AHRQ QI Softwares

Lead Product Designer

Project Overview

AHRQ QI Software, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is a critical tool used by healthcare professionals to analyze and improve patient safety metrics. Despite its importance, the software had not undergone a significant redesign since its initial launch. As a result, users faced outdated interfaces, confusing navigation, and a lack of clarity about key screens and subsequent actions.

My Contributions

As the lead product designer, I was tasked with modernizing the software’s interface while working within a limited timeframe. The primary objective was to enhance usability and gain stakeholder buy-in for future improvements, given the inherent challenges of working within a government agency resistant to change.

Outdated Interface: The screens had not been updated since the first launch, leading to a dated and cluttered appearance.
Complex Platform: The software included several steps like data setup, measure selection, and report generation, each with its own interface patterns. Without a unified structure or clear guidance, users struggled to understand how steps connected, leading to confusion and frequent support requests.
Poor Usability: Users often missed essential screens and lacked clarity about what to expect on subsequent screens.
Reluctance to Change: As a government agency, AHRQ was hesitant to approve design changes, making stakeholder buy-in a crucial hurdle.
Short Timeframe: The redesign needed to be completed swiftly to maintain project momentum and stakeholder interest.

✅ Clear Progress Indicators: Introduced visual cues (e.g., steppers, progress bars) to show users where they are in the process.
✅ Contextual Tooltips and Instructions: Provided inline guidance and explanations tailored to each stage.
✅ Consistent Page-to-Page Flow: Ensured smooth transitions between screens with logical sequencing.
✅ Standardized Interaction Patterns: Unified the UI components and behaviors across tools to reduce cognitive load.
✅ Task-Oriented Layouts: Structured each screen around a single clear objective to help users focus and act confidently.

The Challenge

Redesigning the AHRQ QI Software posed a unique mix of user experience and organizational challenges.

The Solutions

To simplify the complex platform, I implemented a guided, step-by-step workflow with the following improvements:

The Impacts

These improvements significantly reduced user confusion and support burden.

✔️ Stakeholder Buy-In: The initial success led to ongoing support for iterative design improvements, breaking the previous reluctance to change.
✔️ Continued Collaboration: The project’s success led to ongoing brainstorming sessions for long-term improvements.
✔️ Positive User Feedback: The feedback team reported a decrease in user questions related to navigation, indicating improved usability.

AHRQ QI Softwares

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