- Client: Sharecare + HCA
- Role: Lead UX Designer
- Tools Used: Sketch, Axure
Streamlining Efficiency in Healthcare Call Centers
The HCA Call Center redesign project was a collaboration between Sharecare, a digital health management company, and HCA Healthcare, a global healthcare provider with 204,000 employees. HCA needed a solution to streamline its call center operations, reduce agent workload, and enhance the patient experience.
As Senior UX Designer and Strategist, I guided the end-to-end design process—from initial research to prototyping and testing—with a team including product managers, a UX intern, and engineers.
Problem Statement
The existing platform’s cluttered layout and lack of direct booking options caused inefficiencies, delayed responses, and patient frustration. Agents struggled to navigate complex workflows, and patients often had to repeat their concerns due to referral-based booking.
Project Goals: Optimize workflows, enable direct physician booking, and enhance usability to improve patient care and reduce handling times.
Process & Research
To understand agent needs and patient pain points, we undertook comprehensive research:
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User Interviews:
Conversations with agents uncovered daily workflow challenges that impacted patient support quality. -
Shadowing Sessions:
Observing agents live on calls revealed bottlenecks, especially during high-frequency tasks. -
Data Analysis:
Call logs confirmed frequent delays and the need for optimized task flows.
Key Insight: Initial assumptions about the platform focused on navigation speed. Research shifted this to prioritizing task grouping, efficient booking access, and clear information organization.
Design Iterations
1. Initial Sketches and Wireframes
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Low-Fidelity Sketches:
We began with sketches focusing on high-frequency tasks, like patient record access and call logging, to reduce cognitive load. -
Wireframes:
Mid-fidelity wireframes organized tasks into intuitive sections, making key actions easily accessible. -
Feedback:
Agent testing indicated a need for clearer prioritization of call logging and better task grouping.
2. Prototyping and Testing
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Component Testing:
We created individual components to test booking flows and patient data displays, ensuring usability across key interactions. -
Axure Prototyping:
Using Axure, we built a full prototype simulating the entire agent workflow for usability testing in real scenarios. -
User Testing and Refinement:
Agents tested the prototype, leading to adjustments in navigation paths, button placements, and color-coded task priorities. Iterative testing helped refine the interface, resulting in improved task flow and usability.
3. High-Fidelity Designs
- The final design integrated HCA branding with color-coding for urgent tasks, creating a clean and organized layout. Usability testing confirmed a 20% reduction in task completion times, validating the design’s efficiency.
Implementation Process
Due to the scale of HCA, implementation was complex. We began with a pilot launch in San Antonio, introducing the solution to 3,000 healthcare providers. This approach allowed us to evaluate the platform’s effectiveness and gather feedback for further optimization before a broader rollout.
Outcome & Impact
The redesigned platform led to a 20% reduction in call handling times, a 30% increase in usability scores, and enhanced patient satisfaction. Agents reported that the platform’s refined workflows, instant booking capabilities, and reliable data organization made it easier to provide effective support, reducing patient frustration and reinforcing HCA and Sharecare’s commitment to quality care.
Reflection
This project underscored the importance of iterative, data-driven design in complex healthcare environments. Balancing agent and patient needs was essential, leading to a solution that improved both usability and efficiency.
Next Steps: Future improvements could include AI-driven support for routine inquiries and customizable task views to further empower agents and enhance workflows.