Designing digital health services:
8 essentials
We have helped design many different digital health services for all sorts of people: cancer patients, people managing chronic health, health staff, care workers, people with disability, and Australian health consumers with general health needs. The ingredients that make these services well-designed and user friendly are similar, regardless of the service type or the end user.
Putting the patient at the centre and co-design, are finally becoming common practice in health service design. We wholeheartedly agree that health services should be designed following human-centred design practices, which include:
Start with people,
Design with, not for,
Iterate and improve, and
Consider the whole context.
From our experience in designing health services over the years, we’ve noticed there are specific must-haves, to include in the mix. We have put together a more nuanced list of design considerations that apply specifically to the context of the Australian health system and the realities of health consumers
1.Co-design with every day Australians
Bring in people with disabilities, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, and people from remote areas during research and design and development. They’re not edge cases — they are your users. Involve them during research, design and testing. Get their feedback early on ideas, paper prototypes, and rough sketches. The sooner you test, the sooner you can spot friction, confusion, or unintended barriers. You'll always learn something new when looking at your product from a fresh perspective.
Ask
How can we involve a cross section of diverse groups of people?
Does my target audience have unique needs to cater to?
How can I create a pool of health consumers to involve in design throughout the project?
2. Create an accessibility strategy
An accessibility strategy defines how your product or service will be accessible by your specific audience group. It goes beyond just choosing the level of web accessibility guidelines (WCAG) you wish to reach. It helps you really think about the user’s context.
Ask
Screen sizes: what device will your users typically use to access your product?
Internet speeds: does your content need to be particularly fast loading for an audience primarily in regional or remote areas?
Assistive tech: will your website work for screen readers, keyboard users, magnifiers, speech input devices?
Literacy levels: Should your content be in plain English or Easy English?
Languages: what languages other than English should the content be? Some languages will significantly change the design and layout.
WCAG level: Can you aim for AA or even AAA for some things?
3. Design inclusively from the start
When accessibility is proactively designed around in from the beginning, it’s smoother, cheaper, and far more effective. Make accessibility part of your design, development, and QA workflows.
Ask
Do we have the skills and resources needed?
Who will write accessible content and alt text and captions?
What formats should we offer?
4. Build with a design system
A design system is a standardized set of building blocks—buttons, colors, typography, icons, components—that can be combined in countless ways to build digital products. It will give you the super power to prototype quickly and consistently. Consistently builds trust which is critical in health.
Ask
Who will manage the design system and who needs access?
How will we test the system’s components for accessibility and usability?
5. Improve health literacy
Up to 95% of health information is too complex for people to understand. Health literacy is about making information understandable, relevant, and actionable for everyone. That includes content, forms, visuals, and even conversations with staff. It also means creating a culture where clear communication is part of every interaction.
Ask
How can we explain things without using jargon or medical terms?
Does the information or form need to be prepared in multiple languages, alternative formats?
Is our service culturally safe?
What action do we want the reader to take?
6. Help people navigate your service
Most people don’t understand the complex health system. They don’t understand how your organisation works, or what paperwork is required. They don’t know when a referral is needed or how long a referral lasts for. They don’t always understand the difference between private and public and particularly when it comes to costs.
Ask
How can we clearly explain how to start using our service?
Is our privacy policy in plain English?
Are we making our forms, processes, and requirements as simple as possible?
How can we make referrals, wait times, and costs easier to understand?
How can people check back on instructions or information if they forget?
7. Consumers are the single patient record
In the absence of a single digital patient record for Australian health consumers, recognise and respect that the health consumer IS the medical health record. They are wrangling and herding reports, summaries and documents stored in many different places often across apps, inboxes, folders, and paper printouts. Make it easy for people to access their records, track their care journey, and avoid repeating themselves.
Ask
How can we make it easy for people to access and store their own records?
What format(s) do people prefer—PDF, email, text message, app?
Can records be shareable with carers, family members, or other providers?
8. Integrate where possible
People are accessing multiple providers and using multiple channels for one or more health events. They might be seeing specialists and using aged care services and the public system all at once. Design your service to be part of a broader health journey, not a standalone touchpoint. Think beyond your service.
Ask
What systems or services do our users interact with before and after us?
Where can we streamline or eliminate repetitive steps (e.g. double data entry)?
Can we integrate data or services to reduce confusion or handoff friction?
What is missing?
What approach or technique have you used in designing your digital health service? What else is essential for most digital health services?
We’d love to hear from you!