Presentation
DH11 - The Benefits of Developing Design Systems for Medical Products
DescriptionAccording to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 8,000 new medical devices are marketed each year in the U.S. With the surplus of medical devices being introduced each year, there are many challenges medical device manufacturers experience on the road to introducing a new medical device into the market. Common challenges include inconsistent user interfaces across products as legacy products might still be in use, negative transfer and confusion when using new products forcing increased time to learn to how to use the product. Many medical devices have long lives and are expensive and time consuming to develop. Design systems help to streamline the design process and transition users to newer medical products or updated interfaces. Design systems also consider accessibility and inclusive design principles and set guidelines. Specifically, considering the U.S. population is aging and patients are bringing more technology into their homes, patients and healthcare providers have more reliance on modern technology.
Due to the potential for a greater severity of harm within the healthcare industry, healthcare design systems should be constructed with care. A 2020 survey by Forrester stated that 65% of businesses across all industries use a design system. The main challenges businesses run into when setting up a design system include: tool choice, documentation issues, governance, adoption, and maturity concerns. Each of these areas have their own set of unique challenges especially in terms of healthcare products. Adopting and creating design systems can bridge the gap between legacy products and the burden of submission for a next generation product. These systems create unified guidelines which reduce the time and resources needed to create new or different user interface (UI) solutions through design and development. Effective design systems provide a better user experience without the need to reengineer medical devices that work. Addressing accessibility, usability, and inclusion within the design system’s guides will effectively lead to a more accessible, usable, and inclusive product/s. If utilized correctly, a design system will align business, product, and user needs.
Medical products span an array of sizes, environments, and types. Therefore, a medical device company can benefit from defining interface behaviors, patterns, and layouts across all possible interaction points and consequently save development time while instilling user confidence in their products. This poster will present tips for implementing a design system including inclusive and accessible design considerations, how to keep in mind aging populations as healthcare digital interactions increase, as well as the benefits and impacts of utilizing a design system in relation to medical devices. Some of these considerations might include:
• Establishing a consistent, visual language and strict design structure across multiple platforms (e.g., Instructions for Use, graphical user interfaces of HCP portal to patient portal) to illustrate a company’s eco system in a complete and approachable way that centers around user-friendly, intuitive user interactions.
• Inclusivity and accessibility considerations to keep top-of-mind when developing a design system and a product’s interface. From acceptable color contrast ratios to a layout’s information density, design should accommodate as many user populations as possible.
• Accounting for older aged users through visual, audible, and cognitive design recommendations. Also considering related impairments when evaluating a design system’s usability.
• Illustrative examples of best practices of inclusive and accessible design considering medical device interfaces.
A consistent design system maintains familiarity from one product to another and allows customers to easily adopt future products. This poster will show why businesses should create comprehensive design systems, how to do so, what to include and how to incorporate accessibility and inclusivity.
Due to the potential for a greater severity of harm within the healthcare industry, healthcare design systems should be constructed with care. A 2020 survey by Forrester stated that 65% of businesses across all industries use a design system. The main challenges businesses run into when setting up a design system include: tool choice, documentation issues, governance, adoption, and maturity concerns. Each of these areas have their own set of unique challenges especially in terms of healthcare products. Adopting and creating design systems can bridge the gap between legacy products and the burden of submission for a next generation product. These systems create unified guidelines which reduce the time and resources needed to create new or different user interface (UI) solutions through design and development. Effective design systems provide a better user experience without the need to reengineer medical devices that work. Addressing accessibility, usability, and inclusion within the design system’s guides will effectively lead to a more accessible, usable, and inclusive product/s. If utilized correctly, a design system will align business, product, and user needs.
Medical products span an array of sizes, environments, and types. Therefore, a medical device company can benefit from defining interface behaviors, patterns, and layouts across all possible interaction points and consequently save development time while instilling user confidence in their products. This poster will present tips for implementing a design system including inclusive and accessible design considerations, how to keep in mind aging populations as healthcare digital interactions increase, as well as the benefits and impacts of utilizing a design system in relation to medical devices. Some of these considerations might include:
• Establishing a consistent, visual language and strict design structure across multiple platforms (e.g., Instructions for Use, graphical user interfaces of HCP portal to patient portal) to illustrate a company’s eco system in a complete and approachable way that centers around user-friendly, intuitive user interactions.
• Inclusivity and accessibility considerations to keep top-of-mind when developing a design system and a product’s interface. From acceptable color contrast ratios to a layout’s information density, design should accommodate as many user populations as possible.
• Accounting for older aged users through visual, audible, and cognitive design recommendations. Also considering related impairments when evaluating a design system’s usability.
• Illustrative examples of best practices of inclusive and accessible design considering medical device interfaces.
A consistent design system maintains familiarity from one product to another and allows customers to easily adopt future products. This poster will show why businesses should create comprehensive design systems, how to do so, what to include and how to incorporate accessibility and inclusivity.
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeMonday, March 254:45pm - 6:15pm CDT
LocationSalon C
Digital Health
Simulation and Education
Hospital Environments
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices
Patient Safety Research and Initiatives