Summary
Healthcare in the United States often struggles to innovate in delivering optimal patient experiences across acute and non-acute settings. However, those service designers who work within large health systems get to experience first-hand on why it is extremely hard to implement changes in a singular or multi-level service interaction across healthcare touchpoints. In this case study, you will hear first hand learnings on how to influence the decision-making process of solutions that shape the patient and the clinician experience.
Key Insights
-
•
Healthcare design must prioritize patient safety above all, making timing and stability critical factors.
-
•
Design changes in healthcare can mean the difference between life and death, elevating the stakes for service designers.
-
•
Service design in healthcare requires multi-layered collaboration across infrastructure, leadership, clinical teams, and external regulations.
-
•
Carol identifies three strategic approaches to healthcare design: top down, sideways (cross-disciplinary allies), and across (middle management and frontline engagement).
-
•
Participating in meetings not led by design and actively listening can build trust and influence without direct leadership.
-
•
Using standardized patients (actors) in simulation sessions allows safe testing of healthcare interactions when real patient involvement is not feasible.
-
•
A framework of problems, goals, and tasks bridges clinical needs with technical development effectively, echoing CRM methodologies.
-
•
Design in healthcare is experimental; success depends on organizational appetite and positioning within the ecosystem for innovation.
-
•
Effective design respects existing workflows and legacy systems instead of assuming a blank slate.
-
•
Facilitating collaboration and incremental progress fosters meaningful change, avoiding overwhelming stakeholders with radical shifts.
Notable Quotes
"Safety is the number one priority in healthcare design because if the patient is not stable, nothing else matters."
"Any change we make in healthcare can mean the difference between life and death, so timing is everything."
"Designers are often perceived as high risk to the business, which conflicts with healthcare’s safety-first mindset."
"Being present in meetings not led by design and listening can be more powerful than leading every conversation."
"Over perfection is less effective than showing progress and building rapport with stakeholders."
"We dropped the word prototyping for simulation because it resonated better with clinicians and learning departments."
"Actors as standardized patients allow safe practice of healthcare scenarios when live environment testing is too risky."
"Design is not a blank slate; it is about respecting legacy and building on what was already done."
"Good trouble is part of our craft—it's about making the right amount of disruption to improve healthcare."
"If you come in wanting to change everything at once, you won't get the response needed to make your work meaningful."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"Reflection in action involves noticing surprise, questioning assumptions, experimenting, and reflecting on the move."
Yoel SumitroActions and Reflections: Bridging the Skills Gap among Researchers
March 9, 2022
"We need to move the speed of trust. If I don’t trust you, how can I feel safe with you?"
Zariah CameronReDesigning Wellbeing for Equitable Care in the Workplace
September 23, 2024
"Forrester found that design thinking teams move twice as fast from idea to market because they’re closer to their users."
Doug PowellDesignOps and the Next Frontier: Leading Through Unpredictable Change
September 11, 2025
"We’re all capable of creating and perpetuating toxic work relationships."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"The essence of strategy isn’t painting a grand vision of the future, it's deciding what not to do."
Mike OrenWhy Pharmaceutical's Research Model Should Replace Design Thinking
March 28, 2023
"One operations person for every ten designers is when you start to feel the pain of coordination."
Jacqui FreyScale is Social Work
March 19, 2020
"Showing gratitude through Slack workflows is a low effort, high impact way to build community and recognize everyday wins."
Kim Holt Emma Wylds Pearl Koppenhaver Maisee XiongA Salesforce Panel Discussion on Values-Driven DesignOps
September 8, 2022
"You own the design system, which gives you the unique ability to integrate that accessibility thinking into all of your components."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
September 10, 2025
"Adding inclusivity to the career ladder took three years and this is still a living document with room for change."
Laine Riley ProkayHow DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All
September 30, 2021
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What are the biggest risks of skipping architecture and design when using AI to build software?
What common pitfalls should I expect when implementing continuous discovery training across multiple teams?
How can design ops quantify its impact to demonstrate value to skeptics in product and engineering?