Clinical dashboards are vital tools that enable healthcare professionals—doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and administrators—to efficiently manage patient care. These dashboards consolidate a wide range of patient data, including real-time vitals, lab results, medication records, and alert systems, allowing for informed and rapid decision-making.

However, existing clinical dashboards often suffer from poor design and usability, which can lead to errors, slow decision-making, and frustration among users. This case study outlines the design process for a new, user-centered clinical dashboard that addresses these shortcomings. The design focuses on reducing cognitive load, improving navigation, incorporating personalization, and enhancing security—particularly through a more robust and streamlined login process.

Research and Problem Identification

Issues with Existing Clinical DashboardsThe research began with an in-depth analysis of existing clinical dashboards, uncovering several common pain points faced by healthcare professionals:

Information Overload: Most clinical dashboards display too much information on a single screen, making it difficult for users to focus on critical data.

Inefficient Navigation: Many dashboards require users to click through multiple screens to access the data they need, leading to inefficiency and frustration, particularly in high-pressure situations like emergency rooms.

Lack of Role-Based Customization: Existing systems tend to offer the same interface for all users, regardless of their specific roles, leading to unnecessary information being presented to users who don’t need it.

Inconsistent Design and Visual Clutter: Poorly designed dashboards with inconsistent layouts, colors, and icons make it difficult for users to interpret data quickly and accurately.

Weak Security Features: Inadequate login processes and the lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA) expose sensitive patient data to potential security breaches, raising concerns about HIPAA and GDPR compliance.

Interviews and SurveysTo better understand the needs of end users

I conducted interviews and surveys with healthcare professionals from various roles. The goal was to gather firsthand insights into their daily challenges with existing dashboards and identify opportunities for improvement.

Key insights include:

Doctors: Wanted quick access to critical patient vitals, medication schedules, and lab results in an intuitive, organized layout. Many expressed frustration with spending too much time searching for data.


Nurses: Requested real-time data on vitals and medications to improve patient care. Their feedback emphasized the need for a mobile-friendly dashboard for bedside use.

Lab Technicians: Desired an easy-to-navigate interface for reviewing test results and alerting doctors to critical findings.


Administrators: Highlighted the importance of security, particularly with managing user access and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.

Market Trends in Clinical Dashboards

Analyzed market trends to ensure the new design remained innovative and competitive:

Real-Time Data Access: Dashboards should display real-time information, allowing healthcare professionals to make quick, informed decisions.


Predictive Analytics and AI Integration: The use of AI to predict patient outcomes and recommend treatments is becoming increasingly prevalent in clinical tools.


Mobile Compatibility: As healthcare environments become more dynamic, there is a growing need for dashboards that function seamlessly across mobile devices.


Interoperability with EHR Systems: Dashboards should integrate smoothly with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, ensuring that all patient data is synchronized and accessible.


User-Centered Design: The focus on user experience is paramount, with intuitive interfaces that prioritize ease of use and reduce cognitive strain.

Proposed Clinical Dashboard

Based on the research findings, I started layouting soem ideas that directly addresses the issues with existing systems. the idea of design prioritizes usability, efficiency, and security through a clean, intuitive interface.

Clear Information Hierarchy

The dashboard ensures clear hierarchy that highlights the most critical patient information, such as vitals, alerts, and medication schedules. Less urgent data is displayed in collapsible sections or accessed via secondary screens, preventing information overload.Visual Prioritization: Critical data (e.g., abnormal vitals, urgent lab results) is to be displayed in bold, high-contrast colors at the top of the screen, while less critical information is shown in more muted colors or hidden until needed.

Collapsible Panels: Users can collapse sections of the dashboard that are not immediately relevant, allowing them to focus on the task at hand.

Streamlined Navigation: Navigation is streamlined to reduce the number of clicks needed to access information. It follows the “3-click rule,” ensuring that users can access any critical data within three clicks.

Quick-Access Shortcuts: Frequently used features (e.g., patient search, alert history, medication orders) are accessible from the top navigation bar or as floating action buttons.

Role-Specific Tabs: Doctors, nurses, and technicians each have their own tab where their most frequently used tools are displayed. This avoids clutter and keeps workflows smooth.

Role-Based CustomizationThe dashboard will be personalized based on the user’s role within the healthcare team. 

Doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and administrators will all have unique dashboard layouts tailored to their specific needs.

Doctor’s Dashboard: Prioritizes vitals, medical history, lab results, and medication schedules. Predictive analytics tools are integrated to offer treatment suggestions based on the patient’s condition.

Nurse’s Dashboard: Emphasizes medication schedules, patient vitals, and task lists.

Lab Technician’s Dashboard: Focuses on test results and critical findings. Automated alerts are sent to doctors when abnormal lab results are detected.

Visual Design for Readability and Efficiency

The design adopts a simple approach that reduces visual clutter and emphasizes clarity.

Consistent Color Scheme: A consistent color scheme is used across all screens to reduce confusion. Alerts and critical information are color-coded (e.g., red for urgent, green for success) for easy recognition.

Accessibility Features: The design includes color-blind-friendly elements, adjustable font sizes, and compatibility with screen readers to ensure accessibility for all users.

Iconography: Simplified and meaningful icons are used to guide users through the interface, minimizing the need for textual explanations and reducing cognitive load.