Ditch the Spreadsheet
NurseBackpack Beyond the App
ROLE Product Director
LAUNCHED ???
Enterprise Version
Demoing our new app at medical conventions gave us the chance to collect feedback from our target users - nurses. But we also discovered we were just a step away from a version to serve the "other side" — employers.
Empower teams and Increase accuracy
Automate outreach and scheduling
Keep management informed with responsive dashboard
Collaborate with cross-functional teams
Build stronger team and client relationships
Spend less time recruiting and scheduling and more time staffing the best people in the right place.
Nurse Backpack Process
Problem
Staying up-to-date with nursing certifications is critical but complicated. Nurse managers and HR spend too much time manually managing the paperwork.
Solution
Hospitals and medical centers in the US have strict credentialing requirements for all staff. States add their own requirements. And it was basically a paper-based system until 2018 when we introduced NurseBackpack. NurseBackpack was designed to put all that paperwork on their phone. (I have a case study on that too.) After people learned about it, hospitals, schools, staffing agencies, and other healthcare-related businesses wanted an enterprise version for themselves.
Primary Persona
The target user persona for the Enterprise version flips the priority used on the app
Nursing Manager
Plays the role of command central—providing support, recognition, just-in-time information, a calm hand and cool head in emergencies, and advocacy for patients, families, and staff. Has been around long enough to live through the EHR transition but has yet to see the same technological innovation - or investment - applied to staff records.
My Role
UX research
UX & UI design
Project Manager
Tools
Axure
UserZoom
Research
The inspiration was quick and the next steps were obvious, but I interviewed nurse managers, nursing school professors, and staffing agencies to make sure the design would fit their needs.
Paper copies of dozens and dozens of medical staff are a headache and error-prone
Our app was designed to sync with the same credentialing requirements hospitals and medical centers must follow
Expanding the database to serve multiple users with administrative functions was a very manageable next step
Validate
I used the low-fidelity wireframes for some user testing.
Management requires scheduled and on-demand status reports
Colleges want professors to be able to track students' progress
APIs to connect to staffing systems are complicated but critical to be a feasible solution for hospitals, staffing agencies, and colleges
Wireframes
I already had experience designing healthcare staffing web apps. I took that knowledge and approached the design with a reverse-engineering approach from the credential app.
Hi-Fidelity
Once the usability issues were resolved, I moved on to consider the brand style. The design needed to be neutral to support white labeling.
Stayed with Nurse Backpack branding
Easy scanning and in-line edits
Document & Communicate
I was moving on to another adventure so I carefully documented the functionality and style guide so the next team could continue without missing a step.
