Method

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is at the forefront of the government’s health IT efforts. As a resource to the entire healthcare system, the ONC supports the adoption of health information technology and promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve health care.

In October, the ONC and the the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) challenged designers to take on the Blue Button medical record. Originally developed by the VA in order to give veterans and their families access to their health records, the current Blue Button is plain-text, which looks like a receipt. Aside from feeling impersonal, if a patient has a lot of medical information, the current system can quickly look confusing and become difficult to decipher.

Designers everywhere were challenged to design a digital version that is more usable and meaningful to patients, their families, and others who take care of them.

A small team of Method designers and strategists took the challenge! Together, they re-imagined the Blue Button:

The Approach
Our approach has been guided by a belief that information is only powerful when it is accessible, both in how it is presented and received. This is why we chose to explore the design from a multi-platform perspective starting with mobile then extending it out to tablet and web. The visual design is characterized by a minimal, high-contrast color palate making the content come forward. A restrained use of symbols and other graphics lets typography and scale determine hierarchy reducing clutter and making information easier on the eye.

To see more images, visit the Method team’s Blue Button page.

As the Project Lead and Interaction Design Lead on the project, Melissa Martin, explains why she wanted to get involved with the Blue Button challenge:

“I have a personal interest in design for healthcare and wellness,” she said. “Design has been the driving force behind many products and services that have effectively changed how we interact with each other and the world at large. I think it’s extremely important that the same level of thinking, creativity and deep consideration be given to other sectors of our society, particularly healthcare, energy management and social services. However, many non-profits and social service organizations simply to not have access to quality design services because of budget constraints and/or location. That is why initiatives like Challenge.gov are so exciting, because they help remove those barriers – opening the door for innovative, ingenious and creative solutions that are needed for a healthy, productive and sustainable society.”

Visit the Method team’s Blue Button page. Leave a comment and let the team know what you think of their submission!

The Joy of statistics and good information design.