrated Care Models aim to coordinate services in Healthcare, but they also face challenges due to these same issues. These gaps can disrupt communication and collaboration, which are vital for delivering effective care in home health settings.

Problem / Context

The key challenges identified in this project were with Collaboration and Co-ordination, particularly with forging trust, poor information exchange, and the absence of a centralised communication channel. Professionals often face problems like conflicting information, missing notes, and uninformed co-workers. This results in inadequate communication, limited trust, inefficient workflows and missed care opportunities. Inconsistent information sharing without a unified system also forces users to rely on memory, which can cause inaccuracies, and burnout and feelings of isolation. Current eHealth services also present too much information in a format similar to electronic medical records. My design and research work aim to address these issues by streamlining key processes and adding customisable features.

Solution

CareLink is a user-friendly, intuitive, and personalised interface that enhances collaboration and coordination within one system. It provides access to critical patient information, automates task coordination, and fosters connection and trust. Key features include a guided process for care plan logs, digitised notes, image-based documentation, rapid alert notifications, and direct messaging. CareLink also offers a safe community for sharing stories, advice, and resources among professionals. Fundamentally, CareLink empowers professionals by providing easy access to structured data and effective tools that give them more time to focus on patient care. Furthermore, CareLink enhances the overall working relationship within the team, ensuring members are aligned and making informed decisions.