Controlled Substance Auditor • Bluesight // HealthcareFebruary 2020 - November 2022Streamlined controlled substance auditing for hospitals by making it easier to review cases, investigate discrepancies, and prioritize the highest-risk issues.
Problem
Controlled substance auditors and nurse managers needed to review medication discrepancies in order to meet DEA compliance requirements, but the process was time-consuming and difficult to scale. In large hospitals, a single auditor might face more than 500 cases a day, reviewing each one individually while piecing together missing information, documentation errors, and follow-up with staff to understand what happened.
For the business, this made auditing workflows inefficient at exactly the point where speed, accuracy, and pattern detection mattered most. The design challenge was to create a workflow that helped users investigate and close cases more efficiently while also supporting deeper review, connecting to related parts of the product, and accommodating a growing set of feature requests in a highly complex domain.
ApproachThe project began with customer interviews to understand current auditing workflows, pain points, and investigation needs. From there, I designed and tested three layout directions to evaluate efficiency, information organization, and workflow risk, then refined the strongest concept through multiple rounds of user feedback.
To keep the focus on usability, the work stayed in wireframes for several months while the workflow evolved through six rounds of iteration. A three-month beta with 30 customers helped validate the redesigned experience, surface issues early, and shape a phased launch strategy.
Decisions
Testing showed that a list of individual audit cards best supported efficient auditing. Focusing each card on a single incident helped users investigate one case at a time, making information easier to process and the workflow easier to navigate.
Reflection
Outcome
The redesigned interface was largely successful, achieving our goal of an NPS of 8. Ongoing feedback through widgets and surveys helped users feel involved in the transition while also giving us a clearer view of how well the new experience supported their auditing goals.
This project showed me how important it is to design for clarity in high-volume, high-stakes workflows. It reinforced my belief that systems thinking, iterative testing, and careful information design are essential when improving complex products.