Maximize clarity; minimize noise

Rather than seeking simplicity, which risks excluding important information or context, design to maximize clarity: clarity of priority (where to focus) and what to do or can be done about it. (Consider maximize as a relative term of what’s possible at a specific point in delivery, knowing that level of clarity may be improved as the product is refined or as dependencies are addressed.)

Clarity requires accounting for the patient and clinical context in focus at any point of the user’s work- and thought-flow. Noise includes contextually irrelevant information or interactions that create confusion, loss of confidence, or adds to the burden of memory load.

Relevance evolves based on clinician workflow and patient progress. Clinicians will likely need less intervention or support needed when patient is at their goal, and more information and support when the patient is not at their goal.

Knowing when to streamline versus when to add friction is also important: enable intuitive or automatic thinking and quick action, and encourage a move to deeper reasoning thinking only when required.

Reduce noise

Reducing noise is another important design principle that involves minimizing distractions and irrelevant information in a design to help users focus on what’s important.

Noise in design can take many forms, such as excessive visual clutter, confusing navigation, or irrelevant content. When there is too much noise, it can be difficult for users to focus on the most important elements of the design, which can lead to confusion, frustration, and a poor user experience.

Practical actions:

Simplify the visual designs

Using a clean and simple design with enough whitespace to reduce clutter and make it easier for users to focus on important content.

Simplifying navigation by reducing the number of options and grouping related items together, which can make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.

Remove irrelevant content

Removing any content or features that aren’t essential to the user’s needs, which can help reduce visual clutter and make the design more focused.

Use color and contrast effectively

Using color and contrast to draw attention to the most important elements of the design, while minimizing distractions.

Provide clear feedbacks

Providing clear feedback to users when they perform an action is successful or providing an error message when something goes wrong, which can help reduce confusion and frustration.

By reducing noise in a design, designers can help users focus on what’s important and create a more enjoyable and effective user experience.