Arish Dubash

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Reimagining radiology education at Johns Hopkins

Reimagining radiology education at Johns Hopkins

Reimagining radiology education at Johns Hopkins

Reimagining radiology education at Johns Hopkins

Year

Year

2021

2021

2021

Client

Client

CTisus.com

CTisus.com

CTisus.com

My Role

My Role

My Role

UX Designer

UX Designer

UX Designer

Overview

CTisus: L-Spine Pathology is a mobile application that helps radiologists better identify diseases by reviewing abdominal scans of the lumbar spine

CTisus: L-Spine Pathology is a mobile application that helps radiologists better identify diseases by reviewing abdominal scans of the lumbar spine

CTisus: L-Spine Pathology is a mobile application that helps radiologists better identify diseases by reviewing abdominal scans of the lumbar spine

CTisus: L-Spine Pathology is a mobile application that helps radiologists better identify diseases by reviewing abdominal scans of the lumbar spine

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Overview

Founded by Dr. Elliot K. Fishman, CTisus is a radiological website dedicated to computed tomography (CT) scanning. The platform has an expansive library of content ranging from CT scan protocols, lectures, and case studies to medical illustrations and a monthly quiz – many of which they have been used to make 17 iOS applications with, including a few that have won awards.

I reached out to Dr. Fishman to see if he was interested in working together to reupholster any one of his many apps. After meeting with him and his development/marketing team, it was decided that the L-Spine Pathology app was the perfect project to work on. At the time, it was exclusively available on the iPad, and because it was initially designed as an interactive display to be shown at a trade-show, it had since outgrown its original application.

It was then decided that we not only redesign the application in its entirety, but also expand its presence.

Our goal was to bring the award-winning depth of information CTisus had to offer, to a place where the MOST people could have access to it – the iPhone and its App Store.

Overview

Founded by Dr. Elliot K. Fishman, CTisus is a radiological website dedicated to computed tomography (CT) scanning. The platform has an expansive library of content ranging from CT scan protocols, lectures, and case studies to medical illustrations and a monthly quiz – many of which they have been used to make 17 iOS applications with, including a few that have won awards.

I reached out to Dr. Fishman to see if he was interested in working together to reupholster any one of his many apps. After meeting with him and his development/marketing team, it was decided that the L-Spine Pathology app was the perfect project to work on. At the time, it was exclusively available on the iPad, and because it was initially designed as an interactive display to be shown at a trade-show, it had since outgrown its original application.

It was then decided that we not only redesign the application in its entirety, but also expand its presence.

Our goal was to bring the award-winning depth of information CTisus had to offer, to a place where the MOST people could have access to it – the iPhone and its App Store.

Problem statement

Understanding the challenges

Understanding the challenges

Radiology students need an intuitive, streamlined tool to efficiently study lumbar spine pathologies, yet the current app’s structure and complexity create cognitive barriers, making it difficult to retain information effectively.

Currently available only on iPad, the app’s reach is restricted. Expanding to iPhone can help increase accessibility, bringing the app to more users.

Broader accessibility and usage will allow CTisUS to gather valuable user feedback, driving continuous improvements to enhance the educational experience.

Remote Usability Testing

Insights from the current app

Conducting usability testing during the global pandemic required adapting to remote methods. By utilizing platforms like Zoom, I effectively tested the iPad app and gathered crucial feedback on its current user experience.

Conducting usability testing during the global pandemic required adapting to remote methods. By utilizing platforms like Zoom, I effectively tested the iPad app and gathered crucial feedback on its current user experience.

Participant Diversity
Participant Diversity
Participant Diversity

Our usability testing included a range of participants from medical students to mid-career professionals. This variety ensured feedback from users well-acquainted with mobile learning tools and reflective of the app’s target demographic.

Our usability testing included a range of participants from medical students to mid-career professionals. This variety ensured feedback from users well-acquainted with mobile learning tools and reflective of the app’s target demographic.

Our usability testing included a range of participants from medical students to mid-career professionals. This variety ensured feedback from users well-acquainted with mobile learning tools and reflective of the app’s target demographic.

Real-Time Task Interaction

Participants engaged in tasks such as exploring lumbar spine content, accessing educational resources, and completing diagnostic quizzes. This allowed us to observe their interactions with the app’s core learning features and assess ease of use.

Detailed Feedback Collection

Through real-time feedback and narrated thought processes, we gathered rich qualitative data on user challenges and successes. This input provided valuable insights into user pain points, informing areas for improvement in the app's design.

Through real-time feedback and narrated thought processes, we gathered rich qualitative data on user challenges and successes. This input provided valuable insights into user pain points, informing areas for improvement in the app's design.

Through real-time feedback and narrated thought processes, we gathered rich qualitative data on user challenges and successes. This input provided valuable insights into user pain points, informing areas for improvement in the app's design.

Brain Mapping

Organizing the feedback

"Most pages are overwhelmingly covered in text. Especially the home page. It's intimidating."

"Most pages are overwhelmingly covered in text. Especially the home page. It's intimidating."

"Most pages are overwhelmingly covered in text. Especially the home page. It's intimidating."

"The quiz can be very confusing. There are no directions on how to start. How can I keep track of my answers?"

"The quiz can be very confusing. There are no directions on how to start. How can I keep track of my answers?"

"The quiz can be very confusing. There are no directions on how to start. How can I keep track of my answers?"

"The quiz restarts every time I try to get back to it and makes it difficult to actually learn the material."

"The quiz restarts every time I try to get back to it and makes it difficult to actually learn the material."

"The quiz restarts every time I try to get back to it and makes it difficult to actually learn the material."

Redlining Problem Areas

Identifying Key Issues with the Current App

The Home Page

The Home Page

The Home Page

Key design and content issues hinder clarity, focus, and user engagement.

Key design and content issues hinder clarity, focus, and user engagement.

Overwhelming amount of text

Lack of Clear Call-to-Action

Credits Are Too Prominent

Overwhelming amount of text

Lack of Clear Call-to-Action

Credits Are Too Prominent

Overwhelming amount of text

Lack of Clear Call-to-Action

Credits Are Too Prominent

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

The Tutorial Page

Ambiguous terminology, misleading elements, and unclear labels create confusion and hinder usability.

Users were expecting a video guide

Non-clickable element appears interactive

Misleading labels of files

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

The Tutorial Page

Ambiguous terminology, misleading elements, and unclear labels create confusion and hinder usability.

Users were expecting a video guide

Non-clickable element appears interactive

Misleading labels of files

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

The Tutorial Page

Ambiguous terminology, misleading elements, and unclear labels create confusion and hinder usability.

Users were expecting a video guide

Non-clickable element appears interactive

Misleading labels of files

The Quiz Page

Lack of guidance, unexpected content, and limited navigation reduce the quiz’s effectiveness.

Lack of onboarding or instructions

Quiz includes new, unstudied information

Navigation issues in the quiz

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

The Quiz Page

Lack of guidance, unexpected content, and limited navigation reduce the quiz’s effectiveness.

Lack of onboarding or instructions

Quiz includes new, unstudied information

Navigation issues in the quiz

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

The Quiz Page

Lack of guidance, unexpected content, and limited navigation reduce the quiz’s effectiveness.

Lack of onboarding or instructions

Quiz includes new, unstudied information

Navigation issues in the quiz

Too much text on home page

Emails not clickable

No call-to-action

Low-fidelity Wireframes

Putting it all together

Low Fidelity Usability Testing

Testing early,
iterating often

After converting the paper sketches into low fidelity digital wireframes, it was time to test our first clickable prototype.

After a second round of usability testing, here are three aspects of our product that we tweaked:

After converting the paper sketches into low fidelity digital wireframes, it was time to test our first clickable prototype.

After a second round of usability testing, here are three aspects of our product that we tweaked:

Renaming "Study" to "Learn"

The term “Study” was changed to “Learn” after users shared that “Study” felt like a chore, evoking negative emotions. “Learn,” however, has a more inviting and positive connotation, encouraging users to engage with the content as an opportunity rather than an obligation.

Replacing "Missed" with "Incorrect" for Clarity

On the “Results” page, the label “Missed Questions” led users to think they had skipped questions rather than answered incorrectly. Changing the term to “Incorrect” removes this ambiguity, making it clearer that these are questions the user got wrong, not ones they overlooked.

Merging Quiz and Results for Simplified Navigation

Feedback highlighted that the separation of “Quiz” and “Results” tabs was confusing, as users saw these as part of a single experience. To simplify navigation, the two were merged, reducing the tab count to three and creating a more cohesive app structure.

High Fidelity Prototype

Let's see how it turned out!

New onboarding sequence

No more lengthy paragraphs of text. A sequence of three onboarding screens leaves the users with a visual blueprint of what to expect from the app.

Less tabs, less confusion

The original iPad app had 5 tabs. Our first low-fidelity iOS prototype narrowed it down to 4 tabs. And the final prototype was iterated down to 3.

7 Categories

The home page is where you can browse the various case studies of l-spine pathologies.

In-depth Case Studies

Videos, off-line transcriptions, Pearls, differential diagnosis…all on one page.

Quizzing to Learn

Using a typical flashcard-flipping technique, the student can self-report their results and review the ones they got incorrect.

And a whole lot more…

Videos, off-line transcriptions, Pearls, differential diagnosis…all on one page.

Thank you for reading!

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