As digital transformation in the healthcare industry embraces digitization and introduces new, technology-based processes to healthcare facilities, there is one thing that often remains overlooked, and it’s medical websites. Being the first point of contact, these websites should be user-centric, responsive, and informative. But in reality, they are usually outdated, sluggish, and not helpful.
An appealing and properly functioning website can become a valuable asset for your medical organization as it’s part of the great patient experience and can instantly offer patients help or valuable information. Learn about the most expected website design trends and discover how you can already improve your current website - all explained in this article.
Importance of digital experience for healthcare organizations
Before discussing healthcare website design tips, we need to talk about the importance of digital experience for modern healthcare first. We already mentioned that the healthcare industry is shifting towards digitization and uses modern technologies to provide better and more personalized patient care and to optimize a number of processes for healthcare workers. Examples include the use of AI and machine learning for predictive analytics and more accurate diagnoses, computer vision for processing medical images, and cloud computing for storing and processing patients’ data.
But what does UX design in healthcare has to do with it? The answer is that it’s part of the telemedicine, which means the use of digital devices and technologies to provide certain medical services. A good example of telemedicine and medical web development is a patient portal with access to one’s EHR (electronic health record) and to a variety of medical professionals. So if your facility has an informative and intuitive healthcare web design, there is a high chance that the patients will be able to independently access the needed information or perform a specific action, like scheduling an appointment. This, in turn, reduces the workload on employees and speeds up a number of services for patients. In the light of this, medical website design and development is in high demand these days.
UX design in healthcare: main trends to follow
Now, talking about UX UI design, healthcare organizations should consider several important aspects in order to make their websites more user-friendly and valuable:
AI for personalization and assistance
Artificial intelligence can do wonders when it comes to personalization and user assistance and there are several ways to implement it.
First, you can use AI-based smart chatbots for personal assistance. While medical specialists may not be available at certain time, chatbots can operate 24/7 and can instantly provide the requested information to patients. Moreover, these bots can provide valuable recommendations and even assist with performing simple tasks like appointment scheduling or finding a suitable specialist.
Second, healthcare facilities can deploy machine learning to analyze user behavior on their website and provide relevant content and recommendations. So if a patient frequently visits the website and always looks for specific information, smart algorithms can offer him relevant content and suggestions, thus contributing to better engagement and more personalized care.
User-centered design and navigation
One of the biggest issues with most medicine websites is their poor design and confusing navigation. When patients land on such websites, they normally have no idea where to look for medical specialists or how to schedule an appointment or access their persnal EHR. Hence, to improve patient experience and speed up the provision of patient care, healthcare facilities should review their current website and answer the following questions:
Can users easily access their EHRs?
Is the search option visible and understandable?
Is the filtering option convenient enough?
How long does it take users to complete the desired action?
What kind of value and help does the website provide?
By answering these questions, you will be able to evaluate your current healthcare web design and how well it meets the needs of patients. Also pay attention to online user behavior. Metrics such as bounce rate or Average Time on Page are very helpful in determining the effectiveness and value of your website and user satisfaction.
If your website does not meet the majority of these criteria, consider redesigning it fully. We recommend outlining user journeys and desired conversions in advance so you can build your website around them.
Mobile-friendliness
Most users use their mobile devices to access digital content, including medical websites. Hence, if your website design is not adapted to mobile, you might be in trouble. Users don’t want to waste their time on zooming in and out or scrolling through the whole page to find a tiny bit of content. Hence your healthcare web design should perform equally well on both mobile and desktop devices. Note though that different platforms (iOS and Android) have different requirements towards design so keep that in mind.
Mobile-first design is beneficial not only for user experience but also for SEO. Websites optimized for mobile are usually prioritized by Google, meaning that your website will be more visible online.
Compliance and accessibility
Medical websites must be accessible to all users, including the ones with visual impairments or other forms of disability. Also note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all websites to be accessible but unfortunately, not many organizations compy with this act. To improve patient experience and ensure that all users can use your website equally well, implement specific processes, tools, and integrations, such as:
Compatibility with screen readers
Alternative text for images
Labeled form fields
Color contrast
In addition to ADA compliance, your website should also comply with such regulations as HIPAA and GDPR and any other local regulations, if necessary. This is important for data protection and for ensuring that users have full control over their data and the way it is processed and stored.
Data analytics and user behavior analysis
Finally, to know how well your website performs and how frequently patients use available digital tools, implement data analytics and user behavior tracking. By monitoring user behavior and collecting the data, you will be able to adjust your website, identify bottlenecks, and understand what interests users the most. This, in turn, will lead to reduced costs since you will know what aspects of your website underperform, what can be fixed, and what calls for more attention.
Summing up
As you can see, a healthcare website should focus primarly on patients that wish to receive digital patient care such as online consultation. But in addition, such website is also a powerful digital asset for the healthcare facility as it contributes to creating a holistic digital experience and automates and facilitates a number of services that your organization provides. For website redesign and optimization, we highly recommend partnering with a reliable IT provider who has experience in both healthcare web development and healthcare industry. Such providers are well-familiar with regulations like HIPAA and GDPR and can deliver a user-centric and secure solution that will boost your online presence.