Redesigning Navigation UI 

for Medical AI Robot

Project Synopsis: Nurses using a medical AI robot were struggling to navigate an overloaded user interface, making it difficult to determine which kiosks in the hospital were available for robot requests. The challenge was to simplify the interface and improve accessibility to help nurses spend less time managing technology and more time with patients.

Outcome: I implemented a new UI feature along with an accessibility-focused grouping system using color and symbols. This redesign improved usability for nurses, enabling them to quickly find available kiosks, reducing downtime, and ultimately improving the efficiency of the robot request system in hospitals.

This project was done as a part of my internship at a robotics company. Any confidential information has been removed, and all information is mine and does not reflect the views of the company.

Industry — robotics, Time frame — 8 weeks, Role — UI implementation, software, interface testing

The Problem

Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, need to manage time effectively when caring for patients. However, the previous interface of a medical AI robot used to fetch supplies was cluttered and made it difficult to determine which kiosks were available for robot requests. This inefficiency caused nurses to spend more time than necessary navigating the system rather than focusing on patient care.

User Group

The primary users were nurses working in hospitals that utilized the medical AI robot. They needed a clear, easy-to-use interface to quickly access operational kiosks without navigating through a cluttered system.

Designing a Solution

Product provided a design to address the UI issues, and my role was to implement it. However, I identified areas where the design could be improved and proposed additional features to enhance usability and accessibility:

  • Availability Indicator: This feature displayed only the kiosks that were operational, ensuring nurses could easily see where robots were available to use.

    • This reduced unnecessary options on the interface, making it quicker to select

  • Grouping Feature: Product team initially suggested using color-coding to group kiosks based on their location in the floor plan.

    • I expanded on this idea by suggesting adding symbols to the design to improve accessibility, particularly for users who may struggle with color differentiation, and to avoid running out of color options.

This mockup I created, simplified for privacy, illustrates a simplified kiosk grouping system, using both symbols and color-coding to enhance accessibility and help nurses quickly identify and select available hospital areas.

Project Results

Successfully shipped the updated UI to one hospital, followed by a broader rollout

The improved UI significantly reduced nurse downtime by simplifying the kiosk selection process.

Received strong positive feedback from the company, including recognition from the CEO for delivering an impactful and innovative solution that enhanced usability.

My Takeaways

  • Advocating for Scalable & Accessible Design

    I learned how to effectively advocate for improvements within a technical project by proposing a solution that combined color and symbol coding. This ensured inclusivity and long-term scalability.

  • Bridging Product & Engineering Effectively

    I balanced communication between product and engineering teams, adapting my language to ensure that both technical and non-technical stakeholders could understand the project’s goals and progress during demos.

  • Iterating on Solutions Through Continuous Testing

    By debugging on a mock robot, I refined the UI design to better meet user needs, reinforcing the importance of an iterative approach to problem-solving.

  • Taking Initiative in Design Decisions

    I gained confidence in making design suggestions that aligned with user needs. By stepping up to propose solutions and address overlooked usability issues, I contributed to a more effective final product.