Medical equipment companies are undergoing a significant paradigm shift.
Medical equipment is now being compared to cell phones, VR headsets, and other electronics, and is expected to provide a pleasant and engaging user experience. It’s no longer enough for the user interface of medical devices to simply look sleek and modern; every aspect of the interface must be fine-tuned to enhance usability and safety. The expectations are high, and developers of medical devices should go above and beyond to deliver a high-quality and popular product.
Trends in Medical Device Design Today
To remain competitive and meet customer demands, it is crucial for medical device developers to stay informed and follow all design and IT trends. After all, you need to provide a superior product to your customers that surpasses what your competitors have to offer. At Fuselab Creative, our professional designers understand what it takes to develop a medical solution that enables speed, understanding, and accuracy. The journey to meeting customer needs may not always be smooth, but with the right approach, you can reach your target.
Medical device manufacturers are eager to match consumer expectations by adding new features and enhancing UI/UX design, which is currently at an all-time high. Let’s explore the key trends that can help medical device manufacturers create experiences that meet customer expectations and demands.
Interactive Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) allows users to experience real-world events in a virtual setting. Immersive, interactive, and simulated environments are ideal for teaching and learning. For example, doctors may use VR training exercises to prepare for complex surgeries. In addition to instructional and surgical planning uses, VR can also stimulate patients’ mental and physiological processes. The technology is becoming increasingly popular in university research and hospital settings as medical equipment manufacturers discover more use cases.
Skeuomorphic Design
Improving the user interfaces of medical devices has been a priority for many years, with a focus on using identifiable visual cues to enhance the user experience. For instance, a stethoscope icon may replace the words “heart rate” on a medical device panel.
One of the key advantages of such visual cues is that they enable language-independent designs. Text-based designs may require translating the word “heart rate” into multiple languages for different users. Whether the patient speaks Spanish, English, or Chinese, a symbol of a stethoscope or an EKG reading is universally understood.
Choosing a skeuomorphic design is one of the most popular UX trends in healthcare today, as it creates visually appealing interfaces. However, skeuomorphic design is not always the solution. In certain cases, a flat design is still preferable:
- For non-critical and secondary controls
- When the device has only one or two buttons
- When on-screen hints help users distinguish interactive buttons from static text
Skeuomorphic design elements such as drop shadows and subtle gradients can enhance the appearance of controls. However, overdoing it can detract from aesthetics and usability.
Interactive Chatbots
Interactive chatbots make it easier for patients to access information and assistance. Patients benefit from self-service when routine questions are quickly answered. People prefer interactive healthcare UI software, and chatbots provide a simulation of the human aspect. Employees can focus on tasks that require human interaction while chatbots handle tedious and repetitive tasks.
Voice Interface
Voice interfaces are becoming increasingly helpful, whether on your phone, at home, or, more recently, in medical equipment. Voice interfaces, like interactive chatbots, provide patients and healthcare workers with another way to quickly and easily access information.
Hands-free usage is particularly beneficial for patients who may not be able to fully use their hands. Voice interfaces allow these patients to utilize application functionality without assistance. Similarly, healthcare workers can operate technology via speech interfaces without having to put down their scalpels, needles, or forceps.
Customizable mHealth Apps
Mobile health applications are another option for improving information and functionality accessibility. Patients can use mHealth apps to manage their healthcare from almost anywhere. Customizable apps enhance the user experience. Overall, mHealth apps enhance patient engagement in several ways:
- Sending appointment reminders and allowing adjustments
- Providing medication recommendations or other resource updates
- Offering various notifications and other feature customization
- Allowing tracking of health and fitness metrics on a mobile device
- Providing telemedicine video chat features
The ability to customize mHealth apps makes them easier to use and understand.
Make UX Design Work for the Benefit of Medical Devices
As technology becomes more integrated into the medical field, it is crucial to ensure that people of all generations and disciplines, as well as ordinary patients, can effectively use medical devices. This is where top UX/UI design trends can help. Instead of making random product development decisions, it’s important to follow best practices and trends to ensure a wider reach for your product.
The design trends we have shared are connected as components of a user-centric design philosophy. Similarly, every function of a medical device should provide a consistent user experience, leading to a seamless customer journey.
