Sigrun Lurås
Unveiling the impact of user interface design in high-stakes settings through the Helseplattformen case
This paper addresses the importance of considering how design details affect the whole. Using the electronic medical record “Helseplattformen” as a case, I explore how the quality of user interface elements can cause systemic effects in the broader system it is part of. Since its introduction in 2022, Helseplattformen has faced criticism over its impact on job performance and patient safety. This study analyses issues with the Helseplattformen user interface found through a document review. The findings have been analysed using the systemic model of the design situation, human performance theories, and knowledge of good interaction/UX design for high-stakes settings. The case makes visible the critical importance of user interface details in such systems. The details directly and indirectly influence the systemic effects of the system designed for, potentially leading to serious, unexpected drawbacks, and even perverse results. The paper concludes that systemic design is crucial for the design of user interfaces utilised in high-stakes settings. It helps make connections leading to systemic effects visible, and aids in creating designs that achieve intended outcomes and in developing actions to prevent or mitigate unintended consequences.
However, current systemic design approaches are geared towards open design challenges, while interaction and UX designers in such settings are usually given a bounded design challenge. Systemic design must therefore be adapted to the nature of bounded design challenges in high-stakes settings.
KEYWORDS: systemic design, interaction design, UX design, high-stakes settings, healthcare, systemic effects, unintended consequences, open design challenges, bounded design challenges