Designing for the edges of healthcare
Patients with four tabs open, nurses with gloves on, doctors with 40 seconds. The 'average user' in healthcare is a statistical fiction.
There is no average user
Healthcare design has a 'happy path' problem. The happy path is a 45-year-old with time, literacy, broadband, and low anxiety. The real path is a shift nurse in gloves, a patient on hold for 38 minutes, a physician with 40 seconds between rooms.
Design for the worst day
Every screen we ship lands on somebody's worst day. That's the test. If it works when you're distracted, sleep-deprived, and scared, it works. If it only works when you're calm and fluent, you haven't shipped healthcare software. You've shipped a demo.