Optometry Medical Group
A detailed case study of our augmented reality mobile app design for the Edmonds Historical Museum.
Background
Design Challenge & Responsibilities
Challenge
Design a user experience solution for Optometry Medical Group that streamlines clinic operations, improves patient interactions, and enhances staff workflow efficiency through intuitive, patient-centered processes.
Timeline
November 2023 - Present
Disciplines
User Experience Design
User Experience Research
Background
From Employee to UX Innovator
After working at Optometry Medical Group for a year in various roles such as optician, technician, and receptionist, I identified several areas where the clinic’s processes could be streamlined to enhance both patient and staff experiences. Understanding the need for operational improvements, I pitched the idea of becoming a UX intern to Clinic Director Nga Kramer, proposing that I take on the responsibility of improving user experience within the clinic. Nga agreed, allowing me to initiate a self-declared internship focused on applying UX methodologies to solve critical workflow and communication challenges.
Background
The Process: Addressing Multiple Operational Challenges
During my UX internship at Optometry Medical Group, I identified several key areas where patient and staff experiences were hindered by inefficient workflows and outdated processes. To tackle these challenges, I approached the project through three distinct initiatives, each addressing a specific pain point within the clinic:
1) Order Forms: The clinic’s internal order forms were cumbersome for staff to use, often leading to inefficiencies and processing delays.
2) Patient Inquiries: The clinic’s website inquiry form failed to capture the necessary information, leading to inefficiencies in staff follow-up.
3) Missed Calls: Missed patient calls were not followed up consistently, resulting in gaps in communication and delayed care.
The order forms at Optometry Medical Group were a critical tool used by staff to place orders for contact lenses and glasses. However, these forms had not been updated since 2011, making them increasingly misaligned with current clinic policies and the range of products now offered. This lack of relevance led to frequent errors, confusion, and inefficiencies, as staff had to manually adjust or clarify outdated sections. These issues not only slowed down the workflow but also created frustration among staff, highlighting the urgent need for a redesign to bring the forms in line with modern clinic operations and staff usability needs.
Opportunity
Improving the operational efficiency of Optometry Medical Group by implementing user-centered processes that enhance patient experience, streamline staff workflows, and foster more effective communication.
Team
Evan Hoang
Tools
Google Workspace
Google Forms
Slack
Figma
Canva
Research
Initial Problem Discovery: Order Forms
After completing the wireframes, we transitioned to developing the low-fidelity prototype to visualize the overall flow and functionality of the app. During this stage, I continued developing my individual component of the project: creating the A/R description screen. As part of this process, we brainstormed three key user requirements to set the scope for our project, ensuring that the prototype aligned with the core needs of museum visitors. These requirements helped guide the design and functionality of the app, making sure we addressed the most critical user needs early on in the development.
User Requirements
1) Interactive Exhibit Information
Visitors want the mobile app to provide them with interactive and detailed information about the museum's exhibits using augmented reality. This includes the ability to point their smartphone or tablet at an exhibit and have the app display historical facts, audio guides, and 3D models, enhancing their museum experience.
2) Personalized Tours
Users desire the app to offer personalized tour recommendations based on their interests, time constraints, and preferences. The app should allow visitors to input their preferences such as art styles, historical periods, or specific artists, and then generate a customized tour route that guides them through the museum. The app should be helping them find exhibits that are relevant to their interests.
3) User-Friendly Navigation
Visitors expect the app to offer seamless navigation within the museum. This includes real-time indoor positioning, clear directions to the next point of interest, and the ability to switch between different tours or languages. Users want an intuitive interface that doesn't distract from their museum experience.
Ideation
High-Fidelity Prototype
The high-fidelity prototype reflected the final version of the app, complete with polished visuals, smooth functionality, and the cohesive integration of features like artifact scanning and augmented reality. In this phase, we added new features like a scavenger hunt to further engage visitors, as well as user profile and onboarding screens to create a smoother, more personalized experience. This prototype was the result of our iterative process and the insights we gained from our final round of user testing, ensuring that the app met the needs of museum visitors while providing an immersive and engaging experience.
Throughout our user testing and iteration process, we identified key areas for improvement in both functionality and aesthetics. We made several key improvements and design decisions based on user feedback and testing. These changes helped enhance the overall user experience and ensured the app met the needs of museum visitors. Below are the three major changes we implemented:
1. Changing the QR Scanning Feature to A/R Scanning
Originally, our app used a QR scanning feature to provide information about artifacts. However, after user testing, we realized that this approach made the A/R portion of the app feel redundant and disjointed. To create a more seamless experience, we replaced the QR scanning feature with an A/R scan. This change allowed users to engage more deeply with the artifacts by scanning them directly, offering the ability to explore individual parts of an artifact in detail rather than just receiving general information. As part of this change, we also removed the option to view previously scanned artifacts, since it was no longer necessary with the more immersive A/R experience. This helped simplify the user interface and kept the focus on real-time interaction with the museum exhibits.
2. Gamification through the Scavenger Hunt
To make the museum experience more immersive and engaging, we introduced a scavenger hunt feature. This gamified element gave users a fun incentive to explore more areas of the museum. It also made the map feature more dynamic, encouraging visitors to interact with different exhibits as they completed challenges and found clues. The scavenger hunt enhanced both engagement and the educational value of the app, making the overall experience more interactive.
3. Adding a Home/Navigation Bar
To improve ease of use and help users move effortlessly between different features, we added a home/navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. This allowed visitors to seamlessly switch between features such as the A/R scanner, scavenger hunt, and map. By making navigation simple and intuitive, we ensured that users could focus on exploring the museum without struggling to find or use app functions.
My Key Takeaways
1) A/R Technology Offers New Levels of Engagement
Incorporating A/R into the app gave visitors a more immersive and interactive way to engage with exhibits. By shifting from QR scanning to A/R scanning, we allowed users to explore artifacts in a more detailed and engaging way, which added depth to their museum experience.
2) Seamless Navigation is Key to a Positive Experience
The inclusion of a home/navigation bar at the bottom of the screen was crucial in making the app user-friendly. It allowed visitors to move easily between features, ensuring that they could quickly access information or tools without frustration, enhancing overall usability.
1) Simplicity Improves Engagement
Simplifying the app's interface, such as by removing unnecessary features like viewing previously scanned artifacts and QR scanning, helped make the user journey more intuitive. This led to better engagement with the app’s core functionalities and allowed visitors to focus on the museum experience itself.
4) Gamification Increases Interaction
The addition of a scavenger hunt provided a clear example of how gamification can boost user interaction and encourage exploration. This feature not only made the app more engaging but also incentivized visitors to explore more areas of the museum, enhancing their overall experience.
Ideation
Low-fidelity Prototypes
Ideation
Mid-Fidelity Prototype
As we progressed in our design process, we moved on to developing the mid-fidelity prototypes, where we began refining the visual elements and interactions. This stage marked the creation of our style guide, where we selected a blue and white color scheme to ensure a clean and modern look for the app. During this phase, our team came together to integrate our individual design components into a cohesive system. RJ and I collaborated to ensure that our two features—the A/R home screen and the artifact description screen—would interact smoothly and look cohesive. At the same time, Ethan completed the design of the navigation screen, rounding out the core functionality of the app.
Along with these design refinements, we made a significant change to the functionality of the app. Initially, our prototype featured a QR scanning system for accessing artifact information, but based on feedback from user testing, we switched to a more seamless approach—allowing users to scan the artifact itself using augmented reality. This change improved the user experience, making the app more intuitive and immersive.
Style Guide
Ideation
Major Improvements & Design Decisions
Final Designs
UI for Launch
Reflections
Post Designs Outcome
A/R Screen - Evan Hoang & RJ Mao
Navigation Screen - Ethan Dith
Digital Wireframes
With a clear understanding of the pain points staff faced with the order forms at Optometry Medical Group, I began my first analysis to identify areas for improvement. To gain a deeper understanding of the ordering process, I learned the basics of being an optician and worked alongside the team for a week. This hands-on experience allowed me to observe pain points from both my perspective and theirs. Two weeks later, I had the opportunity to meet with a representative from Walman Labs, a professional specializing in the glasses ordering process. With extensive experience guiding optometry offices across the Pacific Northwest, they provided valuable insights. By combining their expertise with my design skills, we collaborated to create a new order form tailored to the staff’s needs.
Glasses Order Forms
Original Order Form
While this visual analysis provided a strong starting point, it only represents part of the problem. Many of the challenges staff faced were not immediately apparent from the form’s structure alone. These hidden issues emerged through a combination of staff interviews and usage data analysis, offering deeper insights into the form's usability challenges.
Additional Flaws Revealed Through Staff Interviews and Usage Data
Through staff interviews and workflow observations, I uncovered several issues that went beyond the initial annotations:
In the 'Lens Style' section, terms like 'Poly,' 'Digital,' and 'Premium Digital' were misleading for staff. These terms were intended to represent the different lens style tiers offered by OMG. However, only two main tiers are regularly used: standard and digital lenses. The term 'Premium Digital' was meant to indicate a custom tier for specialty lenses, such as anti-fatigue options, but this was not clearly communicated, causing confusion.
In the “Comfort Options” section we have a multitude of lens options that are missing. As a result, the staff have to manually add these in options under the “Special Instructions” section. This is particularly challenging for staff members who only occasionally handle optical orders to assist during busy periods. The section's lack of intuitive design makes it difficult for them to complete accurately and efficiently.
The calculation section was confusing, as it included outdated terms no longer relevant to the office. Additionally, this section did not align with the pricing flow used in the current order process, creating inconsistencies and inefficiencies.
Through conversations with the optical department, I discovered a new policy that was not reflected on the form. This policy introduced a $30 fee for patients who used an outside prescription, brought in their own frames, or required services that necessitated a liability waiver.
Solution Design
Using the insights gathered from my initial analysis, staff interviews, and workflow observations, I created the first draft of a revised order form. This draft aimed to address the key pain points identified during the research phase, including outdated terminology, missing fields for critical information, and a lack of alignment with current clinic policies. The redesign focused on improving usability for staff, particularly those who only occasionally handle optical orders, by creating a more intuitive layout and including clear, standardized terminology.
Research
Ideation & Solution Design
Initial Analysis
To identify the specific issues with the existing order forms, I conducted 30-minute observations of staff members as they completed order placements for contact lenses and glasses. These sessions provided valuable insights into how the forms were used in real-time and revealed several recurring challenges.
Glasses Order Form
Staff took 6–8 minutes to complete each glasses order form across 3 separate orders.
Staff used the back of the form to write notes about lens options not included on the form, such as premium coatings or advanced technologies.
Additional policies were hand-written in the "additional notes” section of the order form.
Unlisted clinic policies about pick up and turn around times were verbally explained to the patient.
During the final pricing, all other pricing sections were ignored except for the “balance due” section.
Contact Lens Order Form
Staff took 3-5 minutes to complete each contact lens order form across 3 separate orders.
Errors occurred when copying over prescription numbers. Staff would have to create their own formats and write in between the grids.
Despite there being 3 sections for contacts orders, staff would only use the first two and use the remaining sections to write additional details and shipping information.
Staff only used the “insurance coverage'“ and “balance due” sections in the pricing section.
In addition to these observations, I also conducted a brief survey with the staff to hear more about their personal experiences using the forms.
Pain Points Synthesized:
Research
Understanding Staff Pain Points
Revised Order Form
Notable Changes
“Lens Styles” was updated to “Lens Types,” with the three tiers re-defined as Poly, Digital, and Premium. The term “Lens Types” was chosen to avoid implying that these are optional cosmetic add-ons. By using this new term we reinforces the idea that is an essential step of the patient’s care.
New section created for the $30 lab fee. The conditions for this fee were also listed as checkboxes.
The lens options section has been updated to include all current products offered by the clinic. Captions have also been added to certain lens options to clarify their specific usage, making it easier for staff to select the appropriate products for each patient.
Collaborated with management to revise the policy section, ensuring that it reflects the clinic's most up-to-date terms and conditions.
Optimized the additional white space on the form by incorporating new features, such as an expanded lens options section.
Final Design
My final design is the result of the first revision, created after a month of usability testing the initial order form. This new revision incorporates targeted refinements based on staff feedback, usability insights, and industry expertise. To ensure the order form was both up-to-date and aligned with current trends, I consulted with a representative from Walman Labs. This meeting provided valuable insights into optical procedures and best practices used in other offices, guiding key adjustments to the form.
Original Order Form
Final Order Form
Notable Changes
Renamed lens types from 'Poly,' 'Digital,' and 'Premium' to 'Standard,' 'Premium,' and 'Custom' for clearer communication
Removed the 'Taxes' field from the pricing section, repurposed the extra white space to expand the 'Lens Options' section.
Introduced a variety of new lens options identified through discussions with the VSP representative. Together, we collaborated to establish pricing that was both aligned with industry standards and competitive with other offices in the area.
Contact Lens Order Form
First Revised Order Form
Reflections
Design Impact & Reflections
The redesign of the order form was guided by insights gathered from usability testing, staff feedback, and consultations with industry experts. This process aimed to address critical pain points, improve usability, and ensure the form aligned with both staff workflows and industry standards. The final design introduced significant improvements that streamlined processes and enhanced staff efficiency.
Key impacts of the redesign include:
Improved Clarity in Lens Types: Renaming the lens tiers to "Standard," "Premium," and "Custom" eliminated confusion and provided staff with clear terminology, making it easier to explain lens options and add-ons to patients during the glasses selection process.
Expanded Product Representation: Adding new lens options ensured that all current offerings were accurately reflected, allowing staff to provide patients with comprehensive choices and reducing the need for manual entries.
Streamlined Pricing Section: Removing the outdated "Taxes" field simplified the pricing flow, making it easier for staff to calculate and communicate total costs to patients, while freeing up space for additional features.
Integration of Updated Policies: Including the $30 lab fee section provided staff with a clear and standardized way to document specific conditions, such as outside prescriptions or patient-owned frames, improving communication and ensuring consistent application of policies.
Alignment with Industry Standards: Consulting with a Walman Labs representative helped ensure the form followed modern optical procedures and trends seen in other clinics, further professionalizing the design.
These changes have made the glasses buying process more efficient by equipping staff with a clearer, more intuitive tool for explaining options, documenting orders, and navigating pricing. The redesigned form has reduced confusion, streamlined workflows, and enhanced the overall experience for both staff and patients at Optometry Medical Group.
Reflection
Redesigning the order form for Optometry Medical Group was both a rewarding and enlightening experience. From the beginning, it was clear that the outdated form created significant challenges for staff and slowed down the glasses ordering process. Through interviews with the staff, I learned how seemingly minor frustrations—such as unclear wording or missing fields—could escalate into larger issues during their busy days. When staff lacked confidence in using the form, it also made it harder for them to guide patients effectively. This insight highlighted the need for a form that was intuitive, aligned with their needs, and easy to navigate, enabling them to confidently manage the ordering process.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of leading group activities and taking initiative to adapt my approach. Although facilitating a group activity was not part of my original research plan, I realized that redesigning the contact lens order form required a different strategy than glasses. I adjusted my approach by involving the staff in designing their ideal contact lens order form. This collaborative process revealed ideas and solutions that might otherwise have been overlooked. Additionally, I incorporated observation into my research by working alongside staff as an optician. Interviews alone were not enough to uncover deeper challenges, but by experiencing their workflow firsthand, I gained a clearer understanding of their pain points and ensured that the design truly addressed their needs.
Another key lesson was the value of consulting with an industry professional to validate my work and ensure it met broader standards. Collaborating with a representative from Walman Labs gave me insights into how other clinics operate and helped refine the design to align with industry best practices.
This project reinforced the importance of thoughtful, user-centered design. I learned to prioritize listening and observing before proposing solutions and saw firsthand how impactful UX can be when it directly addresses user needs. Designing for flexibility was another crucial takeaway. By using Canva, I ensured the forms would remain easy to update and maintain, allowing staff to keep the forms relevant long after my involvement.
Opportunities for Future Enhancements
While the redesigned order form successfully addressed the clinic's immediate needs, there are several opportunities for future enhancements to further improve functionality and adaptability. One significant advantage of creating the form in Canva is that it is both user-friendly and browser-based, enabling staff to make updates easily even after my departure.
Future enhancements could include:
Digital Integration: Transforming the order form into a fully digital format could streamline the submission process, reduce paper usage, and allow for automated error-checking.
Error Prevention Features: Adding dropdown menus or pre-filled fields for commonly selected options could further reduce mistakes and save time for staff.
Dynamic Policy Updates: Incorporating a QR code or a digital link to the clinic’s most up-to-date policies could ensure patients and staff always have access to the latest information without requiring frequent manual updates.
Background and Problem Statement: Weave Missed Calls
At Optometry Medical Group, patient calls are a vital part of daily operations, supporting appointment scheduling, inquiries, and follow-ups. The clinic relies on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system called Weave to handle these interactions. However, an analysis of Weave’s statistics revealed a significant issue: a high number of missed calls across both clinic locations. This not only caused frustration among patients but also disrupted staff workflows, making it difficult to manage call volumes efficiently.
Stakeholders recognized the urgency of addressing this issue to improve patient satisfaction and operational efficiency. They tasked me with investigating the root causes of the missed calls and developing actionable solutions to resolve them. My approach involved a thorough analysis of the problem from multiple perspectives, including staff workflows, technical systems, and patient interactions, to uncover both systemic and human-centered factors contributing to the high volume of missed calls.
Original Order Form
Initial Analysis
Staff-Centered Design Approach
Given that the contact lens ordering process is much more straightforward than ordering glasses, I decided to take a different approach for the design process. I invited the staff to create their version of an ideal order form, incorporating their specific needs and preferences, while also integrating my own design suggestions. These collaborative forms were then usability tested over the course of a week.
Final Design
Following our first week of usability testing, we developed our first revised order form. The most significant change was reducing the number of ordering sections to two pairs. Additionally, we combined the shipping and ordering sections to streamline the workflow. While the order calculations section saw only minor use during the initial testing phase, we decided to keep it for an additional week, believing it had potential.
However, after the second week of testing, it became clear that the calculations section caused more confusion for staff than it resolved, leading us to remove it in the final design. We also reverted to the original half-sheet format after learning that staff were more comfortable with this layout.
Notable Changes
Added an additional section for ordering.
Minor cosmetic changes.
Introduced a new “Order Calculations” section, enabling users to write out calculations: price per box, rebates, insurance coverages, and discounts.
Created a dedicated section for shipping addresses, with a checkbox to indicate the $15 shipping fee.
Updated prescription power categories by renaming “O.A.O” and “2nd Curve” to “Curve” and “Add”.
New categories were added to the pricing section which included a place to write a tracking number, insurance providers, and co-pays.
Expanded the pricing section to include fields for tracking numbers, insurance providers, and co-pays.
Original Order Form
Staff-Created Form
Revised Order Form
Final Order Form
Research and Discovery
To uncover the root causes of the missed calls at Optometry Medical Group, I conducted a thorough investigation using a combination of research methods. My goal was to understand the problem from both technical and human perspectives, identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks in the call management process. In my research I conducted the following methods:
1) Staff Interviews
2) Usability Testing
3) Data Analysis
4) Consultation with IT
Method 1: Staff Interviews
The staff at Optometry Medical Group come from a variety of age groups and backgrounds, each with different levels of familiarity and comfort with technology. To better understand how these factors influence their interactions with the Weave CRM and patient missed calls, I conducted interviews to gauge their perspectives and challenges.
Findings
The interviews revealed several key insights into the challenges staff face when managing calls through the Weave CRM:
1. Comfort Using the Weave CRM
Younger staff (Tiffany and Kathleen) generally found the system easy to use and were comfortable with its features.
More experienced staff (Tam and Hoa) struggled with the system, citing issues with its intuitiveness and lack of user-friendly navigation.
Mid-level staff (Kelly) found the system moderately manageable but noted room for improvement in usability.
2. Challenges During Peak Hours
Peak call volumes were overwhelming for most staff, with Tam and Hoa reporting the highest levels of stress during busy periods.
Missed calls were a common issue, particularly during lunch hours or when managing multiple tasks.
3. Effectiveness of Weave in Managing Missed Calls
Across all roles, staff felt Weave was inadequate for managing missed calls effectively.
Common frustrations included difficulty tracking missed calls, a lack of prioritization tools, and no clear workflow for follow-ups.
4. Impact of Missed Calls
Missed calls disrupted workflows for all staff, requiring additional time for callbacks and creating delays in other tasks.
Staff noted that this led to inefficiencies and increased stress during already busy periods.
5. Desired Features for Improvement
Staff identified several features that would help address the challenges:
A real-time notification system to flag urgent missed calls.
An automated follow-up assignment feature to streamline callbacks.
A simpler and more intuitive interface for tracking and prioritizing missed calls.
Integration of chat, call, and appointment histories into a unified view to reduce task-switching.
While we acknowledged that we could not directly add or modify features within the Weave system, identifying these desired features helped us better understand the pain points staff experienced. This understanding provided context for addressing the challenges through workflow adjustments and external solutions. It also highlighted the need for tools that complement the existing system, ensuring the team could effectively manage calls despite the system's limitations.
Method 2: Usability Testing Plan
To better understand how staff interact with the Weave CRM and its role in managing patient calls, I conducted a usability test focused on common call management tasks.
Objective
To evaluate how effectively staff can use the Weave CRM to manage patient calls, identify usability challenges that contribute to missed calls, and uncover areas for workflow improvement.
Participants
Tiffany (Technician, 22)
Kathleen (Receptionist & Optician, 26)
Kelly (Receptionist, 32)
Tam (Call Center Agent, 44)
Hoa (Technician, 52)
Test Environment
Conducted in the clinic during regular working hours to replicate real-world conditions. Staff will use their usual workstations and devices to ensure familiarity.
Tasks
Participants will perform tasks commonly associated with call management. Each task is designed to simulate real-world scenarios and highlight potential usability issues.
1) Locate a Missed Call
Task: Find the details of a missed call from a specific patient in the Weave system.
Success Criteria: Participants can locate the call details within 1 minute.
2) Log a Follow-Up Action
Task: Record a follow-up note for the missed call, including patient contact details and next steps.
Success Criteria: Participant logs the follow-up correctly without assistance.
3) Route an Incoming Call
Task: Redirect an incoming call to another clinic location or staff member.
Success Criteria: Participant successfully routes the call within 30 seconds.
4) Prioritize Missed Calls
Task: Review the missed call list and decide which call to handle first based on urgency.
Success Criteria: Participant identifies the most urgent call and explains their reasoning.
5) Search for Patient History
Task: Locate a patient’s call and chat history to verify information during a follow-up.
Success Criteria: Participant accesses the correct history within 2 minutes.
Data Collection
The following data will be gathered during the test:
Task success rate: Percentage of participants who complete each task successfully.
Time on task: How long participants take to complete each task.
Error rate: Number of mistakes or missteps during each task.
Observational notes: Behaviors such as confusion, hesitation, or reliance on workarounds.
Verbal feedback: Comments made by participants during or after completing tasks.
Post-Test Interview Questions
How easy or difficult was it to complete these tasks in Weave?
What aspects of the system were most frustrating during the tasks?
What features or changes would make these tasks easier to perform?
How confident do you feel using Weave to manage calls after this test?
Do you think the system contributes to missed calls? Why or why not?
Expected Outcomes
The usability test will help identify:
Specific features or workflows in Weave that contribute to missed calls.
Pain points or inefficiencies in navigating the CRM.
Opportunities for workflow adjustments or complementary tools to address system limitations