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EHR Dashboard Redesign
Overview
I led the redesign of Foresight Mental Health’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) dashboard to streamline data access, reduce workflow disruptions, and improve care delivery. Partnering with product, engineering, and clinical stakeholders, I conducted a design audit and user interviews to identify pain points in navigation and information hierarchy.
The new dashboard features a categorized top menu, role-specific layouts, and a focused left panel for critical information. I redefined the information architecture, prototyped layout options, and tested solutions that prioritized high-value data and supported real-time decision-making, ultimately enhancing usability and clinician productivity.
Impact
40%
Data retrieval (5 to 3 minutes)
15%
Missed follow-ups
Responsibility
Current Design Audit, User Research, Information Architecture, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Testing
Collaborators
Product Manager
Engineers
Clinicians
Product Designer (me)
Duration
2 months
Business problem
Poor engagement and clinician frustration weakened retention. The dashboard’s inability to manage growing datasets and complex workflows led to higher maintenance costs and developer strain.
Gathering insights
What users said
“I spend too much time searching for basic patient details. It’s frustrating when I can’t find what I need quickly.”
“Switching between different sections of the dashboard feels clunky and slows me down during appointments.”
“I wish the dashboard would highlight key trends or issues without me having to dig for them.”
“If the system was easier to navigate, I could focus more on patient care instead of figuring out the software.”
Identified problems through auditing the current design
Inconsistent prioritization
High-value sections like Appointments and Prescriptions were buried, while lower-priority content dominated screen space
Ambiguous categories
Unclear grouping led to confusion, such as Clinical Notes being mixed with unrelated uploads
Redundant content
Duplicate sections like Upload Files and Upload Genetic Data created unnecessary complexity
Poor scalability
The dashboard was not equipped to handle expanding datasets and evolving clinician workflows
Final design
Redefined Information Architecture (IA)
Before
IA lacked clarity. Critical sections were buried, categories were ambiguous, and redundant features caused confusion.
After
Prioritized critical info like medications, intake forms, and flagged risks on the main dashboard
Role-specific views for clinicians and operations to reduce noise and increase focus
Categorized Top Menu
A single-row menu for easy browsing of categories and support for role-specific views
Before
After
Key layout considerations
Strategic Placement
Placed high-priority data (e.g., treatments, alerts) in the top-left for immediate visibility
Row-Based Flow
Structured content in horizontal rows to support intuitive eye movement and reduce navigation effort
Continuous Scanning
Enabled side-by-side views to minimize context switching and support faster comparisons
Validating concepts through multiple iterations
#1 Cardstack
What worked: Flexible and responsive across devices
What didn’t work: Visual clutter with more than 4 widgets; hard to focus
#2 Top-to-Down
What worked: Categorized top menu enabled intuitive flow and expandable content
What didn’t work: Required clear prioritization to surface key info
#3 Left-to-Right
What worked: Logical for linear data
What didn’t work: Constrained space for detailed content
#4 Dropdown menu
What worked: Space-efficient overview
What didn’t work: Overwhelming scroll; buried critical info
Maximized content space with enhanced left panel
Expanding sections upon category selection display detailed data without overwhelming users. Highlights high-priority sections like patient information, medications, intake forms, and urgent tasks to reduce search time and improve efficiency.
Left panel for frequently used information
Patient information section
Insurance section
Billing section
Impact
40%
faster data retrieval
decreased search time from 5 to 3 minutes
15%
fewer missed follow-ups
leading to more timely patient care
What I learned
Design for Scale, Not Just the Moment
I learned to think systematically beyond short-term fixes. By focusing on scalable architecture and asking the right questions early, I prioritized features that aligned with user needs and long-term growth.
Words Matter in UX
While finalizing the design, I saw how thoughtful UX copy shapes the user experience. Clear, empathetic language reduced confusion, built trust, and guided users through tasks with confidence.