Counselor Dashboard
Company: Lifeworks
Role: UX/UI Designer
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Overview
The project focused on designing an internal dashboard tailored for counselors, enabling them to efficiently manage their daily tasks and interactions with patients. The dashboard aimed to provide counselors with a holistic view of their appointments, facilitate the documentation of patient session notes and goals, and streamline the management of assessments assigned to their patients.
Problem Statement
The current system used by a company providing wellbeing and mental health services to large organizations lacked industry-specific features, resulting in inefficiencies and a disjointed user experience. The key requirement was a comprehensive, user-friendly solution—a centralized hub—to streamline information access, enhance productivity, and meet the unique needs of their mental health services.
User Research
Conducting thorough user research involved engaging with counselors, understanding their workflows, pain points, and expectations. Surveys, interviews, and shadowing sessions provided insights into the nuances of their daily tasks, helping identifying key features necessary for an effective dashboard solution.
User Pain Points:
Reliance on multiple platforms to access various types of information
Complex interface, challenging to navigate the current interface
Entering session notes is time consuming if not using a computer
Not able to upload attachments or documents to patient profile
User Flow
The user journey commences with the counselor logging into the system, gaining entry to a personalized dashboard. Within this interface, the counselor thoroughly examines upcoming tasks and scheduled appointments. Following this, the counselor proceeds to confirm these appointments, ensuring their precision and alignment with their schedule. Subsequent to the confirmation process, the counselor smoothly transitions into preparing for the next patient session, establishing a foundation for a focused and efficient engagement. This refined user flow encapsulates the counselor's interaction with the system, highlighting a logical progression from login to proactive preparation for patient sessions.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Building upon the insights gathered, the design team created low-fidelity wireframes and a user flow that outlined the core functionalities of the dashboard. These early-stage prototypes served as a conceptual foundation, aligning with user needs and expectations. Stakeholder and user feedback were integral to refining the wireframes, ensuring they resonated with the end-users and addressed the specific pain points identified during the research phase.
High Fidelity Wireframes
The transition to high-fidelity wireframes involved incorporating visual design elements and the finer details of the user interface. Leveraging a clean and intuitive design, the team ensured that the high-fidelity wireframes aligned with the company's branding and provided a visually engaging experience. Collaboration with developers at this stage ensured that the design could be seamlessly implemented.
The Design System
Creating the Microsoft Dynamics dashboard presented challenges, given the absence of a design system. Inconsistent wireframes and frequent changes in user stories complicated the process, lacking the efficiency of drag-and-drop components. To overcome this, I collaborated with another designer to establish a Microsoft Dynamics design system. This initiative aimed to offer our team a unified framework, fostering design consistency and streamlining adaptation to dynamic user stories.
This design system, inspired by Microsoft's Fluent Design System, ensures a consistent look and feel, incorporating typography and key components. Developers set up demo environments in Microsoft Dynamics for familiarity. We identified and designed core components across modules, maintaining consistency through design patterns and layouts. Aligning with Microsoft's visual style, we integrated branding elements and involved key stakeholders in the process. Examples of consistently designed components include side navigation, top navigation, data tables, and timelines, emphasizing our commitment to a unified user experience.
Summary
The comprehensive UX design process, from user research to implementation and adoption, resulted in a purpose-built dashboard tailored to the unique needs of counselors and the mental health services provided by the company. The user-centric approach ensured a seamless and efficient workflow, consolidating information into a centralized platform and addressing the challenges posed by the previous fragmented system. The successful deployment of the dashboard not only improved daily operations but also contributed to the overall effectiveness of the mental health services offered by the company.
