Mayo Clinic
Innovating Patient Care at Mayo Clinic
Simplifying the path to world-class care.
June 2022
— Mayo Clinic, the world’s leading healthcare provider, sought to improve its digital patient experience and increase the adoption of key services. Collaborating with renowned physicians and researchers, I worked on projects that addressed challenges in patient application processes, clinical trial recruitment, and travel services utilization. These changes have since been integrated into Mayo Clinic’s live patient portal, enhancing access and care for millions.
SERVICES
Service Design, User Research, User Interface Design
Project Overview
Our mission was to deliver quick-win solutions that improved the following: • The rejection process, making it more empathetic and actionable. • Clinical trial recruitment diversity and efficiency. • Improve accessibility and therefore utilisation rate of patient assistance services.
Mayo Clinic, with its 150+ years of medical excellence, caters to rare and complex medical conditions. Despite its reputation, several patient-facing processes needed improvement, including how patients are turned away, recruitment for clinical trials, and travel assistance services. These areas presented opportunities to elevate the experience for both patients and researchers.
Millions of patients apply to Mayo Clinic yearly, but only a fraction are accepted due to strict eligibility criteria. Many patients face disappointment during rejections, clinical trials fail to meet enrollment targets, and few patients utilize travel services designed to ease their journey.
Approach
Improvements began with evaluating the Mayo Clinic Customer Experience map for opportunities
Our approach centered on deep collaboration and understanding. We began by conducting extensive user research with patients, physicians, and administrators to identify pain points and opportunities. This included mapping patient journeys, analyzing application and recruitment workflows, and exploring the barriers faced by underserved populations. Insights from these sessions informed a strategic framework for designing solutions that aligned with Mayo Clinic’s commitment to patient care excellence. We adopted an iterative process to prototype and test solutions. Each phase of design was validated through usability testing, ensuring that changes were intuitive, effective, and practical for real-world application. By tailoring features to specific user needs - such as simplifying application forms, improving trial outreach to minority groups, and introducing targeted travel assistance - we crafted solutions that enhanced accessibility and engagement while preserving Mayo Clinic’s trusted reputation.
We employed a patient-first, research-driven design strategy to address key challenges in the Mayo Clinic patient experience. Through collaboration with patients, physicians, and administrators, we developed tailored, practical solutions that aligned with Mayo Clinic’s mission of excellence.
Process
We combined research, design thinking, and iterative testing to craft solutions tailored to patients’ needs.
• Research & Discovery: Conducted interviews with stakeholders and analyzed patient feedback. • Ideation: Explored potential solutions through collaborative workshops. • Prototyping & Testing: Developed wireframes and interactive prototypes, iterating based on user feedback. • Implementation: Delivered polished designs for Mayo Clinic’s patient portal and internal systems.
Empathy was at the core of our design philosophy. We prioritized clarity, accessibility, and actionable outcomes to create patient-centric solutions that reflect Mayo Clinic’s compassionate care.
Final Design
The final designs introduced streamlined processes, empathetic solutions, and targeted improvements to address patient rejection, clinical trials, and travel services.
Rejection Process Redesigned the application form to include early eligibility indicators, saving time for 80% of applicants, and offered geolocated suggestions for alternative care providers. Clinical Trial Recruitment Created targeted outreach campaigns for underrepresented groups, boosting diversity metrics and enrollment speed. Travel Services Integrated personalized travel recommendations into the patient portal, increasing engagement by 35%.
Product Images
"This project was a testament to the power of collaboration and empathy. Working with Mayo Clinic’s exceptional team of physicians and researchers allowed me to design solutions that truly make a difference in patients’ lives." — Eric
Achievements
Eric’s work with Mayo Clinic redefines what patient-centered care looks like. His ability to empathize with users and deliver actionable solutions is a game-changer for healthcare experiences.
– Clinical Researcher, Mayo Clinic
The project delivered tangible improvements in patient satisfaction, clinical trial recruitment, and travel services engagement.
Rejection Process Reduced patient frustration by introducing eligibility indicators and geolocated care provider suggestions. Clinical Trials Achieved a 15% increase in diversity among trial participants and a 20% reduction in recruitment timelines. Travel Services Boosted patient engagement by 35%, with more patients utilizing tailored travel solutions.
Rise in patient services engagement after introducing new features
Reduction in support costs & requests tied to application rejection
