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PRODUCT DESIGN

SYSTEMS DESIGN

VISUAL EXPLORATION

USER RESEACH

A watercolor illustration of a boy with a gnome-like outfit, standing and looking at floating, glowing red and yellow words or shapes.

Paperwork sucks.

Designers can make it better

I asked a group of test users to thoroughly read through a 15-page Medical Consent form from the National Children’s Medical Center

paperwork now

Yellow background with black and white text reading '30 min'.

Time

Average time to completely read through document.

  • Users were given a maximum time of 30 minutes to complete the task.

    The Paperwork Reduction Act was implemented for federal websites and LISI, and dictates that the average person should not take more than 30 minutes to read through and complete a document. I decided to follow this metric.

    Most users either completed between 20 and 30min, or hit the 30min mark and could not finish the document.

Yellow background with a large black number 5 in the center.

pain points

Average number of noted areas of concern or confusion noted during the read through.

  • There was a wide range of pain points. Since we asked them to write their thoughts of their own volition, it depended on the personality of the user. Most written pain points noted were written within the first four pages. After that, users appeared to lose stamina, and thus the stopped reviewing the document as thoroughly.

Yellow background with the words 'Reluctance', 'Avoidance', 'Annoyance', and 'ugh' printed in bold black letters.

initial attitude

Most common initial reactions, prior to completeing the task.

  • These responses were collected before they started the task. There was a sense of anxiety and an urge to procrastinate. Many said that, if I hadn’t physically been there with them and/or reminded them to complete it, they would have put it off. A few users who contributed to the “initial responses” never completed the task at all.

Typed document titled 'Study ID: Pro00001346' with handwritten notes in red ink. The document discusses medical testing, bone marrow samples, and study participation. Handwritten annotations include questions, comments, and reminders about the content, such as 'Why no F?' and 'This is stressful.'
Close-up of a printed document with the word 'aspirate' underlined in pink pen and question marks beside it.
A handwritten note in pink ink says, 'A WFUL TO LOOK AT' and 'TEXT TOO SMALL NEED TIERARCHY OF INFO!!' written on a printed document.
A close-up of a handwritten note on a printed form, with notes written in blue ink next to and over the text. The notes express feelings of confusion and describe the research process, mentioning a child's doctor and a principal investigator.

Our users point out the problems…

… AND it informs the redesign

A detailed infographic or form with annotations explaining its components. It includes sections on hierarchy, neutral illustrations, introduction, color emphasis, and areas for personal notes. There is an illustration of three children, one with a medical bandage on the head, talking to a person wearing a mask and medical attire, suggesting a medical or healthcare context.
Illustration of a young boy in a lab coat and orange scarf holding a large test tube with an orange marrow sample inside. There is a cartoonish diagram of a syringe with a marrow sample, and informative text explaining bone marrow illness and testing procedures.
Close-up of medical documents, including forms and a pamphlet, about a clinical study for newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia with illustrations of red blood cells.
Image with black background and white text that says, 'the same text. different design.'
A consent form letter titled 'The purpose of this consent form is to ask your permission to draw extra bone marrow.' It explains the process and risks related to extra bone marrow collection, with sections for comments and signatures.

new and improved

Countdown timer showing 20 minutes on a yellow background.

Time

Average time to completely read through document. Reduced by 10minutes.

Yellow background with a large black number one in the center.

Average number of noted areas of concern or confusion noted during the read through. Reduced by 80%

pain points

A yellow background with bold black text stating "curious, intrigued, welcomed" and a quote in smaller text: "less intimidated than I would have been. but like, my imaginary kid is still dying so probably not great." (fair).

initial attitude

Most common initial reactions, prior to completing the task. Improved.

integrating typographic standards, and universal design techniques into paperwork design will improve :

equity

decision Making

record keeping

The Experience as a whole

Colorful illustration of a weather vane with a rooster at the top, a cylinder in the middle, and a directional arrow at the bottom, on a metal pole.
Colorful drawing of a young boy with orange hair, wearing a white shirt, purple pants, orange slippers, and an orange scarf. He has a playful expression, winking with one eye and resting his hand on his hip.