Hospital Kiosk Redesign
Product Design Project
Personal Project
Timeline: 6 weeks
Location: Shanghai, China
My role: UX Research & UX Design & 3D Modeling
Research: Observed user experience and conducted user interviews.
Design: Sketching; 3D modeling; UI,UX wireframe & hi-fi prototype.
Design Purpose
As a consequence of technology developments and the pandemic, many hospital counters have been replaced by kiosks to provide patients with a faster check-in and bill-paying process. In fact, volunteers are still required to help patients in using the kiosk. Furthermore, due to the uncomfortable nature of the machines, the hospital lobby remains packed.
To deliver a better hospital experience, the equipment must be revamped by analyzing true customer demands.

Machine Introduction
I spent some time drawing out the present kiosk and its functionalities before diving into the user experience. It gives me a close-up look of the equipment and can help me better comprehend how it worked.


Through observation, here are two of the most frequent workflows of the kiosk.
Procedural Analysis

User Research
For this project, I primarily utilize two methods to gather user pain points and demands.
Observation
Watch users interact with the machine.
How do people complete the check in process?
Were there any issues that arose during the process?
Interview
Communicate with users about their thoughts.
What are their thoughts on the machine?
What are some of their emotional reactions when using it?
Observation
During the observation stage, in addition to the barriers users confront, I record the frequency of users utilizing the machine's function to hint at the major function I need to focus on during the redesign period.

User Interview
Based on the user interview scripts, I created a word cloud to have a direct view of what are some main concerns.

Problem lists
Machine Features:
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The medical card slot, medical card dispenser, and social security card slot are at awkward locations because users can hardly see the instruction when standing near the machine.
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The ways of reading cards are disaccorded—the social security card needed to be inserted, but the medical card required to be swiped.
Location and space:
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First-time visitors hardly know about check-in with kiosks. And there are no clear signs mark out the function of the machines.
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First-time users don’t know where to start with the kiosk.
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Users can bump into others when stepping back to insert or swipe their cards.
Touch screen interface:
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The buttons of the system are not animated. Users do not know whether they clicked successfully.
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The font size is too tiny for elderly users to read.
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The countdown on the top right corner makes users feel intense.
Payment issue:
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The credit card slot shields the cash slot.
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The pin pad location is not private enough that users behind can peek easily.
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Some kiosk’s credit card slot is sealed without any notification.

Personas
Using an empathy map allows me to produce an overview of who the target user is and identify inconsistencies in the perception of the same user.
Storyboards
Storyboards deliver a direct view of the problems users faced and the solutions my design can provide.
Design Iteration
I split the redesign stage into hardware and software since both need improvement.
The machine's hardware requires a more accessible structure for the disabled as well as a clear notion of the machine's purpose.
By providing appropriate input, the software experience should be more ingenious. In addition, the entire interface should be improved.
Software
Workflow
I restructured the operational process's workflow before beginning with the wireframe. The original one required users to read the medical card each time they selected a function. The new workflow resembles a "log-in" approach. Users are signed in to the system after reading the card, and a more personalized interface is set.


Color & Component

As a healthcare service, I chose red as the system's theme color. In addition, the typefaces are larger than usual to make the material more visible for seniors, and only necessary information are included.
Prototype




Hardware
I came up with three different hardware designs ideas. Each of it based on the usability and users' needs.
After sorting all the ideas, I chose one of them and created three iterations with different structure details.




Final Present



Design is about experience rather than appearance
Balancing different user groups
Sorting the priority of needs
When most people think of design, especially product design, they think of visual expression. However, the product's utility is far more critical. After all, people bought the software to assist them in solving problems. So, as a novice in product design, I mainly concentrated on the kiosk's functioning, such as improving user workflow and the design of card slots. However, because first impressions are still crucial in convincing customers to buy a product, I will continue to improve my aesthetic understanding in my future work.
Target users in this project are divided into two groups: young people and the elderly. Young patients choose the most cutting-edge technology; on the other hand, being one of the kiosk's primary users, the elderly acquire new technology slowly as they age. One key issue I have to deal with is balancing the needs of young and older users.
It is apparent that the machine may be much improved. However, users might be idealists at times. As a result, I must prioritize each need and choose the most essential and practical function to rebuild.