Healthcare Inbox redesign
Redesigned to surface lab results faster and with clarity.
Context & Scope
TEAM
1 Designer, 4 Engineers
MY ROLE
Lead Product Designer
TIMELINE
3 Months
(2023)
TOOLS
Figma, Jira, Miro
The Problem
The EHR inbox was overloaded and poorly prioritised, making it difficult for clinicians to quickly identify and act on critical patient-related messages—adding cognitive load and slowing care delivery.
My Contribution
As Lead UX Designer, I led the inbox redesign end to end, partnering with clinicians, product, and engineering to create a clearer, triage-first experience.
THE OUTCOME
A quieter inbox that lets clinicians see what matters and act faster.
4.27/5
Avg Satisfaction Score
-15%
Avg time to first action
-12%
Fewer clicks to common inbox actions
Overview
Clinicians rely on the EHR's inbox to manage critical patient communications, lab results, and care tasks. Currently the EHR’s inbox feature is used by doctors and clinical staff to look at various documents of patients for eg. lab reports, imaging, medicines, etc. However they have to move away from the inbox to view these documents one at a time which is time consuming and inefficient, this also breaks the providers workflow and causes confusion.
They need a fast and efficient way to quickly view these documents and take relevant actions from the inbox itself without navigating away from the inbox.
Discovery & Research
We started by walking in clinicians’ shoes — interviewing nurses and physicians, shadowing workflows through virtual ride-alongs, reviewing product demos, and dogfooding the system. This made it clear that lab results aren’t a single action, but a high-risk, multi-step decision journey, especially at review, communication, and follow-up.
Who did we talk to?
46
Respondents
Clinicians
NP/RN
Admins
Current Satisfaction
"How satisfied are you with reviewing lab results?"
Extremely Satisfied
21%
Somewhat Satisfied
35%
Neither
11%
Somewhat Dissatisfied
13%
Extremely Dissatisfied
20%
Top Pain Points
What frustrates users the most about the current inbox?
32%
Inability to view results without opening
28%
Slow loading times
15%
Too much scrolling
15%
No multiple filters
10%
More info needed
What Works Well?
Despite the frustrations, users appreciated the scannability of the legacy list view. We needed to preserve this density while improving clarity.
3.33
/ 5
Average Satisfaction Score
39.5%
Quickly scannable
31%
Abnormality flags
20%
Sorting
7.5%
Info in column
2%
Mgmt view
User Personas
Based on the research and synthesis we were able to come up with 2 major personas.
Jobs to be done by personas
EXISTING DESKTOP EXPERIENCE
Designed to Inform, Not Prioritize
Key Strategic Decisions
Density over White Space
While "clean" design usually means more whitespace, our users demanded information density. We compromised by using tighter spacing but better typographic hierarchy to maintain scannability without sacrificing data volume.
Design for fast triage, not long reading
Interactions favor scanning, previewing, and quick actions to support high-volume, interruption-heavy workflows.
The new results inbox workflow:
Lab Results, Resolved Right in the Inbox
01
Triage at a Glance
See what matters first, without opening every message.Urgency and intent are clear from the inbox view.
02
Act with Context
Key results and actions are surfaced upfront.Review, respond, or delegate without losing focus.
03
Resolve and Move On
Complete work efficiently with clear next steps.Resolved items leave the inbox, keeping it focused.
THE NEW DESKTOP EXPERIENCE
Designed for Speed and Reliability
MOBILE EXPERIENCE
Inbox Reimagined for the In-Between Moments
Experience the Mobile workflow
Static screens can only tell half the story. We built high-fidelity prototypes to test the physics of our flow & interactions.
Validation & Testing
We didn’t just redesign the inbox—we validated it through 2 rounds of moderated usability testing with 10 clinicians (physicians, nurses, and care coordinators) across outpatient and inpatient settings. Sessions focused on real inbox scenarios including lab review, message triage, and follow-up coordination.
Task Success Rate
Increased from 68% to 89%
Time on Task
Reduced average triage time from 4.2 minutes to 3.1 minutes per session
Testing Feedback
“I don’t have to open everything anymore. I can tell what needs attention just by scanning the list.”
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, CALIFORNIA
“Lab results don’t get lost anymore. I can review, acknowledge, and move on without second-guessing.”
REGISTERED NURSE, TEXAS
The Impact
4.25 / 5
AVG. SATISFACTION RATING
-15%
AVG. TIME TO FIRST ACTION
-12%
fewer click to common actions
"
"This isn't just a UI update. It's giving me my lunch break back."
head of nursing, a seattle hospital
What I Learned
The Politics of Defaults
Changing the default sorting order caused immediate backlash, even if it was "better." I learned that muscle memory is powerful, and gradual rollouts are essential for power users.
Dark Mode for Night Shifts
We discovered that bright white screens were blinding during night shifts. Implementing a high-contrast dark mode wasn't just aesthetic; it was an accessibility requirement for 24/7 wards.
Design for Interruption
Nurses are constantly interrupted. The interface needed to save state instantly and provide clear "breadcrumbs" so they could resume a task 10 minutes later without losing context.
Legacy Constraints
The backend was 20 years old. I couldn't just "invent" new features. I had to design a modern interface that gracefully handled the slow, clunky data feed from the legacy server without breaking the user's flow.
Cognitive Load is Safety
In healthcare, a confusing UI isn't just annoying; it's dangerous. I learned to prioritize clarity over cleverness. Every pixel of whitespace serves a purpose: to prevent a tired doctor from missing a critical value.