Language barriers in healthcare can lead to negative health outcomes for patients. Existing resources, such as professional interpreters and digital translators like Google Translate, often suffer from inaccuracy and accessibility issues.

To tackle this critical problem, I designed HealthConnect, a 100% accurate, 24/7 accessible messaging platform that connects patients and providers. In this self-motivated project, I am the sole designer and researcher.

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To hear directly from those impacted by language barrier in healthcare, I conducted 45-minute semi-structured interviews with two LEP patients and two healthcare providers.

My goal was to understand their experiences with available interpretation tools, including which ones they had tried, their preferences, and the reasons behind those preferences. Additionally, I explored how language barriers have affected their health and their overall perception of the healthcare system.

The themes below were gathered from coding interview transcript and organizing qualitative data in an Affinity Map.

It is clear that the market is missing a solution that is both accessible and accurate. While not all patients have smartphones, it seems like many do. The positive reception of Google Translate by the interviewees indicates that an improved digital interpretation experience can be accepted. Furthermore, if many patients find a digital solution useful, that may free up more in-person interpretation resources to others in need.

At this time, I am considering the final solution to be a digital interpreting mobile application that has improved accuracy and accessibility.

Based on my research, I developed four distinct personas: three patient personas and one provider persona.

Why so many personas? I learned from my prior research that LEP patients are not monolithic. They may have different experiences, skills, and needs. In designing a digital interpreting solution, it's important to account for varying levels of English and digital literacy. Thus, my three patient personas reflect different levels of both to ensure their unique challenges are addressed.

For the provider persona, I decided to have only one persona since it is safe to assume that all providers are English proficient, digitally proficient, and want to deliver good care to their patients.

An digital interpreting app solution is most appropriate for users with Average English skills and Average digital literacy.

From the personas, I decided to not explicitly cater the product to users with very limited English and very limited digital literacy. This persona likely will have a very difficult time using this product since they would be struggling on both the language and the digital side. If a user is only heavily struggling with language or with digital products, they still may find the product useful. However, the product will be designed for the person with average English and digital literacy skills in mind.

A user journey map was created for the outpatient visit process, from scheduling an appointment by phone to patient checkout. This analysis reveals that LEP patients often face challenges at nearly every step. Their healthcare experience can be filled with anxiety and confusion, especially when communication with English speakers is expected. Before the appointment, the user is typically required to call and schedule with a clinic office assistant. How can they manage this if their English proficiency is limited?

LEP patients typically need to interact with various staff members during the  process, including healthcare professionals and office assistants. However, not all staff may be equipped to communicate effectively with LEP individuals, and they might lack familiarity with digital tools or even have a smartphone. Therefore, any solution must account for the possibility that staff may not always have access to smart devices on hand.

During the brainstorming phase, I explored various options, such as real-time voice translators and multilingual diagnosis forms. However, many of these solutions suffer from the same accuracy issues as Google Translate, relying heavily on existing algorithms that cannot guarantee 100% accuracy.

After considering accuracy, accessibility, and user familiarity, I designed a messaging app for patients and providers that uses a pre-translated library of phrases in multiple languages. This app provides 24/7 access and 100% translation accuracy, while its design resembles familiar text messaging apps. Challenges arose in minimizing search time for phrases and creating an intuitive conversation flow, which became focal points in each iteration. 

In the first phase of the product, I focused on creating a compelling patient experience, while also considering the provider’s needs. The next phase will involve fully prototyping the provider's experience.

Given that providers see many patients daily, there are several ways to optimize their workflow, such as saving common phrases and questionnaires or building a library of phrases for different visit types and diagnoses. This will require deeper domain knowledge of how providers operate.

That wraps up the HealthConnect case study! This project holds a special place in my heart as an immigrant who has supported my parents in navigating the healthcare system from a young age. I began this project in 2022 and have refreshed the design annually since then. Each iteration highlights my growth in UI skills and reignites my passion for UX design. This project reminds me that my ultimate goal as a UX Designer is to create products that help others, particularly marginalized groups like LEP patients.

Below are some of my UX specific reflections.