From neglect to necessity: Enterprise UX and its critical role in healthcare

The most satisfying UX projects I have worked on have been in the world of enterprise tools, where user-centred design is often neglected. These behind-the-scenes systems are rarely seen as needing thoughtful design by stakeholders, despite serving thousands of users daily. This is why some projects still begin with the uphill battle: justifying why good UX even matters.

Enterprise software: the “junk drawer”

Enterprise software often reminds me of the “junk drawer” in every home that is stuffed with things in the hope that you may need them one day, which are rarely required and lie there taking up unnecessary space. Similarly, these systems keep accumulating features at the request of various users or business units without regular audits or rationalisation for relevance.

Designing enterprise healthcare UX can be daunting, but it is critical. By understanding complex workflows, designing at the intersection of user needs and business goals, and managing organisational change thoughtfully, UX teams can create safer and more efficient healthcare systems in the UK and beyond.

This results in:

• Cluttered, cramped interfaces with high cognitive load
• Critical actions buried under layers of navigation or extra steps
• Overlooked accessibility standards

For example, in one of the healthcare systems I worked on earlier in my career, the old version bombarded the users with colours and dense data on a single screen, making it hard to locate common tasks. Simple, one-step procedures had been spread across 5–6 steps, which reduced users’ efficiency and increased the chance of costly mistakes.

How neglecting UX is hurting UK healthcare

Key risks and impacts:

• NHS and private providers lose millions annually in wasted staff time, prolonged onboarding, and avoidable errors caused by unintuitive systems.
• NHS staff face higher stress levels, and even burnout, due to clunky digital tools, compounding workforce challenges already present in the NHS.
• A 2020 NHS Digital report linked Electronic Health Record (EHR) usability issues to treatment delays and patient-related mistakes, while the Care Quality Commission has noted that software flaws contribute to unsafe care pathways.

Unique demands of UX for healthcare systems

While it is tempting to apply consumer UX frameworks and modernise these applications with minimal, clean designs, these systems often require layered functionality, built to support clinical, operational, and legal demands. Every “cluttered” element may exist for a reason. So UX teams must grasp these core realities:

• They are built for heavy, complex work-flow functionality so users do not miss contextual information
• Interfaces must make essential actions visible and instantly usable, ‘right there’ when needed, as some could be time-critical
• Systems must perform reliably with simultaneous complex operations
• Research must address job roles, access needs, and responsibilities, which can lead to multiple flows within a similar journey
• Designs must not only be accessible but also truly universal for a diverse UK population, including non-native English speakers

What UX teams and contributors can do

1) Continuous discovery

• Establish consistent research rhythms aligned with agile cycles. These could be monthly or every time a module is completed. This prevents potential bottlenecks and ensures user needs are met.
• Throughout the project, question not only what’s there, but why it exists, how it evolved, and what business goal it supports.
• Observe users in their real working environment. Look for shortcuts and workarounds they rely on.
• Use journey and empathy mapping to understand and uncover pain points.
• Create role-based archetypes that include organisational responsibilities, not just user preferences.

2) Aligning organisational and service needs

• Map task, data, and workflows to identify redundancies and outdated elements. This helps in building empathy with users and informs which legacy features to retain, adapt, or retire.
• Understand and highlight the essential processes dictated by clinical safety or regulatory compliance to make sure they aren’t left behind.
• Align UX improvements with organisational KPIs such as patient safety, compliance, clinician efficiency, and adoption metrics.
• Integrate security features early e.g. multi-factor authentication and confirmations and ensure regular accessibility audits.
• Collaborate with compliance, IT, and QA teams to maintain NHS and GDPR standards while preserving seamless user workflows.

3) Uphold design principles

• Prioritise fast-loading, uncluttered interfaces showing all critical information clearly without overwhelming users.
• Remove visual clutter but never at the expense of hiding essential data or functions.
• Strive for WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, reflecting NHS and global accessibility standards.
• Build or use a design system to maintain consistency, scalability, and developer collaboration.
• Ensure full keyboard accessibility with proper ARIA tagging to support assistive technologies.

4) Agile, iterative testing

• Adopt “fail fast, adapt fast” principles through early prototyping and continuous user feedback integration.
• Engage diverse users, including staff members across all organisational levels to cover all job roles and system permissions.

5) Change management

• Acknowledge that professionals often adapt to flawed workflows over years. They develop workarounds that feel “normal” and resist even beneficial changes.[GM19]
• Co-design with key users to build buy-in and reduce pushback.
• Communicate clearly and continuously how changes improve daily work and patient outcomes.
• Don’t be afraid of creating user manuals as supportive tools evolving with software updates; they don’t always mean bad design. However, make sure they are easy for people to find and use.

Designing enterprise healthcare UX can be daunting, but it is critical. By understanding complex workflows, designing at the intersection of user needs and business goals, and managing organisational change thoughtfully, UX teams can create safer and more efficient healthcare systems in the UK and beyond.

Find out more

More and more organisations are turning to digital or digitally-enabled services, but real change starts with understanding people’s needs. If you’re exploring a similar challenge or want to know how we can help, get in touch with us through our contact us page.

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