Reflection of last week
Instead of investigating a non existing DiGA or an existing Health app that is not registered as a DiGA tackling Asthma, we decided to go for an existing DiGA or even switch to the ePA. The ePA is more interesting to us three and also affects all of us. It will soon be relevant to the entire German society and thus have a big impact. Additionally, the ePA is easily (we all see about that) accessible to all of us and brings some interesting questions. Some points of interest are the acceptance and usage of the ePA among doctors and the meaning and consequences for the elderly or other groups not that are less familiar with or able to use digital services.
Humanity centered design
The main take away from the article is the concept of Humanity Centered Design, meaning a design approach that is not focused on the individual user but on the society or humanity as a whole. The goal of a humanity centred design is to benefit the global good and wellbeing. This concept is hard to apply to apps that are specifically developed to fit the German law that defines the DiGA.
The German laws regarding medical devices and DiGA’s create a narrow scope in which any software has to reside to be deemed eligable. Such constraints can cause friction with the concept of Humanity Centered Design.
An important area regarding our project goals is Monoculture. Since our DiGA is developed and distributed in Germany specifically, it is easy to fall into the trap of defaulting to a classic Western/German view on design and usability. But Germany is not a monocultural place but instead very diverse and increasingly so. Additionally health care is intended to impact and help every part of society, no matter their cultural background. Understanding the access to health care as a universal right, also implies that the health care service’s (i.e. the DIGA’s) usability is universal too.
The aim of the ePA itself is to benefit the German society, its health system and medical staff by making processes more efficient and transparent. Everyone living in Germany is a potential stakeholder of the ePA. As mentioned for the DiGA, the ePA should not be designed with a German/western focus because Germany is a diverse place and many people from different cultural and social backgrounds will be using the ePA apps.
Ressources
TK DiGA Report:
AOK DiGA Umfrage:
LinkedIn zu UX in DiGAs:
Bewertung einiger DiGAs von Stiftung Warentest:
what?
We aim to improve the experience of the user that is interested in using the Kaia COPD application. Currently the app only allows users to create an account and either type in an authentication code provided by the users health insurance, or a print out to get a prescription for the app, that can directly be signed by the users doctor.
There is no way, to get additional information on the app itself and its features. Instead it feels more like an ad campaign within the app itself. This is especially off putting as the direct advertisement (i.e. tv/radio/… commercials) for prescription-mandated medicine is banned in Germany and therefor the approach by Kaia COPD feels misplaced.
Uns würde auch interessieren, wie Ärzt*innen, Praxispersonal oder Apotheken mit der ePa umgehen. Auch die Nutzung für ältere Menschen stellen wir uns schwierig vor – wie gehen Menschen mit einer solchen App um, die nicht zu den „digital natives“ zählen?
why?
Kaia COPD is currently the only DiGA in the respiratory disease category and therefore the first and only valid stop for patients diagnosed with COPD. Improving the registration and exploration phase can improve the satisfaction and trust of the user, especially since DiGA’s are not widely adopted yet.
We are interested in how well doctors are already handling the ePA, especially because they are overwhelmed by work most of the time and are using different and often old software to manage their patients. Elderly are an interesting group because they rely very strongly on the health system but at the same time are often insecure about using digital services.
who?
Direct stakeholders: patients with COPD diagnosis
Indirect stakeholders: doctors, health insurances
The stakeholders of our specific questions are doctors, pharmacists, elderly and people insured at TK.
where?
The user interacts with the software whenever the active component (i.e. exercising) is appropiate. This can include the gym, your own home on a yoga mat, in the park, or other sport friendly spaces.
The ePA, especially as an opt-out app, will be used by many people in many situations. Wether it is at the doctor, the dentist, the hospital, the pharmacy or at home.
Reflektion
Entscheidungsprozess nimmt viel Zeit ein. Auch weil uns die genauen Anforderungen etwas unklar sind.
Zeitmanagement muss besser werden. Arbeitsteilung läuft gut 🙂
Arbeit mit Trello hilft, weil man zusammenarbeiten kann.
Wir müssen unser Thema, Stakeholder etc stark einschränken bis nächste Woche.
Liebes Team, ich kann Ihre Perspektive, dass Sie vermuten, dass Humanity Centered Design nicht klar auf diesen Anwendungskontext passt, nachvollziehen. Die Frage ist aber, was die Grundaspekte von Humanity Centered Design sind und ob diese nicht durchaus übertragbar sind. Was heißt es? Ein wichtiges Anliegen für Don Norman ist es beispielesweise „Design with the community, not for them“ Was würde das in Ihrem Kontext heißen? Sie könnten darüber nachdenken, wie Sie Ihre Zielgruppe erreichen und wie Sie Ihre Überlegungen stärker an den Bedürfnissen dieser Zielgruppe ausrichten können. Und hier wird auch klar, was Sie selbst bereits erkannt haben, Sie müssen sich auf Ihre Stakeholder fokussieren. Ich bin gespannt, wie es weiter geht 🙂