Quality Assurance Audit of Product Design for Chronic Care Management System
%
Usability Score
%
Accessability Compliance
%
Increase in Organic Traffic
The number of identified security vulnerabilities decreased by 100% due to plugin and theme updates and enhanced login protection.
Broken links were reduced to less than 0.5% of the total internal links.
The site achieved 100% compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards, improving accessibility for users with disabilities.
Client Overview
The client, a world-renowned leader in chronic care management, develops cutting-edge healthcare solutions for patients with long-term conditions. They wanted to ensure that their new digital product design – a platform intended for both patients and healthcare providers – was optimized for usability, performance, security, and compliance with healthcare standards. Given the sensitive nature of patient data, the platform also needed to meet strict regulatory requirements.
The primary objective was to conduct a thorough Quality Assurance (QA) audit to identify usability issues, assess functionality, ensure compliance with healthcare regulations like HIPAA, and enhance the overall user experience.
Objectives
- Conduct a comprehensive review of the product’s user interface (UI) and user experience (UX).
- Identify any usability issues that could hinder patient and healthcare provider engagement.
- Ensure full compliance with healthcare regulations (HIPAA, GDPR) for data privacy and security.
- Test the platform’s performance under various usage scenarios to ensure it can handle high traffic and large data loads.
- Provide actionable recommendations to enhance accessibility for users with disabilities.
Challenge
The Fintech company faced several challenges due to gaps in their QA processes:
Performance Issues
- The platform struggled under load when more than 50 users accessed the platform simultaneously, causing slowdowns and delays in data syncing.
- The average page load time was 5.3 seconds, above the target of 2-3 seconds.
Security Vulnerabilities
- The product lacked proper multi-factor authentication (MFA) for healthcare provider logins, which could expose patient data to unauthorized access.
- Certain endpoints lacked encryption, posing a significant security risk for sensitive health data.
Usability Issues
- Patients reported confusion when navigating between sections for tracking medications and scheduling appointments. About 20% of patients struggled to find the key features they needed.
- Healthcare providers found the communication tools to be unintuitive, which hindered quick interactions with patients.
Accessibility Concerns
- 40% of the interactive elements did not meet accessibility guidelines, particularly for screen reader compatibility.
- The color contrast was insufficient in certain sections, making it difficult for users with visual impairments to navigate.
Compliance Gaps
- Some areas of the product failed to fully comply with HIPAA guidelines, particularly around data encryption during patient information transfers.
- Inconsistent consent prompts were found when collecting sensitive patient data, which could lead to legal risks.
Solution
Performance Optimization
- Optimize the platform’s infrastructure to handle up to 500 simultaneous users without slowdowns.
- Reduce page load time to 2.5 seconds by optimizing images, JavaScript, and CSS files.
Security Improvements
- Update all outdated plugins and themes to their latest versions.
- Implement stronger password policies and introduce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for admin access.
Usability Enhancements
- Simplify the navigation flow to allow users to easily access key features like medication tracking and appointment scheduling, improving usability by 30% based on user feedback.
- Streamline the healthcare provider communication tools, enabling quicker and more intuitive interactions.
Accessibility Upgrades
- Implement a color contrast update across the platform to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, improving accessibility for users with visual impairments by 50%.
- Add ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels and ensure that all interactive elements are keyboard-navigable, improving accessibility for users with motor impairments.
Security Enhancements
- Encrypt all sensitive data endpoints using 256-bit encryption and implement MFA for all user logins.
- Conduct regular security audits to maintain a robust defense against potential vulnerabilities.
Impact
| Metric | Before Audit | After Audit |
|---|---|---|
| Page Load Time | 5.3 seconds | 2.5 seconds |
| Concurrent Users Supported | 50 | 500 |
| Usability Score | 60% | 90% |
| Accessibility Compliance | 60% | 100% |
| Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | Not Implemented | Implemented |
| Security Vulnerabilities Found | 5 major issues | 0 major issues |
| SEO/Organic Traffic | No significant change | 15% increase |
Technologies
Google PageSpeed Insights
Used to analyze the website’s speed and provide suggestions for improving load time.
WPScan
A WordPress-specific security scanner that was used to identify vulnerabilities in plugins, themes, and core files.
Moz Pro
Provided SEO metrics, including keyword analysis, indexing issues, and domain authority.
Ahrefs
Used to check for SEO issues such as backlinks, missing alt texts, and page rankings.
Conclusion
The QA audit of the chronic care management platform revealed critical areas for improvement, especially in usability, compliance, performance, and security. After implementing the recommended changes, the platform achieved substantial improvements in speed, user satisfaction, and data security, as well as full compliance with healthcare regulations. The platform is now capable of handling much higher traffic loads and is fully accessible to users with disabilities.
The client’s stakeholders reported an improvement in overall user engagement, and patient satisfaction increased by 30% based on post-audit user feedback. The enhanced security measures also ensured the protection of sensitive health data, bringing peace of mind to both patients and healthcare providers.
This project demonstrates the importance of a comprehensive QA audit for healthcare platforms, where compliance, security, and usability directly impact patient outcomes and business success.
Working with this team was a game-changer for our website. The audit helped us fix slow load times, broken links, and improve mobile responsiveness. After the changes, our website is faster, more secure, and easier for customers to use. We’ve already seen more traffic and better engagement. Highly recommend their services!
Get Started