Tan Yee Jing
Rethinking Ophthalmic Procedure Workflows through Instrument Organization
| Interested in how people behave within systems, Yee Jing looks at how design can better support how people work in practice, not just how they are intended to work. Her work has explored contexts in healthcare, social design with elderly communities, caregivers and coastal ecosystems, where she studied mangrove environments to understand ecological and material relationships. These experiences have shaped a more holistic approach to problems, focusing on how people move through systems in practice, how different parts connect and where gaps or frustrations can become opportunities for impact. Drawn to deep research and observation, she often works on the ground through shadowing and closely studying behavior. Her process focuses on noticing small shifts, making sense of what people say, do, and need, connecting these observations into clearer insights and design directions. Her work is iterative, with ideas tested and refined over time, always grounded in real use. |
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Rethinking Ophthalmic Procedure Workflows through Instrument Organization
| Over 9 months of ethnographic study in the National University Hospital's Ophthalmology Department, I examined how the organization of surgical tools affects doctors' efficiency in redesigning ophthalmic procedural workflows. Across the system, instruments move neatly through cleaning and sterilization, but once they reach the procedure tray for the doctor’s use, that order breaks down. Instruments are placed into a single compartment, where they mix and become hard to retrieve, especially sharp instruments, slowing them down. Doctors rely on habit to work through the cluttered setup. Under time pressure, these small moments add up. What is organized for the system does not match how tools are used in practice. To understand this more deeply, I spent time observing oculoplastic procedures, shadowing clinicians, and following tools through reprocessing and preparation. I worked closely with four doctors, including ophthalmology consultants and residents, to envision and test their ideal tool configurations using modular setups. These co-creation sessions revealed clear differences. Consultants arrange tools based on sequence and speed. Residents prioritized separation to avoid mistakes, especially with sharp instruments. Across both, similar behaviors emerged. Tools are often adjusted so their tips remain visible and are slightly elevated for more precise pickup. These small, almost unnoticed movements showed how much organization shapes the way doctors work. The focus shifted from redesigning the tray itself to rethinking how tools are organized within the system. I broke down the procedure into moments and explored arranging tools based on how they are being used. This led to the proposal of two pre-packed sets: a “Clean Set” for cotton consumables used throughout and a “Cut & Close Set” for instruments used in sequence. The layout supports visibility, safer handling and helps guide less experienced doctors during procedures. The design evolved from flexible, modular setups to a flat-pack structure that forms when opened. Cardboard and thick paper prototypes were tested with doctors and refined with sterility constraints in mind. By rethinking organization at this level, the design reduces the need to search and adjust tools during procedures, allowing doctors to pick up without thinking and focus more fully on the task at hand. A typical oculoplastics procedure generates about 143g of waste. With two sets, this drops to 87g, while setup time reduces from 3 minutes to under a minute, simplifying the preparation process for nurses by reducing the number of individual packs they need to open. While small per case, these changes add up across daily operations. Beyond the workflow, the project also considers the idea's impact and feasibility across the wider system in the existing hospital practices. Conversations with manufacturers, procurement staff and sterility experts helped ground the proposal in real-world constraints and possibilities. Ultimately, this project is not just about improving a tray. It became clear that this is a system-level challenge, but also one in which small shifts in the organization of instruments can shape behavior, influence doctors’ movements, reduce cognitive load, and improve how systems function as a whole. |