Recently, I was interviewed in an Ophthalmology Management magazine article about the increasing prevalence of telemedicine technology and the associated challenges. These challenges range from limited broadband access to government regulation. The FDA has and will continue to keep an eye on the medical app arena and with their track record, will probably regulate what is or is not a medical device.

Telemedicine is breaking into every specialty, and there is an effort to create telemedicine sub-specialties. The healthcare ecosystem is just beginning to realize the potential of leveraging the emerging telemedicine technologies to provide exceptional care at a lower cost.

It’s been said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Telemedicine gives patients and providers immense power. In order to deliver responsible care to patients served by this technology, it is critical to have a seamless user experience (UX). Effective UX design begins with understanding the user. This understanding comes from:

• User interviews
• Observations
• Working through iterative design sessions with users

With user informed designs, clients are able to achieve effective applications that will allow patients and providers to optimize their telemedicine interaction in a safe and efficient encounter.