Building a New Interface for Innovative Dementia Care
MCES Pal
All-in-one operation interface for the latest innovative dementia care experience
In the evolving landscape of healthcare technology, the interface becomes the pivotal point of interaction, transforming complex systems into accessible tools for those who champion care every day. With this vision, my team and I embarked on a journey to design an interface for the Memory Care Experience Station, an innovative solution aimed at enriching the lives of individuals with dementia. Our mission was clear: to create a user experience that empowers support staff with intuitive, seamless access to technology, thereby enhancing the care they provide.
Role
Product Designer
Skills
Strategy
Prototyping
Co-Design Workshops
Duration
8 months
Team
Maria Mortati
Emily Tsai
Rishikesh Nighot
SF Campus for Jewish Living
OVERVIEW
Problem
How might we empower the staff to run an experience independently so they can improve the quality of life for all the dementia residents?
Outcome
MCES Pal is a versatile dashboard meticulously crafted for the dedicated staff members of a dementia retirement facility. Its core objective is to empower these compassionate caregivers, enabling them to conduct customized, life-enhancing sessions tailored specifically to meet the unique needs of dementia residents, ultimately elevating their overall quality of life.
BACKGROUND
The impact of dementia in the United States and around the world
Dementia encompasses a range of disorders impacting memory, cognition, and daily functioning, with Alzheimer's disease being the most prevalent among them.
There is no cure, but we can still make a positive impact by focusing on enhancing the quality of life for these people
Innovative dementia care provided at SF Campus for Jewish Living
The SF Campus for Jewish Living, a senior living facility, has partnered with Mortati Design to create an innovative project known as the Memory Care Experience Station (MCES).
Our team joined the project after the MCES prototype was developed. Together with Mortati Design, we collaborated to bring this pioneering initiative to life.
Immersive sensory simulation experience
Leveraging visual elements, sounds, aromas, tactile interactions, and human engagement, MCES is dedicated to enhancing cognitive well-being and the overall quality of life for these individuals.
STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION
Working with our stakeholders and primary audience
Primary Partner
Mortati Design
We held weekly meetings with Mortati Design, along with occasional additional sessions as needed.
Our partnership with Mortati Design was characterized by a close working relationship that ensured alignment with project goals.
Primary Audience
Life Enrichment Staff
In the initial months, we actively involved staff members, the primary users of the product, by conducting interviews and prototype sessions.
Insights gleaned from staff sessions played a pivotal role in shaping our design and development process, with a relentless focus on prioritizing user needs.
PROBLEM AREAS
Exploring and understanding the problems with the current system
Once we started working with Maria Mortati (Mortati Design), we started to understand how the MCES machine worked and it's stakeholder system.
Key stakeholders we needed to keep in mind going forward
In the development of the interface for the Memory Care Experience Station, our primary interactions were with the Life Enrichment staff members and MCES Operators.
Due to privacy concerns, direct engagement with the dementia residents was not permissible. Furthermore, direct communication with the SF Campus for Jewish Living was constrained as they did not have the bandwidth to participate in interviews. These limitations informed our approach to the problem space, necessitating a design solution that minimized the need for direct involvement from these stakeholders, while still addressing their needs and requirements effectively.
Obstacles hindering the station's scalability and narrowing solution space
After understanding the stakeholder landscape and conducting initial interviews, we identified four critical issues impeding the station's scalability. Addressing these would be pivotal for expanding the station's adoption across more retirement facilities.
We ultimately concentrated on workflow inefficiencies, believing that resolving these concerns would yield the greatest impact within our project's timeframe.
CHALLENGE
Unnecessary bottleneck
The station's operation relies heavily on its lead designer, which greatly limits its impact on residents living with dementia.
How might we empower the staff to run an experience independently so they can improve the quality of life for all the dementia residents?
CURRENT WORKFLOW
Observing current experience and accounting for all pain points
We meticulously observed sessions led by the Life Enrichment staff and the lead designer, dissecting the experience into three distinct stages: before session, during session, and after session. By identifying and cataloging every pain point within these stages, we delved deeper into each step. This detailed breakdown enabled us to strategize on effectively digitizing the experience.
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SYNTHESIS
Translating the in-person workflow to a digital format
After reviewing our observations and interview notes, we proceeded to synthesize our findings. To ensure our design decisions were both user-centered and strategic, we developed a hierarchy of user needs.
User Need Hierarchy
This hierarchy allowed us to prioritize the design features and functionalities based on the importance and impact on the user's experience. In this case, our top three needs are that the interface has to be user-friendly, flexible and must have an easy onboarding process.
Information Architecture
Alongside, we established an information architecture to organize content and features in a way that is intuitive for the user, further solidifying the foundation of our design strategy.
PROTOTYPE TESTING
Testing initial ideas with paper prototype sessions
Along with my team, I led and conducted prototype sessions with staff members. We iterated on their feedback on a weekly basis.
Further refinement lead to mid-fidelity interface design
Following the prototype testing and co-creation exercises, we meticulously refined our designs to a higher level of detail. This iterative process allowed us to integrate feedback directly from our sessions, resulting in more polished and user-centric mid-fidelity screens.
SOLUTION
Addressing workflow inefficiencies by focusing on the four main pain points
In our extensive research, interviews and testing, we identified four major pain points and opportunities.
01. Operational Inefficiency
Pain point
Over reliance on the lead designer significantly hinders operational efficiency.
Opportunity
Establish an intuitive interface and clear guidelines for staff, allowing them to use the station independently.
MCES Pal
All-in-one operation interface for the Memory Care Experience Station
Enhances operational efficiency by making tasks more accessible and manageable for the staff members. Creating an intuitive interface and clear guidelines empowers staff to work independently, reducing reliance on the lead designer and improving operational efficiency by streamlining tasks and reducing delays.
02. Manual Data Management
Pain point
All data and documents manually managed on a personal computer, restricting access and hinders communication efficiency.
Opportunity
Establish a secure, centralized digital repository for team-wide access to vital data, reducing dependency on a single computer.
Centralized Accessible Data Hub
Enhances operational efficiency, data accuracy, collaboration and security
MCES Pal acts as a central data hub, consolidating essential data (Resident Library, Video Library, and Session Notes Library), promoting universal accessibility, seamless access, collaboration, and data integrity. It also streamlines permission management, safeguarding sensitive resident data.
Resident Library
Session Forms
03. Staff’s Cognitive Overload
Pain point
The staff’s unpredictable schedules raise concerns about operating the station independently. This potentially hinders their ability to care for the elderly while balancing both responsibilities.
Opportunity
An operational workflow and user-friendly interface that alleviates the cognitive burden on staff during station operation, enabling them to simultaneously care for the elderly.
Cognitive Load Relief Features
Staff stays organized and complete duties without the extra mental strain
MCES Pal acts as a central data hub, consolidating essential data (Resident Library, Video Library, and Session Notes Library), promoting universal accessibility, seamless access, collaboration, and data integrity. It also streamlines permission management, safeguarding sensitive resident data.
Smart Prompts
Tips on best practices when operating the station
Digital Session Notes
Digital notes are automatically added to the system
Friendly reminders
To ensure the staff stays on top of logging their notes
04. Challenges in Facilitating Family Social Interaction
Pain point
Lack of a user-friendly operating system hampers social interaction among dementia residents and their families.
Opportunity
Create an option for non-staff members to operate the station.
Enable Guest Mode
Creating the ability for non-staff to facilitate meaningful social interactions with MCES
Social interaction can significantly improve the daily lives of dementia residents. To promote more social interaction, MCES Pal offers a user-friendly Guest Mode, making it easy for family members who may not be familiar with the operation to use the station.
We’ve removed certain parts of the original experience, such as Session Notes, in order to keep the resident’s information private.
IMPACT
Testing the success of the all-inclusive platform
In this zero-to-one project, we will have to wait a while before we can measure the effectiveness of this interface. According to our theory, we can measure:
Number of times the MCES is used
More people will use it if the interface is easy to use
Time on Task
Decreased time on determining what sessions to play for residents, preparing for sessions and deciding which residents to bring
Task Completion Rate
If our design is truly streamlined, then the staff should complete their tasks more quickly and with confidence
Social impact for dementia population
In time, the staff can see trends and effectiveness on each individual resident and residents as a whole based on the collective session notes taken.
Staff will have greater success finding videos that resonate with residents as more experiences are added. Involving family members in this process is crucial.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am grateful to have been a part of this zero-to-one project that amplifies MCES' positive impact on the dementia population.
It has been a pleasure building the foundation for this interface, and we are all looking forward to see how it progresses!
