Top 10 Healthcare UX Design Trends in 2022
It’s essential that whatever the emerging technology, it should be user friendly and makes the user feel comfortable.
The healthcare industry is an enduring sector that provides services for the well-being of human beings. The industry is continuously evolving with the involvement of the latest technologies and trends.
As per reports, the healthcare industry (including AI software, hardware and service market) is to reach up to $34 billion by the year 2025 which shows the vast opportunities in the medical and healthcare sector for those that are looking to become patient-centric.
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Nowadays, there are numerous healthcare products that are available and it is continuously increasing with new innovations by healthcare app development companies and other payers in the market. Hence, the need for a good UX design; it becomes essential. that the programmes and technologies are friendly and easy to use so that healthcare becomes accessible for all.
10 HEALTHCARE UX DESIGN TRENDS OF 2022
In this post, we are going to discuss the top ten healthcare UX design trends that will boom in 2022.
1. VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY (VR)
Virtual and augmented reality are innovations that help with many medical treatments. As we know, these technologies have already proven their significance in other industries, now it’s set to enhance the medical industry. Virtual reality is used to get 3D visualization, through which medical professionals can supervise and treat the patient.
It has been used in the treatment of a person suffering from anxiety and PTSD because it could mean avoiding surgery and other medical procedures, for example. It can be used in relaxing the person through guided relaxation sessions assisted by VR technology.
The use of augmented reality has already started but it has even more potential to fulfil the technological need of the medical sector. AR is used to generate more information about the patient on the medical device, such as AccuVein’s use of AR technology to locate veins for injection. So, the use of AR and VR would be a trend in the healthcare industry this year.
2. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS (DTX)
DTx is a technology that provides direct benefit to the patient by providing patient-facing applications that help their treatment, prevention and management of a particular disease. It has a clinical benefit that has already been proven within these sectors. It supports patient-oriented treatment so that they can self manage the symptoms and improve their overall health.
It uses digital devices like mobile phones, sensors and other such electronic devices to understand and record the behaviour changes in the patients and then recommend the required adaptations. The most common example is Insula. The app suggests personalized insulin doses and works like a coach to maintain the ideal diabetes level. The use of DTx is expected to reach higher in the upcoming future.
3. MEDICAL WEARABLES
There was a time when medical equipment was available only in hospitals or healthcare clinics. From checking your blood pressure to sugar levels, the process involved booking an appointment and visiting a suitable clinic. But time has changed, now you can check your blood pressure, sugar level and other medical metrics at your home.
This becomes possible with the inventions of easy to wear, understand and portable devices. Such smart devices have become common in the last few years. People monitor their heartbeat and other metrics with via a few clicks which generates useful data to help them make the required changes in their lifestyles. Hence, medical wearables would still in the list of top trends this year.
4. VOICE USER INTERFACES
Touching anything was a dangerous thread when the pandemic hit the world in 2020. There was a serious risk of touching any object as it may work as an invitation to deadly viruses. This was the time when voice user interfaces were safe to use because even without touching the devices it was working with full effectiveness.
With voice user interface devices, you can facilitate contact-free communication through voice commands and speech controls. It is an ideal technology for contact-free operations where the chance of infection spread is zero. With its unique advantages, a voice user interface would be a trend in the healthcare industry.
5. DIGITAL PRODUCTS FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Anxiety and depression are medical problems that most people ignore from a medical perspective. Almost every third person is suffering from some form of mental health challenge, and the worst part is people fail to understand its consequences.
It is hard to diagnose anxiety just by using medicines, and experts knew this fact, and that brings us applications that deal with mental health and mindfulness. These applications provide remarkable results to the patient's mental health and they just need to use a few minutes a day. With guided meditations and other practises, these applications cure anxiety to a large extent.
6. AI AND CHATBOTS
Whenever there is a talk about future trends, it is totally hard to forget artificial intelligence. It is a technology that provides amazing services in all sectors seamlessly. In healthcare, lack of required team members can cause blunder to someone’s health, such situations can be handled by AI (artificial intelligence) and chatbots.
Like providing touch-free solutions and giving advice on the basis of studying the medical history of the patients. Along with that, more accurate medical data can be collected and analyzed using AI which will save a lot of time for medical professionals.
7. PATIENT-CENTRIC UI DESIGN
Healthcare applications are primarily made for patients. Hence, it should be created by considering the patient’s point of interface. Healthcare design trends must include elegant graphics and visuals, adjustable fonts, and generally must become easy to use regardless of skill level with similar applications and digital devices. A key theme throughout this post, of course, is that everything becomes easy to use, therefore, improving the overall user experience.
It would be making things easier for older patients as well as patients who are suffering from certain kinds of diseases, who find it hard to access such technologies. Recently, healthcare companies are focusing more on this direction to incorporate suitable visuals on their apps, social media and websites.
8. VOCAL BIOMARKERS
This is a unique and extraordinary invention that will open up ways for so many new opportunities in the field of healthcare. A person’s voice reveals a lot about their health. Scientists are working in this direction to build a technology to detect diseases and medical risks through a person’s voice.
It was previously researched with coronary artery diseases, pulmonary hypertension and other such diseases. For example, a company based in California is working on developing a system that will detect Covid using a 60 second sound file.
9. DIGITAL TOOLS FOR PETS
People treat their pets as their kids. It means animal healthcare is also a considerable market that is always growing, and therefore, evolving as more digital technology is introduced (for care professionals as well as owners). People want their pets to be in healthy condition. However, in the case of treatment, veterinarians face challenges just like physicians who treat humans. It generates the need for digital tools and solutions for pets and animals. Smart wearables like collars and harnesses can track pets’ health easily. For example, there is a dog collar powered by AI which determines the dog’s mood. Hence, it would be another trend in 2022.
10. NON-EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION
Last but not least, even after having digital tools and design, there are situations where the physical presence of the patient is required. However, transportation is a serious problem that causes lacking appointments in needed situations. To overcome this situation, NEMT delivers service by providing dedicated rides and taxis. Additionally, there are some companies that use interactive voice response systems through which patients can book and track their healthcare trips. This would also be a trend that will make an impact on people’s life.
SUMMARY
Healthcare is a sensitive industry that demands continuous changes and enhancement. It’s essential that whatever the emerging technology, it should be user-friendly and makes the user feel comfortable. So, here are the top ten healthcare user experience designs that will be on-trend in 2022.
For more on user experience design in the pharmaceutical sectors, and how we can help you, visit our section on web.
Guest contributor: Harikrishna Kundariya
