Gozio, a technology company serving major hospital systems like Johns Hopkins and UNC Health, offers patient engagement and staff engagement software that’s created through their proprietary no-code mobile app builder. Gozio's existing challenge was that this builder was only usable by Gozio's internal team, hindering the company's scalability. To address this, I designed the builder to be usable for non-technical hospital staff, focusing on user journeys, establishing a design system and design patterns, and product strategy implementation. This work is ongoing.

The primary objective was to create a web app that enabled non-technical hospital administrators to independently design, build, and manage mobile apps without Gozio's intervention. Key outcomes included establishing an adaptable design system, optimizing user flows for critical user objectives, and presenting high-fidelity mockups to illustrate the new web app experience.

My design process began by identifying the target users, understanding their pain points, and crafting effective solutions based on this understanding.

I initiated the research phase to determine why Gozio's existing web application wasn't being utilized by their current customers. Activities here included user interviews, gathering user feedback via phone and email, sending user surveys, and analyzing session data captured by LogRocket, a product analytics platform. These findings revealed valuable insights into user behavior, and pain points within the app builder's current state. This understanding allowed me to establish a precise user profile, delineating the emotional experiences and behavioral patterns of users while interacting with the application.

Meet Irene, a 50 year old Hospital Administrator who is passionate about efficient, smooth running processes. She is married with two children and has a fast-paced, dynamic work life. She is constantly context switching from looking over her hospital’s financials, returning emails about hospital events, ensuring her staff is happy, and making sure her patients are getting the care they need. She values the software she uses as it helps her be more effective and expedient with her work. She gets frustrated when the digital tools she uses get in the way of her accomplishing the goals she needs to get done. She primarily works out of her office, completing tasks on her desktop computer, and uses her mobile phone for on-the-go communication.

Empathy mapping delved deeper into the emotional and experiential aspects of our persona, uncovering the underlying motivations and frustrations of our hospital administrator, Irene. Notably, Irene lacks confidence while using the Gozio no-code app builder due to its design shortcomings. This often resulted in frustration, lost work, self-doubt, and an increase in customer support tickets to Gozio support staff.

In the design phase of this project, our goal was to address the challenges that non-technical hospital administrators faced when using Gozio's mobile app builder. We needed to create a user-friendly and intuitive platform to empower users to independently build and manage mobile apps without requiring technical assistance.

One of the critical aspects I focused on was high-value user flows within the platform. We recognized that users were struggling to initiate and complete tasks due to the complexity of the existing system. To tackle this, I employed a design pattern called Progressive Disclosure. This approach involved breaking down the entirety of a user journey into smaller, manageable steps, presenting each step sequentially. By doing so, we reduced the cognitive load on users, allowing them to focus on one decision or action at a time. This not only increased their confidence but also reduced decision fatigue, making the platform more user-friendly.

Another fundamental aspect of the design phase was the creation of a comprehensive design system. Since there was no formal design system to work from, I started from scratch. I understood that even though the platform would primarily be used within an enterprise context, it was essential to establish a strong visual identity. This involved carefully selecting typography, including typefaces, weights, and sizes, and crafting a harmonious color palette. I also defined guidelines for iconography and imagery to maintain a consistent and recognizable visual language throughout the application.

Throughout the design process, work was consistently validated. I maintained close relationships with Gozio's partner clients, inviting stakeholders to review my design artifacts, such as user flow maps and prototypes. This collaborative effort ensured that my proposed design directions aligned with technical feasibility, business goals, and user needs.

Moreover, I incorporated user feedback at every stage. Whether through User Interviews conducted on platforms like Zoom or Task-Based User Tests hosted on Maze, we actively sought input from actual users of the application. This iterative feedback loop was invaluable in refining our design direction and ensuring that we were building the right solutions to address user pain points.

To address user frustrations, a key design pattern employed was Progressive Disclosure, which simplified decision-making by presenting information and actions sequentially. This approach increased user confidence and reduced decision fatigue. A new flow for adding a feature to the mobile app was established.

Creating a design system from scratch was necessary. It entailed defining typography, color palettes, iconography, imagery, and layout principles. Accessibility considerations were integrated to ensure an inclusive user experience, accommodating diverse abilities.

Continuous validation ensured we were on the right track. Collaborative meetings with stakeholders and incorporating user feedback through interviews and usability tests were crucial in refining design directions and ensuring alignment with business goals.

Development of the app is expected to commence in Q1 2024 and is expected to yield significant benefits. Gozio Health anticipates a 75% reduction in implementation management costs, with costs remaining stable as our client base grows due to increased client autonomy. The redesigned platform will empower hospital administrators to efficiently build and manage mobile apps, aligning with Gozio's mission to enhance patient engagement and streamline hospital processes.

This work is currently in-progress, but please find a clickable prototype below.