Flux
Solving the communication problems for EMTs and other first responders.
Flux is a mobile platform that helps emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and other first responders like police, firefighters, and doctors coordinate efforts in emergency settings by putting these stakeholders into grouped channels to exchange information with one another directly.
Date
September 2017; September 2018
Role
UI/UX Design, User Research
Context
Flux started out as a class project on user research and needfinding, and has since evolved into a case study that has undergone significant design cycles twice over. In September 2017, researched was conducted with EMTs to uncover needs and pain points in their line of work. I then spent a week on a first iteration of design, distilling my research findings into a coherent product.
In September of 2018, I felt I had grown significantly as a designer and decided to revisit this case study to better reflect the work I was capable of. Following here are the results of that design cycle
Problem
From research with EMTs, a few critical problems stood out:
EMTs and other emergency responders depend on giving and receiving information to one another to handle emergency situations well.
EMTs balance a wide variety of tools to fulfill their communication needs - pagers, cellphones, and multiple radios.
Communication tools are unreliable in being able to properly convey information
Information exchanged between EMTs and other emergency responders is done through third parties, like dispatchers.
As a result, the various stakeholders involved rarely feel as if they are working on the same team, even though their work depends so closely on one another.
Solution
Flux aspires to address the communication needs of EMTs and other emergency responders by removing necessity for various tools and an unreliable radio system.
In its place, Flux provides a mobile platform where the various stakeholders involved can get into organized, dedicated channels for a given emergency. Flux provides a way for all emergency responders to feel as if they are on one cohesive team by allowing firefighters, police, EMTs, and doctors to communicate with one another directly.
A Call To Action: Responding to An Emergency
When an EMT is given an emergency situation to respond to, she receives a notice on Flux that surfaces the most important preliminary information: the site of the incident, the incident’s “code” indicating whether sirens are on or off, and a clear call to action to respond to the call.
The Main Feed: Receiving Accurate and Timely Updates
After the EMT “responds to call”, they are placed into a unique channel for that emergency. The other responders such as firefighters and police responding to the same emergency are placed into the same channel.
Left: Someone on the fire department team (i.e. “FD-283”) is recording an update. Right: The update is sent, populating the feed.
As the flow of information is paramount in emergency response systems, the main interface is dedicated to displaying the updates that are sent and received in the Flux channel. Distinct and vibrant colors distinguishes each team’s messages for easier reading.
When an EMT is receiving an update from another teammate, she is met with clear visual feedback indicating both when someone is sending a message and when a new message is received.
An Action-Oriented Toolbar
Located along the bottom of the screen, the toolbar provides a convenient and easy-to-use place where users can execute the most important actions they will take. Users can make direct calls to other teammates, send photos, record voice updates, send text notes, and filter through messages sent to the channel.
Sending An Update
Sticking closely to the voice-orientated nature of radio, users can record and send updates via voice through Flux.
A Direct Line of Communication
From within Flux, users can make direct phone calls to other members. The “phone call” action is easily accessed on the bottom toolbar, where users can clearly select a team member to call directly.
While dialing and in the call, users are given a familiar and focused interface.
Reflections and Thinking Ahead
I am proud of the most recent design of Flux in demonstrating my product thinking, visual design, and interaction design skills. Flux has been a project I have thoroughly enjoyed working on and revisiting because it is the kind of solution I love to work on - one that empowers people to do things better.
At some point, I would love to take Flux beyond just being a concept and a collection of prototypes. To do this, I would need to:
Approach hospitals with the idea, and try and acquire buy-in from a significant stakeholder in the emergency response system.
Work with engineers to determine engineering feasibility.
Thank you for reading!