jennifer rana designs

patient care in the digital age

jennifer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:20:38 +0000

During the Olympics GE has been airing a commercial boasting technology that would allow any doctor to see your full medical history. The commercial seems to be aimed at the patient, and I must say, the ability for any doctor I see, anywhere, to know exactly what has happened to me in the past, what tests have come back negative, that I broke both my wrists first time on a snowboard, etc. I was blown away by the commercial and thought “way to go again GE!”.

Then today I watched a presentation by Bridget Duffy, former Chief Experience Office at the Cleveland Clinic. It skewed my view a bit. Instant access to medical records was great. What could make that even better? Perhaps to store more emotional information, in addition to the medical information. I thought about our visit to OHSU when our daughter was born. Our first night was a disaster, us new parents awake all night fussing over every sound our new bean made. We were not bothered all night. Possibly if in our records it was noted that she was our first, a nurse would have thought we might be anxious about her and would have checked in on us once or twice.

And I think about my grandmother who is battling dementia, in addition to other ailments. It must be frustrating for her to be forgetting things, to have her ability to function on her own taken away, poked and prodded by doctor after doctor, all asking the same questions. What if it noted in her record that talking about her great-grandchildren made her relax or that she didn’t like to feel like she was being bossed around. Maybe then the doctor of the day would know how to ease her mind a bit more.

I think all the advancement in technology is giving us a great opportunity, an opportunity to bring a more human side to patient care.

AppSolution

jennifer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:47:36 +0000

AppSolution need a web presence to sell their iPhone apps, as well as to communicate information and updates to current customers.

art of organization

jennifer — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:50:28 +0000

Keeping track of information, process, and status on a project is critical, not only for the current project, but for future projects. Finding the right tool to help keep track of everything is key. You can have the best software out there but if you don’t like to use it, or know how to use it, it is pointless.After much trial and error I seemed to have found a favorite, Basecamp. Especially with recent updates, Basecamp is intuitive, easy to use, and covers the basic needs of project management and client communication. That being said I am always looking for new tools. What is your favorite?

to tweet or not to tweet

jennifer — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:12:15 +0000

I joined Twitter about a year ago and, as many people do, posted one tweet and forgot all about it. You use a different part of your brain than you do with coding, designing, or even blogging. I have recently been tweeting more and more and are now “getting it”. I understand the power of it. I sat on the edge of my chair while a popular blogger tweeted about her trip to the emergency room and the agony of the lack of service and response to her sick child. It was powerful. Had she tweeted the name of the hospital as well it would have been even more powerful. I get job alerts through twitter, design tips through twitter, even recipes through twitter. I am getting it. What about you? Do you tweet?

inspiration and a coaster

jennifer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:09:15 +0000

I once, in an interview, confessed to gaining design inspiration from architecture. The way buildings played with the sky and the space surrounding them. Lately I have been feeling a little design challenged so have been looking harder for inspiration. Etsy is a great source for inspiration and today I came across a piece of furniture that inspires and that I covet. The pattern that the wood creates could be a great base for a logo or background illustration. The color of the wood is rich and seasonal as well. Best part is the designer, Michael Arras, is here in Portland. Now I just have to start saving my pennies.

handmade for christmas

jennifer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:12:27 +0000

I was recently on Etsy looking for Christmas cards and stumbled upon these. Perfect combination of type and texture. Plus I love that song.

12 months of letterpress

jennifer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:45:13 +0000

From Egg Press which is right here in Portland. They also make an Offset printed calendar as well which I think will look lovely in our new home.

wall art

jennifer — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:58:31 +0000

As we are close to closing on a house and Bean will have her own room, I am on the lookout for items to decorate her room, something to make it her own. I love the prints at this etsy shop and might just have to order a few. Too bad they don’t make wallpaper.

letterpress heaven

jennifer — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:20:47 +0000

If I could give myself a hug with these invitations I totally would. They are gorgeous. The perfect marriage between typography and color, with a little texture variation thrown right on in.

inspiration

jennifer — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:17:43 +0000

As a web designer I often have the task of taking an existing website and giving it an update. An update on layout, information structure, design, etc. I actually prefer this in some ways to starting from scratch. With an existing site you have the opportunity to see what is working and what isn’t working and make decisions based on actual feedback. It also presents an opportunity to get the client to rethink what their goals are, who their target audience is, what is the purpose of the site. I think on projects sometimes clients think they know what their goals are and who they are targeting but it often ends up to be different.

I think that is why I am drawn to Design*Sponge. You get to see updates that people are giving not on their websites but to their homes, however it is still the same concept behind the scenes. They get to see what is working in a room, what isn’t, what the purpose of the room is, and how to make that room better. Knock out a wall to brighten a room, add a splash of paint to an accent wall, change a wall sconce to set the tone. It has been giving me inspiration both at home as well as with the projects I am working on. What gives you inspiration?