Voice User Interface Design for Healthcare with Ilana Meir

VFH Episode 66

In this episode, Teri welcomes Ilana Meir, a voice designer, and mentor in the voice technology space.

Ilana is a conversational interface designer and is one of the leading experts in Voice User Interface (VUI) design specifically at the intersection of voice technology and health. Using her immense knowledge and experience, she thinks critically about the future of voice design in ways only a few industry experts do, and she encourages her students to do the same. Ilana was a chapter contributor to the recently released book, Voice Technology in Healthcare.

Key Points From Ilana!

Her expertise in Voice User Interface (VUI) design and some of the tips she can share.
How to design a great voice experience.

Getting Into Voice Design

She came into the field of voice design from a prior background in the fields of anthropology, psychology, and marketing.
During her period in marketing, she wanted so badly to make the transition into product design but she found herself falling into voice design which blended perfectly with her background in strategic communications, her creative thinking, and her vocal ability in singing.
Ilana thinks the landscape of voice design is gradually shifting in relation to how it used to be historically.
Voice design is now attracting a variety of people from different fields such as interaction design.

Importance of Voice User Interface Design

She considers design as the last-mile logistics, and in regards to that, she feels that it helps in organizing and ensuring everything is in perfect condition for patients.

Voice User Interface Design for Healthcare with Ilana Meir

The Voice Design Framework

Her thoughts on the first step into getting into voice design are doing the correct research and having the perfect understanding of the stakeholder’s side and patients side.
In terms of the stakeholder’s side, thinking about their customer base, knowing how they are trying to forge relationships with their patients, the legal considerations, understanding the kind of technology available, and understanding the downstream effects that might come along the way are key.
On the patients’ side, you need to understand how they are receiving this interaction so you can package it perfectly, think about the patient’s day to day interaction so you can know who’s affected.
When it comes to voice design in healthcare, one has to think about it as strategic communication. With every strategic initiative, a lot of efforts and meetings are put into them, and so the same should be applied when designing a voice experience.

Best Practices in Designing for the Patient

She advocates for the creation of a culture of participatory medicine which is achieved by creating a dynamic set up where patients and doctors are equal partners in healthcare delivery.
How a computer system will communicate with patients is the second consideration, and the focus should be on questions and other things.
When it comes to building rapport with patients, one of the main goals should be to mitigate the presumptions a patient might have regarding the healthcare system.
A conversational system should be designed to keep interactions with patients brief, precise, and informative.