Prenatal Visits - Uplift

Prenatal Visits - Uplift

Prenatal Visits is a PowerChart component used in prenatal clinics worldwide to document and manage pregnancy details. It features two primary views — a Card View, which presents visit information in discrete cards, and a Flowsheet View, which displays the same information in a tabular format.


This project was passed on to me during a critical phase, after the previous designer had exited the team. At the time, the project was stalling due to a lack of clarity, misaligned expectations, and gaps in communication between stakeholders.

Here's the story with various scenarios where my input helped shape the design of the app.

Prenatal Visits is a PowerChart component used in prenatal clinics worldwide to document and manage pregnancy details. It features two primary views — a Card View, which presents visit information in discrete cards, and a Flowsheet View, which displays the same information in a tabular format.


This project was passed on to me during a critical phase, after the previous designer had exited the team. At the time, the project was stalling due to a lack of clarity, misaligned expectations, and gaps in communication between stakeholders.

Here's the story with various scenarios where my input helped shape the design of the app.

My Role

My Role

This project was initially handled by another designer. I began by shadowing them for around two months to understand the design rationale, user pain points, and feedback gathered so far.


As the project transitioned to me, I took full ownership of the redesign. I analyzed the existing Card and Flowsheet views, identified critical usability issues, and proposed scalable design solutions that addressed both immediate requirements and future flexibility.


Recognizing communication gaps across teams, I initiated a cross-functional workshop to bring together product managers, developers, and stakeholders. This helped us align on the problem space, surface blockers, and define a clear path forward. After the workshop, I led the project through over seven iterations, presented the final design to the client, and ensured on-time delivery with strong alignment to business goals.

Identify and Resolve Usability Gaps

Reviewed legacy designs, mapped user challenges, and improved layout flow to enhance information clarity and reduce user fatigue.


Design Scalable, Modular Components

Created flexible layouts with reusable components supporting multi-baby pregnancy cases, inline commenting, and contextual data display.


Lead Cross-Functional Alignment and Delivery

Facilitated a team-wide workshop to realign direction, resolved design handover confusion, and implemented user-validated changes across seven iterations with a 74% SUS score


Key Contributions

Key Contributions

  • Redesigned 2 core views (Card & Flowsheet) to improve usability and accessibility

  • Replaced hover-only interactions with responsive pop-overs to support mobile/tablet users

  • Introduced Quick Access and Trend View functionality for faster data exploration

  • Modularized the card layout for multi-baby support and improved content clarity

  • Added visit type labeling and filtering (OB, MFM, Virtual)

  • Delivered over 7 iterative design rounds in 6 weeks, balancing feedback and technical feasibility


Key Changes — Card Design

Key Changes — Card Design

Old Card Design: Issues Identified

  • No clear visit type in the header

    The nature of the visit (e.g., virtual, OB visit) was not immediately visible.

  • Hover-based interactions

    Important data trends were only accessible via hover, causing accessibility problems.

  • Unclear cumulative weight indicator

    The representation of weight change was confusing and not easily understood.

  • Hidden attestation details

    Critical legal and clinical information was not visible upfront.

  • Lack of structure for fetal and comment data

    Important fields like comments and fetal observations were not clearly emphasized.

Uplifted Card Design: Improvements Made

  • Visit type displayed prominently in the header

    Gave users immediate context of the visit type.

  • Replaced hover with accessible pop-over interactions

    Allowed users to view trends more intuitively and inclusively.

  • Organized data into structured sections

    Created logical groupings for vitals, fetal details, and comments.

  • Attestation information made visible

    Increased clarity and compliance by surfacing important info directly on the card.

  • Integrated clinical comments and documentation links

    Added contextual relevance and supported clinician communication.

  • Designed for scalability

    Supported multi-baby pregnancies and modular growth.


Key Changes — Flowsheet Design

My Role

Old Flowsheet Design: Issues Identified

  • Static data labels

    Data could not be interacted with or expanded, making analysis difficult.

  • Hover-based edit buttons

    Users had to hover to see edit options, creating usability and accessibility concerns.

  • Non-collapsible sections

    The layout was dense, with no way to manage visual complexity.

  • Lack of contextual navigation

    No direct way to access detailed or editable views from within the table.

Uplifted Flowsheet Design: Improvements Made

  • Clickable data fields for trend insights

    Users can click to view deeper trends, improving data usability.

  • Collapsible sections

    Improved layout readability and reduced information overload.

  • Side panel access for editing

    Users can access a full editable view by selecting the visit date.

  • Better structure for prenatal data

    Sections like vitals, fetal information, and provider notes were clearly segmented.

  • Improved accessibility and usability

    Removed hover-only interactions and made functionality more discoverable.

Usability Testing

We conducted a formative usability test with 5 participants where:


  • OB Physicians, Midwives, and OB Nurses from both US and UK

  • Each participant spent over 30 hours per week in direct patient care

  • Participants had prior experience with Cerner’s maternity suite


Key Metrics:

  • SUS Score: 74% (Above industry average for EHR interfaces)

  • 80% of participants preferred the new Card View layout

  • 100% found the Quick Access and pop-over interactions easier than hover

  • 60% stated that filtering by visit type improved their workflow

  • Average task completion time improved by 22% post-redesign

We conducted a formative usability test with 5 participants where:


  • OB Physicians, Midwives, and OB Nurses from both US and UK

  • Each participant spent over 30 hours per week in direct patient care

  • Participants had prior experience with Cerner’s maternity suite


Key Metrics:

  • SUS Score: 74% (Above industry average for EHR interfaces)

  • 80% of participants preferred the new Card View layout

  • 100% found the Quick Access and pop-over interactions easier than hover

  • 60% stated that filtering by visit type improved their workflow

  • Average task completion time improved by 22% post-redesign


Feedback from User Research

Priority Finding Area for Improvement Resolution
Priority 4 Adding comments to a specific field was not intuitive Consider more intuitive ways to add comments to a specific question Added comment button in the menu
Priority 3 The difference between types of visits was unclear Use color coding or labels to differentiate visit types Color-coded flowsheet and added labels
Priority 3 Quick Access button was unclear Make it more visible and rename for clarity UI restructure proposed
Priority 3 It was not clear who documented the visit Make provider information more prominent Adjusted visit header layout
Priority 3 Adding another baby was not intuitive Make the process clearer and more discoverable Made header clickable
Priority 3 Accessing comments section was not intuitive Simplify comment access Improved visual cues and workflow
Priority 4 Users confused notes vs. comments Clarify with visual aid (e.g., tooltip or popover) Added tooltips and labels

Design Gallery

Design Gallery

Design Gallery

There were 7+ iterations to reach till the final design. Also worked on future explorations due to technological limitations. Just a gallery of some of them

There were 7+ iterations to reach till the final design. Also worked on future explorations due to technological limitations. Just a gallery of some of them

Card Design Evolution

The original Card View featured expandable sections that were intended to optimize screen space and allow additional data to be shown as needed. While this approach initially helped manage layout density, it quickly became inconsistent with other products across the suite.


To align with the broader application ecosystem, the card layout was later adapted to match a more unified visual structure. However, this update introduced its own challenges. The design no longer supported section-level grouping, which made it harder to organize content clearly or prepare for future data types.


During early iterations, blue information icons were used to surface additional data through hover interactions. These icons functioned as progressive disclosures, introduced as a quick fix in earlier versions of the application. However, they became widespread across the product without addressing accessibility or interaction clarity.


Recognizing the limitations of both structure and interaction patterns, I worked toward a solution that balanced usability, accessibility, and future scalability. The card was eventually restructured into modular content boxes, each of which used clickable interactions instead of hover-based triggers. This update improved accessibility across devices and also made the layout more adaptable for new data types or custom values required by different clients.


The final layout made it easier to maintain visual clarity, helped align the product with accessibility guidelines, and allowed future feature expansion without requiring major design overhauls.

Iterations of Card Design

Comments Design Evolution

One of the most important elements for clinicians during prenatal care review was access to comments. Comments served as a communication thread between midwives, nurses, and physicians, and were used heavily to track visit-specific observations and follow-ups. During user feedback sessions, clinicians consistently expressed the need to view all comments in one place without having to switch between views or scroll excessively.


The challenge was designing a solution that would allow easy access to comments without compromising the visibility of clinical data in the card layout. The cards were designed to be compact and readable within a single view, so any additional element had to work within strict real estate constraints.

Initial Concepts and Limitations


  • Side Panel Integration

    This idea was explored as a way to separate comments from the card layout. However, the side panel was already being used as a data input method across the system. Reusing it for viewing comments caused confusion and conflicted with existing workflows. As a result, this option was not well received.

  • Overlay Display on Cards

    Another approach was to create an overlay that would sit above the card and display all comments in a single view. This allowed for quick access, but it obstructed the underlying card content. Since clinicians often needed to reference the data while reviewing comments, this solution disrupted their workflow and was ultimately not viable.

  • Popover-Based Comments

    Eventually, I proposed integrating comments directly within each card using clickable popovers. This allowed users to access comments without navigating away or opening additional views. This solution was well received in usability sessions, though it still required adjustments to spacing and content layout to improve readability within the popover.


Additional Exploration

Alongside these iterations, I also explored a dedicated view focused solely on data trends. This allowed users to compare data changes over time while viewing associated comments. The client appreciated this exploration for its clarity and potential value in reviewing patient progression over multiple visits.


This part of the redesign required balancing technical constraints, screen space, and workflow expectations. The final solution provided a flexible yet non-disruptive way for clinicians to access comments, while setting the foundation for future improvements based on feedback.

Personal Explorations

Personal Explorations

Personal Explorations

In every project I work on, I aim to design the best possible solution that meets user needs, even if technical constraints prevent full implementation. These explorations serve as future design directions that teams can reference when timelines or technology allow.


During the Prenatal Visits redesign, I identified that clinicians often struggled with navigating between multiple visit cards. Comments were especially important to them, as they relied on them to understand patient history and coordinate care across roles. Many users expressed the need to view all comments in one place, without having to click into each card individually.


To support this workflow, I explored several design directions:


  • Single Card with List View

    This concept showed one card at a time alongside a vertical list of visits. The list was color-coded to help users identify visit types quickly and navigate with less cognitive load.

  • Expanded Comments View

    I designed a layout that emphasized comment visibility within the card. This helped clinicians focus on communication threads without losing context.

  • Quick Access View

    This version surfaced all visit comments in a scrollable list, allowing clinicians to read through patient history and jump directly to any visit. It provided a summarized flow of events and was particularly helpful for understanding how a pregnancy progressed over time. This idea was well received by the client for its clarity and potential efficiency gains.



These concepts were designed with scalability in mind and aimed to enhance usability without compromising clinical workflows. Though not all of them made it to the final release, they represent directions the product could grow into based on real user needs.

Vertical Timeline with Expanded Card and Comment based views

© Utkarsh Babbar 2025

© Utkarsh Babbar 2025

© Utkarsh Babbar 2025