coding application

a study in usability and user-interface

Coding Center is a web-based application has been aiding home health agencies in finding the correct medical code to ensure proper reimbursement. The application serves individuals in QA/QI, clinicians, supervisors, and home health staff to increase productivity and accuracy.

project scope

This project began as a basic redesign of the Search component, but quickly grew to a complete UI overhaul of the existing product. The interface was a fixed-width layout and was very outdated. The visual representation had a lot of wasted space, an unnecessarily large header and excessive advertising positions. Functionally, it acted more as a website than an application focused on providing content quickly and easily.

User Testing

Once a strategy for the UI update was agreed upon, high-fidelity grayscale wireframes were created in Illustrator and simple first-click tests and user interviews were performed. I created the script, assisted with the user tests, and created a report of results found.

UI Features

The primary function of the Application is search; the goal to find an appropriate medical code as soon as possible. Often, when a coder selects a code, upon further inspection, it is not a complete match. I designed a way for the most-recent search results to be accessible at the click of a button without having to re-search. The user can easily scan through possible matches, achieving the end-goal faster.

There are several functions that the App allows for which we found (through analytics and feedback) that our users frequently refer to. Once identifying these features and functions, I created a sticky side menu allowing a user to immediately jump to their Code Tracker, User Notes, Favorite Codes, etc., at the click of a button.

When coding medical charts, there are often several codes per patient. These codes need to be coded and billed in a specific order to get proper reimbursement. The Code Tracker, shown below, allows coders to add appropriate codes, rearrange their order, and export directly to their billing software.

MARKETING MICROSITE

The final step in the application redesign was to update the marketing website to align with the new product identity. I used a similar color scheme, appealing imagery and simple, clean text to drive conversions. View the live site »