Inclusive Solutions

In continuation of yesterday’s post (link here), which was about why involving users on either extreme of the bell curve (as opposed to innovating for the bulk majority) facilitates in creation of a more innovative and inclusive solution; another example came to mind from many years ago.

Around 2015–16, I was tasked with identifying affordable ways to improve patient experience in the pediatric division of one of Asia’s leading oncology hospitals. I had split my project into 3 focus areas:
1. Improving basic patient and patient family experience
2. Improving administrative and support staff experience (which in turn affects patient experience), and
3. Improving hospital navigation, which would help both admin and support staff, as well as patient experience.

One of many interesting and unique situations about the division was that patient groups spoke one or more of some 7–8 different languages, while the staff mostly knew just one, two of them at the most.

An interesting challenge I was working on, solving which would address focus areas 2 and 3 above, was the fact that new patients, coming by the dozens, would swamp admin staff, asking them for directions to different departments — be it to pay fees, see the doctor, get blood work done, MRI’s, etc. So much so, some staff members had a new patient ask them a direction question every 20–40 seconds. Imagine that over a day, 6-days a week, week after week.

That explained the slightly strained tone in the voices of many of the staff. Others would be curt with patients. While all the staff meant well, one couldn’t help experience the buildup of a constant inconvenience and subtle irritation of being asked a question every few seconds.

And I knew right then, if I could somehow solve this challenge in an efficient manner, it would make it easier for new patient families to navigate the multiple buildings of the hospital, while also relieving staff of the stress of incessant direction questions.

Now had I used the Pareto Principle towards finding an average/majority solution, I wouldn’t have needed to work on it as the solution already existed — the staff already spoke the language spoken by a larger majority of the patient groups (~70%).
But what about the remaining ~30%?

Instead, I explored the use of colours, and animal pictures. And my recommendations to the Board included use of different coloured lines from admin and support staff areas to respective departments. As colour and animal names are similar across different languages, it would have been easier for even two patients who didn’t speak each others language, to guide the other to the right department by merely pointing to the animal and colour and having patients follow a particular coloured line to the respective department.

This would solve the language and direction challenge for most if not all patients, while simultaneously reducing the staff overload challenge with considerably reduced direction questions being ‘directed’ at them.
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