Proximie’s new UI: an update led by our users

Proximie’s user interface (UI) has had an exciting update, making our cutting-edge features even more accessible and intuitive to our customers.  

When you become a Proximie user, it’s your feedback that helps inform the continued development and design of Proximie. Because ultimately, our platform is designed to empower our users to deliver the best care possible and when it matters most.  

So what’s changed as a result of our update? Rohan Cadney-Moon, a Product Designer (UX) at Proximie’s exceptional team, explains the latest improvements and features.

‍Why update Proximie’s UI?

The decision to update the UI was driven by our absolute commitment to continually enhance the user experience for our customers. We have made a number of changes to improve usability and accessibility during live sessions, implementing a range of functional and visual improvements, as well as improving accessibility.  

Why is ease of use important?

Our products are being used in hospitals, by healthcare professionals with exacting standards carrying out high-stakes procedures. We recognise how important it is to our customers that our products work seamlessly and intuitively, because anything we can do to make their high-level performance easier results in better outcomes in the OR and for patients.

At the core of Proximie’s UI is a user-centred design process that is based on having an understanding of and empathy for our users; understanding their pain points, their struggles, and the challenges they face in the OR every single day. Any design decision we make is informed by our users’ needs and our in-depth knowledge of how they interact with Proximie.

A good example of this is the PxKit, which is often used in an OR during life saving procedures. It is absolutely crucial that we don’t distract surgeons from the patient with a mistimed notification or alert from Proximie.

By having a deep understanding of how our customers work in the OR, what the different surgical roles are within the operating room, and how they interact with each other during the different stages of procedures, we know how design can help inform our users at the cutting-edge of healthcare delivery. This sometimes means that a less is more approach helps to pave the way for cleaner, more accessible user experiences.

Have you brought the hand pointer back?

Yes - because we listen to our customers! The decision to bring back the hand pointer was directly influenced by customer feedback. We always consider features based on our users’ needs and preferences, so when we realised that the hand pointer was something they really liked in a previous version of Proximie, we brought it back in the update.

The new hand pointer tool makes it possible for users to point to specific elements in the video feed, enhancing collaboration in tasks such as proctoring and training.

How has accessibility been improved?

Proximie users’ feedback on the existing annotation tools led to us making some accessibility and usability improvements. During user testing, it became apparent that some aspects of the annotation tool were unclear to users, so we’ve made sure that we’ve addressed those pain points and improved on them.

To make using the annotation tool easier - especially for first time users - we’ve added labels beneath each of the icons, so it’s now really clear what each tool in the UI does.

What other roles have Proximie users played in the update?

We are always looking at how we can improve the entire customer journey. As mentioned previously, feedback and in-depth customer research have played a crucial part in enhancing the user experience - but we have also spent a lot of time closely observing how Proximie is used in real life situations in the OR, and conducting focus groups and interviews with leading figures in the surgical field.

One example of a feature that has been developed as a result of this kind of research is ‘instant video’ and 'last state preview’. Previously, some users were finding it laborious to set up video feeds and time-consuming to add all of the cameras in. Now, in response to that feedback, Proximie remembers which cameras were used in the last session, and instantly adds them when users join the session. Essentially, we have eliminated the need for manual set up and reduced the number of clicks needed to set up a session by 90-100%.

Research into and interaction with our customers is vital to addressing any friction points in the user journey, improving user experience and making Proximie ever more intuitive and efficient.

Our product is always evolving and improving as we learn, which means we are never truly 'done'.

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