We needed to determine the maximum number of blood chemistry results that could fit on the device’s 800×480 pixel screen and still be easily readible by operators.
Which results should display first, how should out-of-bound results be shown? How could colors be used to pull out meaning in different use cases and use environments?
These were some of the keys questions from this early Formative study that needed answers.
Designs for early formative testing were done on paper in a controlled third-party setting.
Later Formative studies were done using Android phone with the same screen resolution as stand-ins for the medical device. The display results where also clickable so users could drill down and view more details.
After several early formative studies we had strong evidence to indicate that 12 results was a comfortable "cognitive load" number for medical professionals looking for a meaningful read of human (and animal) blood chemistry results.
The readability and interpretability of visual displayed data from these studies established a strong starting point for what would evolved into the final visual patterns, text hierarchy, color palette and key interaction patterns that would be effective for the kinds of users and their tasks in various use environments.
Photoshop, Adobe Flash
