Quartet is a platform that makes it easier for people to get the best mental health care for them. In our commitment to connecting patients with high-quality mental health care, we embarked on an exploration of the role assessments play in diagnosing and treating patients, including those with severe mental illness and how might we use them to measure quality care. Our goal was to enhance the existing assessment experience, empowering our providers to offer the best possible support to their patients.
TEAM |
TIMELINE |
| 1 designer | 4 months |
| 1 researcher | |
| 1 product manager | |
| 1 tech lead | |
| 3 engineers |
I was the sole product designer on the project. I collaborated with a design researcher, initiating the project by engaging in conversations with a group of providers to understand the dynamics of their use of assessments and the underlying reasons. Subsequently, I partnered with a product manager and lead engineer as we expanded our assessment offering for providers and patients.
Conducting several interviews with a group of providers, we got a better understanding of their utilization patterns and the underlying reasons why providers were using or not using assessments. The insights gleaned from these conversations were synthesized into key findings and learnings. Some of those included that providers often have difficulty finding assessments for various conditions and also would use assessments to help patients understand better their actual progress.
Collaborating closely with a product manager, we took these learnings into actionable plans on the whiteboard, outlining the features and scope for our MVP based on the valuable direction from the provider research.
Knowing that we had some assessments already in the platform, I wanted to see how we would best expand that experience as we were making a strategic pivot with elevating the roles of assessments. Following my usual process of sketches and wireframes, I explored various design possibilities. This involved experimenting with different ways to present assessment questions and increasing the visual prominence of assessments within the patient profile. The goal was to optimize the user experience and make assessments a more integral and user-friendly aspect of our platform and better fit within the workflow of a provider.
I worked with our clinical partner, who was an expert in assessments, to make sure that the ways I wanted to adapt paper based assessments into a digital experience would still be clinically valid. Her guidance and feedback was valuable as I felt the way that I presented the information actually provided more simplicity to some of the assessments.
Having learned from the research that not all providers are familiar with assessments, I also proactively organized and conducted some usability testing with a subset of our current users. This was to ensure that the designs were not confusing while also seeking valuable input on concepts where I wasn't as confident in. Successfully meeting our deadline, I established the foundation for building out our assessment library. I was then able to integrate additional research findings into the product, further refining and enhancing its usability.
One of the key parts of the experience was the presentation of the assessment results. Each of the various assessments had its own result and I wanted to make sure that the visual presentation that I designed would work across them all. Working with our clinical partner as well as in usability testing, I was also able to determine the amount of detail that was adequate to present while providing easy access to dig in for more information.
This was the first project at Quartet where we began with UX research, which provided a strong foundation for future work. Through this research, we gained valuable insights into the preferred way to frame assessments. We also helped the business understand that for the SMI (Severe Mental Illness) patient population, assessments may not always be the best indicator of patient improvement and care. These findings were integrated into the quality metrics being developed by another team. I played a key role in building the foundation for our assessment library, streamlining the process for adding new assessments in the future.