The effect of user experience on the quality of user interface design in healthcare

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) improve the quality of healthcare, prevent medical errors, and decrease paperwork. As EHR end users, the viewpoint of healthcare physicians, or user experience (UX), should be considered in the design of a user interface to help reduce their complex workloads. The purpose of this study is to create two personas, one for pediatric cardiology and one for general physicians from different specialties in King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The applicability of UX is explored as well as the ability of the personas to assist healthcare professionals and inform design decisions. The results of this study show no difference between the requirements of either persona, however there are differences in the priorities for each. In relation to design decisions, the researchers found that there are fundamental elements designers need to consider to ensure a highly efficient system that suits physicians and increases their effectiveness.