Designing for Confidence: How Research Informed a Pharmacy Dashboard
When people think about storytelling, they often picture words, not data. But research is storytelling - it begins with curiosity, tension, discovery, and resolution.
For the McKesson Pharmacy Reimbursement Dashboard project, the story began with a question: Why are independent pharmacy owners struggling to understand their own reimbursements? These were smart, experienced business owners running tight operations - yet the information they had access to often left them uncertain about what was happening behind the numbers.
I started with conversations. Four in-depth interviews revealed a common thread - confusion and frustration. Then, we tested the newly designed dashboard in an unmoderated usability study with eleven pharmacy owners. We observed specific usability challenges:
- Chart information was unclear.
- Bar labels caused confusion.
- Not all bars had roll-overs.
- Differences in waterfall colors were hard to distinguish.
- Most participants assumed they could drill down into charts that weren't interactive.
In storytelling terms, that was the conflict - the moment you realize what's blocking the hero's progress.
The resolution came through design and clarity. Recommendations focused on simplifying navigation, adding tooltips, clarifying terminology, and reducing unnecessary filters. Each suggestion tied back to a user's moment of confusion or hesitation.
But the deeper story wasn't just about charts or clicks. By reflecting on the broader context - the challenges pharmacy owners face with complex reimbursement structures like DIR fees - I realized the true impact of our work: helping them regain confidence and control over their business. That insight shaped every design decision, ensuring empathy guided the experience.
What I learned: research becomes powerful when you tell it like a story. Every number, quote, and chart is a plot point that explains not just what users do, but why it matters - and why empathy is the thread connecting all of it.