Miera Lācis
UI/UX DESIGN CASE STUDY
"Miera Lācis" is a digital tool designed to reduce children's fear in the hospital setting.
Have a helping paw on your hospital journey with kids! The cuddly bears in our website have got you covered!
Challenge: Research and propose the optimal solution for reducing children's fear in the hospital. It would promote better healing outcomes, reduce procedure time, minimize the doctor's workload, and decrease waiting lines.
Client: Project conducted as part of the "Riga Tech Girls" mentorship program in collaboration with experts from "TET".
Role: UX Designer, UI Designer
Date: 2023
Disclaimer: The main "BKUS" (Children’s Clinical University Hospital) brand character Blue Bear was created by the design agency H2E. However, within this project's scope, the team used this character solely for illustrative purposes to showcase the possibilities of integrating the character into the website design for hospital patients, enhancing the website's association with the hospital's brand. Please note that the website design does not represent any official endorsement or affiliation with the design agency or hospital.
1. Research
The findings from the user interviews conducted with seven mothers and their children are as follows:
Parents' Knowledge Provides Calmness
Well informed and prepared parents experience greater calmness and are able to prepare their children for medical procedures effectively.
Informed Children are More Calm, Less Afraid
The calmness and knowledge exhibited by parents have a positive impact on the children's own level of calmness.
Interactive Information for Kids Helps Inform and Distract
Furthermore, interactive information tailored for children assists in keeping them informed and redirecting their attention.
2. Ideation
The primary challenge was to structure the information in a highly accessible and digestible manner, considering the target audience of parents with young children who are frequently pressed for time and need to find information quickly. Based on user interviews, the team engaged in a brainstorming session to generate potential solutions.
The top prioritized information groups:
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Emergency hospital visits
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Planned hospital visits
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Procedures
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Interactive information for children
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Forum for parents to share their experiences with other parents and seek support
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Quick access links to essential information about the hospital, including contacts, maps, etc.
3. Wireframing
The UI/UX team created interactive wireframes.
4. Usability testing
The following hypotheses were validated during usability testing:
1. Easily Accessible and Understandable Information
When parents have access to clear and understandable information regarding hospital visits and procedures, they are better equipped to be informed, composed, and create a safe and calm environment for their child.
3. Educational and Engaging Content for Children
Parents find it easier to soothe and educate their children while diverting their attention from medical anxieties by accessing tailored educational and entertaining materials such as interactive resources, games, and health-related videos.
2. Reliable Information from Authoritative Sources
Parents can feel more confident and at ease if they can depend on trustworthy and authoritative sources, such as reputable medical institutions. This gives them assurance that the information they receive is reliable and applicable in real-life situations.
4. Supportive Forum
Access to a forum where parents can share their experiences or read about others' experiences in a medical context can provide them with emotional support and reassurance. It helps to know that someone genuinely understands their challenges and empathizes with their struggles.
The prototype was tested with six mothers using one scenario on the desktop version and one scenario on the mobile version.
During the user validation process, we confirmed the first three hypotheses, but the fourth hypothesis was proven to be an assumption. Most parents hesitated to participate in a platform where they read about other parents' intense emotions. Nevertheless, we gained valuable insights that revealed parents' preference for a question-and-answer section. They would like to interact with medical professionals and have their queries answered, creating a repository of helpful information.
5. Design decisions
The primary emphasis of the design solution was centered around cultivating a serene and soothing ambiance on the website.
The central character selected for the site is a bear, serving as the beloved superhero of BKUS hospital for children, prominently featured throughout the hospital premises, including walls and various areas.
The color scheme was chosen to align with the bear's shades of blue, complemented by gentle and neutral hues, with subtle pops of warm accentuated coral tones.
Photo credit: "BKUS" (Children’s Clinical University Hospital)
Our created colour scheme for the web page to match the colours observed in the hospital's interior for consistant branding.
6. Prototyping
The UI/UX team created interactive prototypes validated through user interviews and updated based on user suggestions.
