MediRoute

A healthcare navigation app that connects patients with the right medical specialists and facilities

MediRoute app interface

Role

UX Designer

Timeline

2 months

TEAM

2 UX Designers

1 AI Engineer/Backend Developer

1 Frontend Developer

1 Product Manager/Marketer

Skills

  • UX Research
  • Wireframing
  • Prototyping
  • Visual Design

Tools

  • Figma
  • HTML/CSS
  • Python
  • Google Docs

Introduction

MediRoute is a smart routing platform designed to assist emergency medical teams in reducing response times through AI-driven insights and real-time hospital data. Built during a 24-hour hackathon, our goal was to address the inefficiencies paramedics face when transporting patients, whether it's unpredictable traffic, hospital overcrowding, or outdated routing systems.

The existing 911 system makes it difficult to optimize hospital selection, which can lead to issues like bed shortages or lack of equipment during patient transport. To address this, paramedics use a mobile system that is easy to carry, allowing them to check the patient's condition and hospital availability in real time. This enables them to receive immediate recommendations for the most suitable hospital and transport the patient accordingly.

The Problem

01

Bed and equipment shortages

Difficulty finding an appropriate hospital due to limited bed availability and medical equipment shortages.

02

Real-time availability challenges

Hard to check hospital availability in real time, leading to inefficient patient routing decisions.

03

Patient data limitations

Hard to obtain patient status data (e.g., heart rate) before hospital arrival, affecting treatment planning.

04

Network connectivity issues

Must be usable even in areas with unstable network connections during emergency situations.

Process

1. Discovery

Research findings and insights

To quickly understand the challenges in healthcare navigation, we conducted focused user interviews with patients and paramedics during the hackathon. We also benchmarked existing healthcare apps to identify common UX gaps. This rapid discovery process revealed issues such as unclear hospital availability, inefficient communication between paramedics and hospitals, and a lack of real-time patient status sharing. These became critical problems we aimed to solve within our 48-hour sprint.

2. Ideation

Initial concepts and wireframes

Building on the insights from our discovery phase, we brainstormed features aimed at simplifying hospital selection and patient transport. We sketched low-fidelity wireframes that explored ideas like real-time hospital availability checks, patient condition sharing tools, and a streamlined interface for paramedics to get hospital recommendations on the spot.

3. Design

Final design mockups

We transformed our validated concepts into high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes during the hackathon. These prototypes were tested with users on-site to quickly gather feedback and refine the interface. Our goal was to make sure the experience felt intuitive for paramedics in urgent situations and reliable for making critical hospital transport decisions.

Goal

To create a comprehensive healthcare navigation platform that serves both emergency medical teams and the general public, enabling informed decisions about hospital selection and transport through two complementary app experiences.

Problem Statement

Emergency medical teams and hospitals face significant challenges due to lack of real-time information about hospital capacity, traffic conditions, and specialized care availability. Additionally, hospitals struggle with limited access to advanced medical technology from major medical companies, creating gaps in care coordination and leading to delayed treatment and suboptimal patient outcomes.

Target Audience

Primary Users

  • Paramedics & EMTs: Emergency medical professionals who make critical transport decisions in the field
  • Emergency Dispatchers: Personnel who coordinate emergency responses and route ambulances
  • General Public (Potential Emergency Patients): Individuals who may need emergency care and want to understand hospital options and availability

Secondary Users

  • Hospital Emergency Departments: Staff who receive and coordinate incoming emergency patients
  • Emergency Response Coordinators: Officials who manage large-scale emergency situations

User Research

Supporting Evidence

News Articles

Emergency Department Crowding Report
Emergency Department Crowding: A National Data Report

Analysis of 1,000,000+ ED visits in Korea (2018-2022) reveals 15.4% of patients visited during overcapacity periods, with 2.3 times higher mortality risk and 1.5 times longer length of stay compared to normal capacity periods.

Read Full Article →
ACEP Crowding Report
Emergency Department Crowding & Boarding

ACEP's comprehensive report on the nationwide ED overcrowding crisis, documenting how boarding patients in hallways and waiting rooms creates dangerous conditions and delays critical care for new patients.

Read Full Article →
AI in Emergency Medicine
AI Applications in Emergency Medicine

Systematic review of AI applications in emergency medicine, highlighting how machine learning can improve triage accuracy, predict patient outcomes, and optimize resource allocation in overcrowded emergency departments.

Read Full Article →

News Report Videos

WIFR TV Emergency Report
▶
Emergency rooms experience long wait times, overcrowding

WIFR TV investigates the emergency department overcrowding crisis, showing patients waiting in hallways and ambulances being diverted due to hospital capacity issues, with healthcare workers describing the dangerous conditions.

Watch Video →
News10NBC Emergency Report
▶
‘It was dystopian’: Family of patient describes overcrowded local emergency rooms

News10NBC investigates EMS response time delays, revealing how hospital capacity issues and ambulance diversions are causing longer wait times for emergency patients, with paramedics stuck waiting to transfer patients.

Watch Video →

User Persona

Mike Rodriguez - MediRoute user persona

Mike Rodriguez

28, Paramedic - Emergency medical professional making critical transport decisions

"Every second counts when transporting patients. I need real-time information about hospital capacity and the fastest routes to make the best decisions for my patients."
  • Works 12-hour shifts responding to emergency calls
  • Makes split-second decisions about patient transport
  • Needs real-time hospital capacity and traffic data
  • Requires reliable, fast information in high-stress situations

Competitive Analysis

Pulsara

Communication platform for EMS and hospitals to coordinate care in real time.

Pros

  • HIPAA-compliant messaging with hospital system integration

Cons

  • Focuses more on communication than routing

Key Takeaway

  • Communication is critical, but routing insights must be layered on top.

RapidDeploy

Cloud-based dispatch platform for 911 centers and EMS.

Pros

  • Real-time data feeds with CAD and mapping tools

Cons

  • Expensive for small municipalities with high learning curve

Key Takeaway

  • Strong technical backbone, but user experience for paramedics may be complex.

Waze

Used by many EMS teams for navigation.

Pros

  • Accurate traffic and route data with widely familiar UI

Cons

  • Not tailored to EMS needs with no hospital capacity info

Key Takeaway

  • MediRoute can offer EMS-specific routing logic beyond public mapping tools.

EMS eSchedule

Workforce and scheduling tool for EMS teams.

Pros

  • Custom shift tools with certification tracking

Cons

  • Not focused on routing or hospital data with legacy UI

Key Takeaway

  • Shows opportunity to unify scheduling/logistics with live routing tools.

Ambulnz (now DocGo)

Provides medical transport and on-demand care services.

Pros

  • Integrated transport + care with mobile app for ride assignment

Cons

  • Not available nationwide and more business-focused than open platform

Key Takeaway

  • Business model can be inspiration, but MediRoute serves as a universal tool.

Determining Visual Design Language

After analyzing our competitors and understanding our target audience, we established a visual design language that prioritizes clarity, trust, and accessibility for emergency situations and even for future potential use cases.

Design Principles

  • Clarity First: Information hierarchy that makes critical data immediately accessible
  • Trust & Reliability: Professional, medical-grade aesthetic that instills confidence
  • Accessibility: High contrast, readable typography, and intuitive navigation
  • Speed: Minimal cognitive load for quick decision-making in emergency scenarios

Color Palette

Primary Black
#141414
Main text and headers

Primary Blue
#369EFF
Primary actions and branding

Emergency Red
#FF412E
Critical alerts and urgent information

White
#FFFFFF
Background and secondary elements

Typography

Headers: Lexend Bold

Clear, professional headings that establish information hierarchy

Subheaders: Lexend Semi-Bold

Emphasized text for critical information and alerts

Body Text: Lexend Regular

Highly readable body text optimized for quick scanning and comprehension

Secondary Text: Lexend Light

Subtle text for supporting information and captions

Iconography & Visual Elements

  • Medical Icons: Standardized healthcare symbols for universal recognition
  • Status Indicators: Clear visual cues for hospital availability and capacity
  • Navigation Elements: Intuitive icons that reduce cognitive load during emergencies
  • Data Visualization: Simple charts and graphs for capacity and wait time information

Final Product

The MediRoute app features an intuitive interface that guides users through symptom assessment, specialist discovery, and appointment booking.

Experience the MediRoute app through this interactive prototype. Navigate through the symptom assessment, specialist discovery, and appointment booking features to see how the app simplifies healthcare navigation.

Key Features

Symptom Assessment

Interactive symptom checker that helps users identify potential conditions and find appropriate specialists based on their symptoms.

Hospital Capacity & Discovery

Real-time hospital capacity monitoring with bed availability, wait times, and specialized care unit status to help paramedics make informed transport decisions.

Emergency Call Routing

Intelligent routing system that analyzes traffic conditions, hospital capacity, and patient condition to determine the optimal transport route and destination hospital.

Reflection & Next Steps

After completing the final version of MediRoute, we took a moment to reflect on both the successes of our design process and the areas that still hold room for growth. From early ideation to polished handoff, the journey reaffirmed our focus on building a product that addresses critical emergency medical routing challenges.

What Went Well

  • We successfully identified key pain points in emergency medical routing, validating the need for real-time hospital data integration.
  • Our team maintained a clear understanding of the emergency response workflow, ensuring that paramedic needs shaped every stage of development.
  • The transition from research insights to functional prototype was smooth and aligned well with our initial vision.
  • User research results were highly positive, especially in response to features like real-time hospital availability and intelligent routing.
  • Our focus on mobile-first design created an intuitive interface that works well in emergency situations.

What Could Be Improved

  • Some users noted that the interface could be more streamlined for high-stress emergency situations.
  • The data integration complexity with existing hospital systems needs more consideration for real-world implementation.
  • From a technical standpoint, certain network connectivity assumptions may not hold true in all emergency scenarios.
  • While the routing algorithm is effective, real-time traffic integration could be enhanced for more accurate ETA calculations.

Thank you for reading!

Feel free to reach out if you'd like to connect.