Task System Redesign

The Problem

During the version 9 release, it was planned the Greenway Patient Portal would be integrated with Intergy EHR and Intergy Practice Management (PM) in the next version, version 10. Patients would be able to send messages from the patient portal to their providers on Intergy.

As a user, I would like to have all my communications from other practice users and patients to be in one easy to use location so I can complete my work efficiently.

The Intergy tasking system is used for interoffice tasking and messages. The tasks system existed in both Intergy EHR and Intergy PM. However, it used different terminology, displayed the information differently, displayed different information fields, and had different aesthetics between the two systems.

As a user, I would like my tasking system to be uniform across Intergy EHR and PM so I have one set of expectations for how to work a task or message.

It was determined through testing that the tasking system would be the best vehicle for the patient messages to reach the healthcare providers but the current tasking system was deemed insufficient for those needs. Versions 9.20 and 9.30 were devoted to improving the tasking systems.

Goals of the design:

Unify the interaction model of tasks across both EHR and PM with an intuitive system so existing users do not lose any needed information or gain clicks when they switch to the new task system
Negate several existing and difficult to fix bugs with a new system and workflow
Improve aesthetics to modernize the software
Include as many customer enhancement requests as possible within the new design
Improve upon the existing usability – ease and speed at which the user can find information, record instructions, and complete tasks

Previous task display in PM

Previous task display in EHR

Major challenges of this redesign:

Could not lose any functionality from the old system to the new design
Could not impede the speed at which the users could complete tasks (clicks, locating information)
Could not lose any displayed information (The two windows did not display the same things!) from the old system to the new design
Backend architecture would need redone in places, taking significant development resources time away from usability enhancements

Brainstorming, Notes, Interaction Model

Met with senior developers, designers, and trainers and recorded all the issues they have had over the years with tasks. Brainstormed solutions to those issues
Visited customer Ideas page and searched for all user ideas, complaints, and enhancement requests related to tasks
Prioritized ideas by usability requirements
Began bulleted Design Document
Began list of questions
Whiteboarding
Determined the main interaction model
- There was an existing module in the product who’s interaction model displayed the task list at the same time as the details for that task. That model had been well received by users and it was decided to base the tasking system around that model.

Wireframe Mockups and Early Usability Testing

Began rough mockups in Balsamiq
Began roughing out Epics and breaking down shell stories for Product Management
Usability test at Engage 2015
- Created a clickable PDF prototype in Balsamiq with several task workflow mockups (Visual aesthetics were not important at the time)
- From the usability test feedback made some tweaks and added some more requested features
- Updated the design document with changes
- Updated mockups with changes
- Began filling in stories with rules
Continually gathered questions for focus group of users.
- Usability analyst scheduled focus groups to fall every three weeks, at the end of the sprint cycle

Initial mockup of the unified task window

Close up of initial mockup for task list and patient information drop down

Final Design, Design Document, Stories

Updated mockups, design document, and stories after each focus group
Responded to development issues and questions
Responded to time constraints, resource constraints, and surprises

Completed software in Version 9.20. (Shown in EHR, but identical in both systems)

New task filtering and sorting window

A lab result task

Notes:

The action buttons (Complete, quick complete, reply, forward, add task note) are dynamic based on task type but are always in the top right corner of the task details pane.
The task notes collapse and show the timeline of the task with the most recent action visible at first glance.

Design iterations different from the original mockup

The design was taken through many iterations in response to PM needs, multiple focus groups, developer and time limitations, and one-on-one usability testing.

The Inbox/Sent box, Filter icon, and sort icon were all combined in one window.
Some embedding of existing task details was required due to time constraints
Search is always available without a click, and highlights the searched terms in the list.
The task type headings in the task list were removed due to performance issues. May be added back in after architecture upgrade.

Version 10.0 Updates

Usability updates were added in version 10.0, in response to issues that arose after the version had been in the field for a while.

Patient information changed to gold to stand out
Attaching results to order takes up less space
Notes were moved to the bottom and size independently via a splitter (Can’t scroll them off the screen!)
Grouping of tasks added back in (Fixed architecture issue)
Removed unnecessary repetition of subject line in header (Freed up space)