The Future of Health Systems is User Centered

In an age where we are developing applications and systems to solve various problems, we sometimes miss out on one very important factor- addressing the end users’ pain point/s- and thus end up developing applications that nobody uses. How do we ensure we’re developing systems that our users find useful??

We design with the user.

According to the principles for digital development, designing with the user entails getting to know the people you are designing for through conversation, observation and co-creation. Information gathered through this engagement leads to building, testing and redesigning tools until they effectively meet user needs.

But, let’s take a step back. What are the principles for digital development?

The principles for digital development or digital principles are a set of nine guidelines that aim to facilitate the incorporation of best practices into technology-enabled programs.? These principles and approaches to universal and accessible design aim at ‘Leaving No one Behind’ as part of efforts to make the Internet more inclusive. These principles are a living framework that provides a strategic approach for organizations and individuals involved in the development and implementation of digital solutions.

The digital principles were stewarded by Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) and are intended for use by governments, businesses, civil society organizations and others who are designing or implementing policies or programs that promote access to digital technologies for all people. They are now endorsed by more than 250 organizations. In 2018, IntelliSOFT was recognized as a gold endorser for using the principles to guide our work.

Though we have covered the digital principles before, join us as we go in-depth and show how we’ve implemented each principle into our projects and the resulting impact. One of these principles is "Design with the User." It emphasizes the importance of centering the design process around the needs and experiences of the individuals who will be using the technology.?

Let's delve into why this approach is crucial and how we achieve it.

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Launching the Tanzania Health Informatics Association (TAHIA)

We all love a good launch, and this month saw the official launch of The Tanzania Health Informatics Association (TAHIA) in Dar es Salaam during the Digital Health Convergence Workshop.

The workshop, organized by TAHIA in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government, the Health Informatics in Africa (HELINA), and other partners showcased the growing importance of health informatics and digital health systems in enhancing healthcare delivery, decision-making, and outcomes.

Health Informatics, which is the intersection of healthcare, information technology, and data management, leverages technologies to gather, analyze, store, and manage health-related data for improving healthcare delivery and outcomes. Ultimately, health informatics empowers healthcare providers to make data-driven decisions, enhances patient safety, and supports evidence-based practices in healthcare. Health informatics and digital health systems hold great promise for transforming healthcare delivery in Tanzania and beyond, as evidenced by the Digital Health Convergence Workshop and TAHIA Launching Programme, and also aim to revolutionize healthcare delivery and outcomes in Africa.

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That's all for this week's newsletter! We hope you find these topics informative and engaging, and we look forward to sharing more insights and updates with you. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our LinkedIn page for more digital health news and updates!

Best regards,

IntelliSOFT