Designing Efficient Empathy

Rethinking your Thinking in Tech and Health

Today, technology is igniting innovation at incredible speeds. The distribution of medical knowledge, techniques, tools and processes has dramatically improved the lives of countless in past centuries. But in health specifically, it should not be looked at as a means to an end. By adding more layers of complexity because of the unlimited possibilities of using data, AI and machine learning technology, we have to keep looking at how to keep our technology deeply human. And if there’s one relevant domain for this...it’s undoubtedly healthcare.

Many digital health tools and solutions are currently tech/efficiency-focused and have the tendency to dehumanize both the caretaking and caregiving side of health. But I don’t believe in the “it’s the results that count” paradigm; if we can be more effective and efficient, it doesn’t mean our healthcare will automatically be more human-centered.

Building competitive advantages with technology in the health domain means balancing design and tech. With changing patient behavior and efficiency-driven healthcare systems, design can be the key success factor in building trustworthy patient/medical professional relationships that are more empathic and impactful. In turn, technology can be seen as the enabler of smarter, faster and more concise decisions and processes.

With a domain so crucial for the future wellbeing of many, I want to challenge what’s technologically possible and take a closer look at the perfect balance between efficiency and empathy. Stay tuned for more about how we’re helping establish a human-centered vision in the field of healthcare for different clients, like Elsevier.