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Role
UX Research Lead
timeline
4 Months
SKILLS
Affinity Mapping
A/B Testing
PERSONAS
HEURISTIC EVALUATION
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Data Synthesis
INTERVIEW ANALYSIS
Insight Storytelling
How might better scheduling help nurses focus on care instead of chaos?
The dual-app system used by nurses and nurse managers was meant to simplify the process. Instead, it introduced friction into some of the most critical workflows in healthcare: picking up shifts, managing requests, and building daily rosters.
Our team stepped in to untangle the mess. As the lead researcher, I partnered with designers to dive deep into the pain points of the current web experience and translate this system into an intuitive, responsive mobile application for nurses and nurse managers. We conducted usability tests, heuristic evaluations, and System Usability Scale (SUS) surveys to capture the full picture.
The results? We uncovered significant usability issues that slowed down scheduling and made shift planning more burdensome than it needed to be. From confusing navigation to mismatched mental models, it was clear the system needed a major overhaul.
1
Understanding the Users
JUMPING INTO USER FEEDBACK
When I joined the project, I helped the design team analyze interview notes from five nurses. These interviews had already been conducted but not yet reviewed. I organized the feedback into key themes—daily roster, PTO, notifications, and shift swaps—and extracted the following insights:
1. Nurses Need Robust Notifications
Nurses expressed frustration about the lack of notifications on the web application. They need timely alerts for shift changes, PTO status, occurrences, and callouts to stay informed and respond efficiently.
2. PTO Tracking is a Source of Frustration
Instead of using the web application, nurses often communicate PTo requests via email, text, or in person. They need a clear status indicator, a simple approval process, and manager visibility into team availability when reviewing PTO.
3. Departments Require Tailored Features
Departments operate differently. For example, emergency units need visibility into multiple rosters and accurate displays of partial shifts. The intelligent staffing feature must reflect department-specific volume and staffing needs, especially for nurses who float between units.
DEFINING ROLES
To better understand the users of the current web experience, I created a user type chart which was validated with nurse representatives detailing common roles and their definitions. This information was essential to understand the different users that would be interacting with our application.
PROJECT PURPOSE
Nurses and nurse leaders need a more reliable and tailored web application that delivers timely notifications, simplifies PTO tracking, and supports departments-specific staffing needs across their healthcare system.
2
Validating the Experience
Defining an open need
An open need is a shift with no assigned nurse. The current web application forecasts staffing demand, and when there’s a gap, an open need is created.
Open needs were often displayed as:# of Nurses Scheduled / # of Nurses in Demand
The nurse mobile app had already launched, but a second release was underway to include the ability to pick up open needs. Before building this feature, we needed to understand how users interpreted and interacted with open needs.
Initial interviews revealed a critical need: Nurses wanted to filter open needs by their specific role.
A/B/C Testing Open needs visualization
To identify the most intuitive way to display open needs, we ran an A/B/C test with three different visual options. Nurses overwhelmingly preferred the version that used the term “pickup,” which they recognized immediately as referring to available shifts.
We also learned that nurses wanted approved open need shifts to be visually distinct from regular ones. This feedback pointed to a need for further design iteration to improve clarity and reduce confusion.
USABILITY TESTING PICKING UP A SHIFT
We tested the open need pickup flow with a short usability study. All participants were able to identify open needs without assistance. One user initially selected the “Request” button by mistake but quickly corrected it.
TESTING SUMMARY
Users were able to identify open needs intuitively in the new design. However, they requested clearer visual indicators to distinguish approved open needs from scheduled shifts—especially when incentive pay was involved.
3
Visualizing the Design
HEURISTIC VALIDATION
To assess the current state of the nurse manager scheduling platform, I conducted a heuristic evaluation using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics.
The biggest issue? Consistency.
Based on this evaluation, we recommended standardizing widgets, buttons, fields, and modals—and placing them consistently throughout the platform. This would reduce cognitive load and improve usability while still allowing multiple developers to contribute to the product.
System usability SCALE (SUS)
To benchmark usability, we used the System Usability Scale (SUS)—a standardized 10-question survey that measures effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction.
Twelve nurses completed the SUS for the legacy web platform. The average SUS score across industries is 68, often used as a benchmark for basic usability.
The score for the web staffing and scheduling system? 51.25.
This signaled a clear need for improvements in usability, and reinforced the importance of a mobile-first redesign—possibly even a future web overhaul.
FINAL THOUGHTS & BIG WINS
Manager Mobile Dedicated Design Team
After seeing the results from the heuristic evaluation and SUS survey, the client dedicated two designers to redesign the manager-facing mobile experience.
Extended Nurse Manager Testing
The findings also highlighted the value of involving users early and often. Stakeholders supported ongoing usability testing throughout the design process to ensure the new solution met nurses’ real-world needs.
Project Extension
The research impact went beyond insights. The project was extended—not just for me, but also for six developers from Insight who would go on to help build the redesigned mobile app for nurse managers.