Focus on Human-Centered Design

Human-centered design is commonly used in process, product, service, and system design to put human perspectives, emotions, and needs at the center of the design and development process. Using this framework is especially helpful in health-centered organizations that focus on improving patient outcomes. If a project team already understands the culture and systems, this data informs a human-centered design framework for digital transformation. 

“With digital transformation projects, you have to gather feedback throughout the process. If you don't have a good plan for that early, you might resort to surveys and less helpful tools,” explains Dragon. “With a human-centered design, the feedback is iterative and continuous, enabling agile course correction.” 

Barry Durant, a program manager for enterprise operations for Global Combat Support System-Army—Aviation Logistics and Logistics Data Analysis Center at LMI, adds that this framework answers critical questions about transformation. He notes the importance of project teams focusing on why something is being transformed.  

“The goal of a digital transformation is usually to get better visibility into an organization, and you need all kinds of data and feedback for that,” he explains, adding that everyone must be included when considering human-centered design, from frontline workers to—in the case of healthcare—patients. “That means being able to ask, ‘What are we migrating, what are we skipping, what are we just living with, and why?’ People with institutional knowledge are best positioned to answer those questions and provide feedback to a solutions architect or the project team handling the transformation.” 

Show Your Work

As projects get underway, the project team must maintain not only momentum but also project support. Because digital transformations are multiyear efforts, their culmination may not be immediately apparent. As a result, projects risk becoming under-resourced over time, increasing the difficulty of reaching the goal. Digital transformation teams can mitigate this risk by creating intermediate prototypes and communicating milestone achievements to the broader organization.  

“If you show quick wins or present a prototype for feedback, people feel involved in the process,” Dragon says. “They start to think about transformation in their everyday context, and that supports a project as it gets to the finish line because people will seek or expect that change.” 

Meet the Moment

Digital transformation can be daunting. Begin by understanding and working with the organization’s culture rather than against it. Successful digital transformations require organizational buy-in to withstand the years of work they require.  

Putting humans at the center of project planning and design is critical to getting and maintaining that support. In a field like healthcare, where patient outcomes are the most important factor, building a deep relationship with frontline stakeholders is key. These individuals can guide project requirements and provide feedback throughout. For healthcare specifically, engaging with the whole organization throughout the transformation will ensure that patient needs remain front of mind and that any impact on patient outcomes is transmitted early. These practices will ultimately lead to project success.