The Digital Office (TDO) Software Redesign

UX/UI Design • Software Interface Redesign • UX Research
Quick Summary
A redesign of endodontic practice management software interface, with a primary emphasis on improving the user experience in appointment scheduling, patient registration and task management.
About The Digital Office (TDO)
Based in San Diego, CA, TDO Software is a B2B SaaS platform which provides endodontists with all the tools and resources they need to build and maintain a successful dental practice.
Role
UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer
Methods
Qualitative Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Tools
Figma, Miro
Timeframe
January to March 2024
TDO Main Visual

The Problem

As a part-time employee at an endodontic clinic, I witnessed the challenges faced by the front desk staff and dental assistants due to the interface of the current TDO Software. While TDO Software is comprehensive, its interface lacks a clear visual hierarchy and its counterintuitive functionalities frustrate users. This project aims to tackle these issues. Specifically, how I could optimize clinic efficiency by streamlining users' workflow in appointment scheduling and registering new patients.

01

Discover

Qualitative Research
UX Audit

02

Define

User Persona
Design Direction

03

Ideate

User Flow
Sketch & Wireframe

04

Prototype & Test

Usability Testing
Prototype

Discover

01 Qualitative Research
To dive deep into the pain points of users and define the scope of my design focus, I interviewed two individuals in person: a front desk staff member working in an endodontic clinic and a dental assistant.
Competitor analysis of IKEA TDO's Qualitative Research Summary
Interview Conclusion
Users were mostly frustrated about the scheduling interface, speed and responsiveness as well as a lack of notification of the TDO system. They also identified the system’s interface as outdated.
02 UX Audit
Based on the users' insights, I conducted a UX Audit to evaluate the system's primary screens, aiming to validate their pain points and identify areas requiring improvement.
TDO's UX Audit Summary

Define

01 Identifying the Users
Based on my research, I created two user personas to better depict the needs, pain points and goals of my target audience. These personas represents dental receptionists and dental assistants.
User persona of EricUser persona of Rosa
02 Defining the Design Direction
Synthesizing the insights from research findings and user personas to outline the approach for redesigning, which aims to change the pain points to design opportunities.
Turning Pain Points to Design Opportunities for TDO redesign

Ideate

01 Designing the User Flow
This user flow provides an example of how the dental receptionist would make or reschedule an appointment when a patient calls or emails.
User Flow of TDO
02 Sketches / Rapid Prototype
I sketched out the main screens, including scheduler, appointment details, patient registration, patient details screen, as well as the new task management feature, to visualize the new design.
Rapid prototype of TDO
03 Mid-fidelity Prototype
Mid-fidelity prototype of TDO

Usability Testing

Getting Feedback
The test was conducted with a group of 4 participants who work in the dental industry as receptionist and dental assistant.
Usability Testing: Findings
These design changes were made based on users’ feedback and areas that needed improvement.
User testing report for task 1TDO's User Testing Finding 1
Appointment Blocks: The initial design had limited appointment details shown in the block, which caused confusion among users regarding which doctor would treat the patient. To address this, I also included the doctor’s name and any important patient notes in the block.

‍Navigation Bar: The tabs were not consistent before, so I moved the setting tab to a more prominent location for easier access.
User testing report for task 2TDO's User Testing Finding 2
Appointment Details Layout: Users had trouble rescheduling appointments as they misunderstood the button options between ‘edit’ and ‘reschedule’, thinking that clicking ‘edit’ would change the date and time of the appointment. So I rearranged the layout and moved the edit button next to treatment type.
User testing report for task 2TDO's User Testing Finding 3
'Adding New Patient’ Screen Redesign: Based on user feedback, I moved the whole Tooth Needing Treatment / Evaluation session upward because users emphasized the importance of knowing which tooth needed treatment over information such as the patient’s occupation.

Final Deliverables

Schedular
User Flow of MukkoTDO's Revamped Schedular - Key Features 1User Flow of MukkoTDO's Revamped Schedular - Key Features 2
Patient Details
User Flow of MukkoTDO's Revamped Patient Details Screen
New Feature: To-do Tasks
User Flow of MukkoTDO's Revamped To-do Tasks Screen
Try the Interactive Prototype

Reflection

This project is a challenging one as it marks my first attempt at redesigning a SaaS platform interface. Given the complexity of the software, it is hard to find a balance between functionality and user-friendliness. At the beginning I created two user flows because I also wanted to address the check-in and checkout patient issues within this platform. However, as the project progressed, I realized that focusing on one specific user flow—scheduling appointments—could allow me to dive deeper into the problem and explore the possibility of implementing a new feature.

Overall, I enjoyed the entire design process, from conducting user research to wireframing and prototyping. Discovering new insights through user testing was particularly interesting. I learned a lot about CRM tools throughout the process and I am also interested in learning more about setting UX goals for measuring the design outcomes in the future.
What would I do this differently?
  • I would conduct a quantitative survey among endodontic practices to determine if the findings from qualitative research can be generalized to a broader user base. The results would give me more factual, reliable outcome data to show the value of redesign.
  • More user testing with the target users at the prototype stage will be needed to validate my design decisions or enhance the overall design.
  • I would challenge myself to design the Reports tab to further improve my UI and Figma skills in visually rendering complex data.

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