Defining Iconography
& Nomenclature
The study centered on defining and implementing standards for iconography and nomenclature across the Matrixcare platform to establish consistency in the usage of icons and language.
About the Company
MatrixCare, Inc. is a forefront leader in healthcare technology, specializing in pioneering innovations that streamline and elevate the delivery of quality healthcare services, with a strong focus on maintaining Electronic Health Records (EHR). As a leading player in the industry, the company continually strives for excellence and advancement in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare solutions.
The Problem, Explained
MatrixCare has acquired multiple products over time - Senior Nursing Facility (SNF), CareAssist, MC Senior Living, and SigmaCare, but a common design language was absent and there was also no repository for any design aspects. As users need to access all these applications for tasks, establishing a MatrixCare standard will improve usability.
The focus of my study was Iconography and Nomenclature, more specifically in establishing a MatrixCare standard across all applications. This assists navigation and findability.
The importance of these factors is multi-fold:
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users know what to expect
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learnability is increased
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confusion is reduced
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risks are reduced
Objective
Addressing the organic growth and acquisitions at MatrixCare, this project aimed to establish a cohesive design system, defining iconography and nomenclature for a unified user experience across multiple applications.
UserTesting.com
Figma
Microsoft Office Suite
8 Weeks
Discovery & Research: 3 weeks
Design & Testing: 7 weeks
UX Intern
Addressing Iconography
MatrixCare has organically grown and acquired multiple products over time leading to disparity in design language.
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The design system needed a structured definition of iconography and nomenclature for a seamless user experience.
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As users navigate across many applications, there is an expectation for a standard design language for improved usability.
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Establishing a MatrixCare standard across all services – Senior Nursing Facility, CareAssist, MC Senior Living and SigmaCare – was the main objective
Icons have a major impact on a user’s experience of a product. The Icons of this product (MatrixCare applications) are classified into -
● System Icons
● Task Icons
Methodology
The methodology consists of 4 steps in the order –
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Organization of Icons – Icons across the four applications in the 20 most-accessed workflows.
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Information Aggregation – Created a repository of the icons, which lays the groundwork for further actions.
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Recognize Disparities – Once the record is complete, the inconsistencies were identified amongst the icons in these applications, to understand the candidates for validation.
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Design Recommendations – The identified icons were then validated by user testing.
User Testing
Objective: To validate the concreteness and effectiveness of system icons
Test Subject: 7 System Icons
Participants: 9
Method: Hybrid Card Sorting
Analysis Metrics: Success Rate, Preference, Ratings and suggestions
Card Sorting - The Process
This was a qualitative test. The participants are instructed to sort the icons into the categories they deem fit (more than one in the same category) by listing them based on their preferences. They also had the option to create a new category if the pre-defined categories didn’t seem to fit.
They are then led to a page that displays our proposed solutions for the labels. The participants answer questions and voice their opinions on the same. Finally, they were asked to rate the intuitiveness and learnability of the icons, on a scale of 1-7.
The proposed solutions are the icons designed and designated by MatrixCare. Participants reviewing these can check if they have assigned icons to the labels according to this list, which indicates their approval and informs us of their decision, or if their thoughts on what they assumed a certain icon means if they disagree with the proposed ones.
Nurse, Senior Care Facility
"The clock seems to indicate time, so it seems like a good icon for Due. The pencil looks like I have to work on it."
Admin, SNF
“I don’t like the error icon (ban). It should be red to be more pronounced. But I still don’t like it. The exclamation icon draws the eye and seems more imperative.”
Intern, MatrixCare
“I think you could exchange error and warning icons. Yellow is a good color for warnings”
Findings & Analysis
As voted, these were the top candidates for the labels. Based on the metrics, these icons are the final recommendation for these labels.
As voted, these were the top candidates for the labels. Based on the metrics, these icons are the final recommendation for these labels. Most subjective responses and suggestions were centered around colors and size. A common observation was the confusion in these icons being used contextually, which led to suggestions in color and size.
Results
After careful analysis of both subjective and objective data, these icons were the final recommendations for their respective labels.
Addressing Nomenclature
The design system needed a structured definition of iconography and nomenclature for a seamless user experience. Findability and navigation are vital as users switch between applications, especially between menu items.
Inconsistency between menu item names and the title names on the landing page leads to confusion as users take time to figure out if they’ve reached the intended destination.This leads to a lack of confidence and trust in the products.Creating this repository helped identify inconsistencies, which lays the groundwork for establishing an efficient language standard.
Challenges
The complexity of the applications as well as the industry is reflected in the vastness of its applications and the navigation between them.
Analysis of the results required more observation of behavior and thoughts voiced out during the exercise. In terms of user testing, the disparity in the participants thoughts while performing the task and rating the intuitiveness/ learnability was a challenge.
Learnings & Future Direction
Consistency and standard help in increasing consumer knowledge about the product. The process of creating and conducting a study, analyzing findings, and presenting the results in a consumable way was an insightful experience.
User research with real users in the field requires attention to specifics:
• Social desirability
• Disparity in behavior vs ratings
• Varied interpretations of instructions
Takeaways
The industry of healthcare and long-term care is vast. The user experience of such applications is vital for proper maintenance of electronic health records and the care provided to their customers. Icons are impactful, their designs need to be minimal but convey the actions intended. It needs to be consistent and easy to learn, for both newcomers and seasoned employees.
I had the opportunity to sit in on meetings for design critiques and user testing – which was very informative and made the experience well-rounded. I am grateful to MatrixCare to have provided a great experience at the internship, understanding the mechanics of a UX designer in the business.