Intro: The following SHSMD Podcast is a production of DoctorPodcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth (Host): On this edition of the SHSMD Podcast, it's another SHSMD Connections preview. They're coming at you hot and heavy. You know why? Because SHSMD Connections this year is going to be off the hook. With me on this podcast is Caroline Franz and Shelley Hoff. They are here to talk about their awesome workshop as they go over experience design, service design, and human insights, and how you can transform your healthcare organization into a more compassionate, efficient, and human-centered system. It's all good. It benefits the health system, and it really benefits the patients. It's going to be a great workshop. They're going to tell us all about it coming up right now.

This is the SHSMD podcast, Rapid Insights for Healthcare Strategy Professionals in planning, business development, marketing, communications, and public relations. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. With me, Caroline Franz, Service Design Lead, and Shelley Hoff, Human Insights Lead, both from Rise in Health. They're going to do this great workshop at SHSMD Connections, it's on Sunday, October 12th. It is free, but advanced registration is required due to limited capacity. Read? This is a hot workshop, okay? Everyone wants to go to it, so don't delay. So, you make sure you get yourself in there. Okay? That's what that means.

The workshop is called Designing for Impact: Transforming Healthcare Through Experience, Service, and Human Insight. Once again, it's going to be well attended. Don't delay, okay? And with us now, Caroline and Shelley, welcome.

Caroline Franz: Yeah. Thanks for having us, Bill.

Shelley Hoff: Yeah, we're excited to be here and talk to you all a little bit more about our workshop.

Host: Yeah. Thank you again. It's going to be a great workshop. So, thank you for being here. Caroline, let me start with you. Can you explain what is meant by experience design and service design in the healthcare context and how these concepts differ from traditional healthcare system designs?

Caroline Franz: Yeah, absolutely. So, when you think about experience design in healthcare, it focuses on how patients, families, care teams, how they all interact with the system, and that's across the physical, digital, and emotional touchpoints. And service design takes a little bit of a broader view. It looks at how people, processes, technology and infrastructure work together to deliver that seamless and meaningful care journey.

So traditionally, healthcare systems are designed around operational efficiency or regulatory compliance. And in contrast, when you bring in experience in service design, we start with human needs, asking what is the lived experience? And then, we try to reshape the systems to deliver care that feels connected and intuitive and dignified.

Host: Really important. It sounds like human-centered approach, if you will, yeah. And Shelley, how did you both come up with this idea for this workshop? It's really cool. And then, if you could, tell us how human-centered design does improve patient outcomes and satisfaction compared to conventional healthcare approaches.

Shelley Hoff: Yeah. I think Caroline and I have both been in the healthcare innovation and design space for many years, 10 to 15 plus for each of us. And I think we're really passionate about making sure that human voice comes through and helps shape those healthcare experiences. We feel that it's a critical piece that is often missing and gets overwritten, as Caroline said, by efficiencies and operational needs. And bringing in that human-centered design really brings the patients, caregivers, clinicians, and really any end user we might be working with into that design process early and often. And that allows us to deeply understand motivations, pain points, and any goals that those folks might have, and we can help shape solutions that align more closely with real-world behaviors. We find that this leads to better engagement, fewer issues with communication and care experiences that patients actually trust and want to follow through on. Ultimately, that improves health outcomes and satisfaction for everyone involved in the process.

Host: It just seems like the right way to do it. It just seems like a common sense approach. Everybody wants to be treated like a real human being with dignity and empathy and compassion, and I really dig all of this. So, Caroline, let me ask you this. When we talk about empathy, we hear this a lot, empathy. Easy to talk about, but sometimes hard to do. So, can you explain to us what role empathy and innovation play in transforming healthcare systems into more effective and compassionate experiences?

Caroline Franz: Yeah, absolutely. That's a good question. And I think empathy is something that sometimes feels hard to define. I think many people associate it with sympathy. But they differ quite drastically, with sympathy being maybe you feel bad for someone, you feel sorry, and empathy is when you put yourself in their shoes. And so, you try to really see the world through their eyes, experience things through that person's culture, state of mind, state of physical existence. And it can really bring a lot more to the understanding of certain problems and opportunities. So, I think we see it as pretty foundational to the work that we do.

It allows us to see beyond just a patient's symptoms and the care protocols that physicians and care teams face, and it really does put you in the place of being able to understand what people are really going through. And innovation kind of happens magically when we pair that empathy with creative problem-solving and designing new models of care that feel more supportive and accessible and coordinated and just kind of overall smart. So together, when we have empathy and innovation, we can start to unlock transformation by not adding complexity, but by actually removing friction and focusing on what truly matters to the people we're serving.

Host: I love that line of sight when you said empathy-- I'm kind of putting this in my own words-- empathy paired with innovation unlocks transformation. Would that be right? I mean, that's pretty cool, right?

Caroline Franz: Yeah, I think so. And I think that's why we're passionate about this job that we have, and of course, the workshop to bring it to more people. So, it's pretty exciting.

Host: I think you should write that, send that out on social media and credit yourself. Empathy paired with innovation unlocks transformation. I like it. It's good, it's catchy. Run with that. So, this is really cool. This is going to be a really awesome workshop. And again, we love to give examples on the SHSMD Podcast. So, Shelley, can you give us some examples of real-world stories where experience design has led to significant improvements in the healthcare setting?

Shelley Hoff: Definitely, I think there's many projects that Caroline and I have worked on throughout our years, both at Kaiser and at Rise In. One example is some work we did redesigning the oncology journey to really help provide better support for patients as they go through that diagnosis, treatment, and recovery process, not just medically, but emotionally and logistically.

We did a workshop where we mapped through a journey and we were able to involve both the patients and the care teams to really identify some moments of confusion, anxiety, and where patients were looking at their journey through a different lens than we were as healthcare providers. So from a healthcare perspective, we saw the oncology journey starting at that first oncology appointment, but patients actually see their journey starting back when there's a suspicion of cancer or a suspicion of an issue. And we really help to link those two pieces together and really create a better understanding of the patient's perspective. We introduced some changes to the journey, like visual roadmaps, integrated care navigation, and digital follow-ups to really help guide the patient at every step of the way. And the result of that was not just higher satisfaction, but also better adherence to treatment plans and also better outcomes overall. People were more satisfied and they felt really seen and heard, and they felt supported through a very difficult time.

Host: So by going way back to the point where like you said, they had a suspicion that something was wrong, they must really feel like, "Hey, you get me. You understand me, you understand what I'm going through," right? They really feel that.

Shelley Hoff: Absolutely. I think originally patients didn't feel supported in that time. They felt like we treated it as just another test. You're just going for a blood test or a scan. They felt that it was too casual. And for them, it had a lot of impact. It was a highly stressful time, and providing that additional support really went a long way to showing our care for the patient, really showing that we were there with them every step of the way.

Host: Yeah, it's interesting how you say they felt it was too casual. To them, it's not casual.

Shelley Hoff: Absolutely not. It's a huge, pivotal moment in their lives that could really change the course of the next few years or their entire life altogether.

Host: Yeah. Wow. Absolutely. Yeah. Not casual-- serious. This could alter the whole course of my life we're talking about here, people. Absolutely. Yeah. So great points, Shelley. So, Caroline, are there technologies like telemedicine and AI, we talk about AI all the time, AI diagnostics. Are those things promising for enhancing healthcare design? How are you using those or incorporating those? And what are their limitations?

Caroline Franz: Yeah, I think there's tons of opportunities, probably many that we have no idea about when it comes to telemedicine, AI, just kind of in general. But you're right, like there are other things to consider, like limitations, like eliminating the human. And so, I'd say that there's huge potential there. Telehealth expands access and convenience. AI can surface insights or streamline clinical decision-making, kind of remove that burnout that so many providers are facing.

But I think the true value probably depends on how well we're integrating those technologies into very human-centered workflows. And so, that frictionless telehealth visit, it's still frustrating if followup care is just jointed or something goes wrong in the moment and there's a drop-off of a call. Lack of video, lack of notes. AI can honestly probably cause harm if it lacks that transparency or it reinforces the biases that are sort of inherently built into the human system. So, the tech needs to support, not replace that human touch that defines good care and that still so many patients desire.

I think, yes, we all want our doctors and nurses and care teams to operate at the top of their license and do it with joy and care. But we don't want to sacrifice that relationship that we might have built over years. And there's still something inherently easy to trust when it's a person you can look in the eyes and ask about your serious health condition and have touch you and really kind of understand what you're going through at that more emotional level, which technology doesn't always bring to the table.

Host: Yeah, I like how you say you need to incorporate these things in a human-centered way, in a human-centered workflow. So, that really makes sense. So, Shelley, of course, we always talk about ROI, return on investment of these things. So, how can healthcare organizations effectively measure the impact of design initiatives on patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes?

Shelley Hoff: Yeah. I think being able to measure the impact of design is so, so, so important. I think oftentimes, not everyone, but some leaders hear the word design. And they just hear administrative overhead. So, I think really being able to show the impact is important to keeping design alive at an organization and letting people utilize it as a tool.

So, measurement really needs to be both quantitative and qualitative. We can use experience metrics like patient-reported outcomes, satisfaction, friction points, and pair those with some clinical outcomes like readmission rates, adherence or time to diagnosis to really get that data-driven picture of impact. You could also look at some operational metrics. Are we seeing fewer handoffs? Are staff having a better experience? Are we reducing waste and time? And I think layering on the voice and experience of the end user, you can use quotes from patients and providers, really pair with those numbers and help humanize the data. It really provides the why behind the numbers we're seeing and helps really emphasize what that impact and ROI of design is. And that measurement can really help influence stakeholders and generate buy-in from leaders. And I think Caroline and I both feel that ultimately successful and great design helps making the right thing easier to do for anyone in the healthcare industry.

Host: Yeah, make the right thing easier to do. And humanizing the data always seems to be a good idea. So Caroline, what strategies then can healthcare providers use to train their staff and explain all of this and get their buy-in when it comes to experience and service design principles to foster a more human-centered organizational culture?

Caroline Franz: Yeah, I think it honestly starts with exposure, right? I think sometimes we hear things, but being able to see it and experience it and start to embody it. I'll bring up our word from the beginning-- empathy as well, it helps to really kind of see what's behind the scenes. What do we mean when we say service design, experience design, human insights. And really, it helps people build a muscle for empathy.

I think many of us probably think that is just inherently in us as humans. But sometimes, it's not and it takes practice. And so, I think a couple of those things of exposure, empathy, building. And it's not that hard to do. I think it's starting small and easy. It can be shadowing patients or frontline staff, just sponging it all up, listening, using your other senses besides the one that you have with your mouth to make noise, and really think about a whole journey from when you have that suspicion or you're trying to schedule an appointment to experiencing that, going through the doors of a facility or turning on your computer to have an appointment and all the way through follow up and what's next.

 I think there's also some element of learning storytelling and hearing from different perspectives, hearing about different care journeys from all the different voices that are touched during that, the patient voice, the nurse voice, the registration, administrator voice. And I think once you have some of those foundational elements of seeing it, feeling it, watching it, there's certainly a lot of different training modules for design methods. We often use co-creation workshops similar to the one that we will be doing at SHSMD this year. It's also participating in prototyping, trying things, whether it's an app, a paper prototype, whatever it might be. But getting the team to really get their hands on something and involved in something together, allows them to see how they can solve problems collaboratively.

And I think maybe the last thing I'll say here is that it really does come down to like the leadership mindset and the example that they're setting for their organization. And it's really about being curious over certain. It's about listening before reading or listening before reacting. And it's really a commitment to testing ideas and being okay to fail and fail fast and keep trying. So, those are some of the things I'd highlight there.

Host: Yeah, the leadership mindset. When you have a positive leadership mindset that can just filter all the way down, I think that's really important. And make sure you flex that empathy muscle, that is throughout all departments. That is really good. I like how you said empathy building is something that needs to happen.

So, Shelley, if somebody is listening to this and, like, "I really like what Caroline and Shelley are saying. I'm going to do this in my own hospital," what are the steps a healthcare organization can take to pilot and scale human-centered design solutions as you have done successfully?

Shelley Hoff: Yeah. I think it's really always best to start small and learn from a very small test at the beginning. So before you would even move into a pilot, start by doing a prototype at one facility or one location and really get a lot of feedback, iterate, change, test, explore. And as Caroline mentioned, there's so many different people involved in a single process. Make sure you're bringing all those people into the room with you as you're doing that test so they can point out potential barriers. And then, I think when you do move into a pilot for a solution, they can help with buy-in, they can talk to their leaders and say, "Hey, we've tested this. We're excited about it. We gave our feedback and our input." You can use all of that real time feedback to, as I said, refine the design. And I think once you have some outcome data, you can build that case for scaling. And that data will help you articulate the operational, clinical, and emotional ROI that, you know, an organization might see from a solution.

And it's really important to make sure that as you are scaling, you're leaving space for adaptation. So, different settings might need a tailored version. What works in one hospital or care setting may not work in another. So even when you think you have something fully hammered out, you always want to leave room for flexibility. And all the different circumstances that might exist in different locations, that's really important. I think if you get too rigid, your solution will end up failing just because you're not leaving space for those little nuances and the diff the human differences and operational differences that exist in different spaces.

Host: Yeah, I think those are really good tips. Start small, then scale, make sure you're tailoring it to your organization, some really good stuff there. And then, Caroline, how would somebody take that to the next level and apply the lessons from successful case studies and transforming healthcare through human-centered design where they can achieve really meaningful change? How do they then bring it to the next level?

Caroline Franz: Yeah. A thing we often do and probably most all of our projects is create a list of what we call design principles, right? So, it's these higher level ambitions, attitudes, motivations that we're driving towards, and not just the little tactics that are going to get us there. So, I think elevating the way you're thinking about it, even to that principle level, can really drive a mission a little bit differently. And I think involving your stakeholders and thinking about how you can simplify some of these items and processes and techniques that might feel complex, I think, that's where you can drive your success stories. It is thinking small, starting small, but being unafraid to kind of keep going, iterate, build, and certainly keep that equity and empathy at the core.

I think it also really depends on considering your particular organization, as Shelley said, things that work one place aren't going to work everywhere. So, you have to consider the unique dynamics, the culture setting, and it's really to think about borrowing just the spirit and structure of what works, what works for your team, your organization, your settings, and being able to carry that forward at that principle level, like I mentioned, and iterate rapidly, listen deeply, measure what matters. Measure what's going to get something over the line and help people and adapt it to your context. So, you know, the change that you might be driving for is as much cultural as it is procedural, and I think that's just something to keep in mind as you try and move forward.

Host: Yeah, I think that's very well said. And, Shelley, tell us a little bit more about the workshop. You're going to walk us through all aspects of this. Is that correct?

Shelley Hoff: Yeah, absolutely. We have a few case study examples we're going to walk folks through. We're really going to take it step by step through a project end to end. We're going to have some hands-on activities, some gallery walks. Maybe people get to do a little empathy interviewing of their own. We really hope to let people get a hands on view of all of this work and have some really concrete tools they can take back to their own organization.

Host: This really sounds good, Shelley. Thank you for that. Once again, Designing For Impact: Transforming Healthcare Through Experience, Service, and Human Insight. It is on Sunday October 12th. Capacity is limited. You must pre-register, although the session is free. Before we wrap up, I'd love to get final thoughts from each of you. Caroline, is there anything else you want to add?

Caroline Franz: Gosh, Bill. I don't think so. We're just really excited to get to Dallas. And to get some eager folks in the room to co-create with us and make some magic happen. So, I'm looking forward to it.

Host: Yeah. We love the magic. We love it when magic happens, and we know that's going to happen in this workshop. Shelley, how about you? Final thoughts?

Shelley Hoff: Yeah. I'm so excited to have this opportunity. And, Bill, appreciate the time with you today, and I just hope people are excited and will come and join us and learn about human-centered design.

Host: Well said. Caroline and Shelley, thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate it.

Shelley Hoff: Thank you.

Caroline Franz: Thanks.

Host: And once again, that's Caroline Franz and Shelley Hoff. Their workshop is on Sunday, October 12th at SHSMD Connections 2025. Make sure you get registered right now. shsmd.org/education/annualconference. Once again, shsmd.org/education/annualconference. If you want to go to the workshop, it is free, but pre-registration is required.

Once again, thank you so much for listening. We appreciate it as always. And if you found this podcast helpful-- and how could you not-- please share it on your social channels and please hit the subscribe or follow button to get every episode. And to access our full podcast library for other topics of interest to you, visit shsmd.org/podcasts. This has been a production of DoctorPodcasting. I'm Bill Klaproth. See ya!