Ultrasound

ACUSON Sequoia and the ACUSON Origin are the next generation Ultrasound product platforms for Siemens Healthineers. As part of a small, dedicated UX team of four designers, I played a crucial role in defining the user experience and interaction design of both the ACUSON Sequoia and ACUSON Origin ultrasound platforms. Working alongside Emin Sinani, Xinran Fan, Aishwarya Suresh, and a pool of interns our team collaborated closely with ultrasound human factor engineers, product managers, and clinical teams to ensure a holistic and user-centered approach throughout the design process.

Our goal was to address prevalent challenges in ultrasound imaging by focusing on ease of use, learnability, and standardization – factors critical to improving efficiency and effectiveness for healthcare professionals, especially considering the growing shortage of sonographers and trained ultrasound technicians in the field. This shortage has placed increased pressure on healthcare facilities, often requiring them to hire freelance sonographers who need to quickly adapt to different ultrasound systems. Therefore, creating intuitive and standardized interfaces was essential to facilitating efficient workflows and reducing the learning curve for both new and experienced users.

Our user-centered process, incorporating extensive user research, iterative prototyping, and usability testing, ultimately led to intuitive interfaces that were favored by 82% of study participants. The ACUSON Sequoia achieved a best-in-class System Usability Score (SUS) of 86, exceeding industry standards and demonstrating the success of our design approach. The system was also recognized for its design excellence, receiving the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in 2019.

My involvement in the ACUSON Sequoia project began in the early research and concept exploration phase. During this time, we explored a wide range of design concepts, from incremental improvements to radical redesigns of the user interface.

I contributed to building functional prototypes using Flash, Processing, and Java, which allowed us to test key concepts with sonographers and gather valuable feedback on their preferences. These early prototypes explored ideas such as reducing the number of keys on the control panel, introducing a trackpad instead of a trackball, and reorganizing the information architecture based on user mental models. This iterative process of prototyping and user testing was instrumental in shaping the design direction of the Sequoia platform.

Additionally, I tackled the complex challenge of analyzing the existing information architecture and defining intuitive methods for adjusting system controls, ensuring a seamless and efficient user experience.

Later in the project, I played a key role in maintaining harmonization between the Sequoia platform and the specialized Cardiology device (ACUSON Origin), aligning workflows, terminology, and visual design elements across both systems.

As the project lead for the ACUSON Origin alongside Aishwarya Suresh, I spearheaded the design and development of this cardiology-specific ultrasound system, playing a pivotal role in its transformation from concept to reality. My responsibilities spanned the entire project lifecycle, from planning and executing an extensive international user research initiative to leading the iterative design and refinement of the user interface.

The user research, conducted across the USA, Germany, and China, involved in-depth interviews, evaluations, and site visits with over 40 cardiologists and sonographers. This provided us with invaluable insights into real-world cardiology workflows, pain points, and unmet needs.

A key outcome of this research was the identification of potential usability issues with the initially proposed trackpad input device. Through rigorous testing and data analysis, we were able to demonstrate the superiority of the traditional trackball for precise measurements and user comfort, leading to a pivotal decision that impacted the entire Sequoia platform.

Beyond user research, I led the iterative definition of the control panel, touch screen, and monitor UI through cross-functional workshops, formative evaluations, and continuous refinement based on user feedback. This collaborative process ensured that the final design was not only intuitive and efficient but also tailored to the specific workflows and preferences of cardiologists worldwide. The successful launch of the ACUSON Origin, met with praise from the medical community, is a testament to the impact of this user-centered design approach.