Weeknote 7: design truisms

I was in the first day of a two day away day at work and I was thinking of Jenny Holtzer’s truisms. They feel true (even if they might not be), which is what’s so cool about them. I think it’s the same for some myths about the NHS and what it is and isn’t good at. It’s sometimes in the eye of the beholder.

So I thought I’d imagine what Digital Screening truisms might be (inspired by the 2018 NHS Design Principles of course):

1. Decide what differentiates staff facing interfaces from participant* facing ones and what should feel the same.
2. Decide how you will measure your impact from the beginning.
3. Design for as many people as you can, then have a plan for those you can’t reach just yet.
4. Consider that clinical safety might trump ease of use.
5. Remove as much complexity as you can, given the circumstances. Then make it easy for others to pick up where you left off.

I’m in my 11th week so this might age like milk, but hey, it’s just a weeknote after all.

* Participants is what we call members of the public who need to be screened. We don’t know if they’re ill, so they’re neither patients nor service users.