Shanghai General Hospital (SGH) 's digital library paid subscriptions to 80 literature databases, allowing clinicians to seek academic papers and clinical guidelines. The traditional method of searching various literature database platforms was time-consuming. My contribution was designing a streamlined search as an one-stop solution for physicians to find relevant research references faster.
2022
Shanghai General Hospital
Product designer
Problem
Physicians find it inconvenient to access subscribed literature databases individually from the library website. It is time-consuming and unintuitive.
Solution overview
A streamlined search function consolidates subscribed literature databases, enabling clinicians to quickly access highly relevant medical documents from a single point of entry.
Search Hi-fi Flow
Evaluating the Existing Product
Users’ challenges can be concluded as follows:
Through remote testing, interviews, and query analysis, I synthesized insights with journey mapping to help the team understand users’ search behavior and pain points
User research also helped me define two personas: the clinician and the researcher with their different behaviors and shared needs.
Design Goals
Brainstorming
We sketched ideas and prioritized key features to develop.
I facilitated a brainstorming session with the core team using Miro. We prioritized several tasks and decided to further study and compare two options
wireframe: Search Result Page
Finding the appropriate result layout and filters help users find useful information quickly
After testing and comparing, we landed on the option that emphasizes awareness and accessibility.
Option 1
Although sidebar filters made the search criteria more visible, it requires users to scroll to browse
Option 2 Won
The winning option takes up less vertical space, and shows the most popular filters upfront, making it easier for the user to notice and access
Option 3
Although it unfolded everything in one click, it took more time for users to notice the filter button
HI-FI Detail: Article Card
Iterations of the article card moved toward simplicity
After several rounds of testing and user feedback, I kept only the essential metadata and CTAs, optimized the information hierarchy, and made the article card easier for users to scan, digest, and decide.
1st Iteration
2nd Iteration
Final Version (with refined information hierarchy)
Distinct Scopes for distinct information needs
The vertical search scopes help users distinctly search scholarly articles for academic research, search guidelines for clinical practice, and search SGHL website for library
Simple search for simple concepts
For most users and most time, features like query auto-suggest facilitate seamless queries for a quick search seeking simple medical concepts.
Advanced Search for precise terms
The advanced search with guided style query input gives experienced researchers complete control of boolean operators and syntax for them to create a more targeted search on complex research topics
Scannable and informative result page
A clear layout and visual design allow users to quickly scan, digest and make decisions.
Effective filtering & sorting
The filtering & sorting options contain the search criteria that match user expectations and are located on top of the result page for easier access.
Article card with clear information hierarchy
With an understanding of what information users need the most for evaluating search results, I selected and organized metadata on article cards aiming for clear information hierarchy and simplicity.
Impact
With satisfying usability and boosted efficiency in literature retrieval, users are pleased with the new search feature.
5 mins
reduction in average search task time
83
usability testing score received
23
Net Promote Score (NPS) received