Core principles in practice.
Our team has spent a lot of time working to better understand the core principles of effective communication. While building a non-physical product presents difficulties of its own, these challenges are further compounded when working remotely and across different time zones. Building a product, as well as a company, from the ground up was no easy task under these conditions. Consequently, this deep understanding of communication and its role in a team setting has become a cornerstone of our design process and has directly impacted the functionalities and focus points of Communicare. Given how valuable this understanding has been to us, we wanted to share our findings with our community.
Foremost, to communicate effectively, you must first listen. Our team is comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds, native languages, and cultural expectations. Active listening and approaching a conversation with the intent to truly understand what the other person is asking or saying is key, especially when their way of explaining a situation or idea may differ greatly from your own.
The second facet of effective communication is clarity. This was a primary focal point for our software. The core purpose and functionality of Communicare is to provide a platform that establishes efficient communication channels in a hospital setting of any size and shape. Along with being an easy-to-use communication tool, it was critical that Communicare also provides rapid access to crucial patient data and care plan updates. In conversation, simple language and clear instructions can help ensure everyone is on the same page. Similarly, straightforward design and a streamlined user experience in our product can achieve the same goal.
Finally, structure. Thoughts, goals, and objectives can become lost or misaligned when there are gaps in team communication. As projects move forward, deadlines approach, and (in our case) products are built, it is incredibly important to communicate regularly and in a structured setting. From week one, our company has hosted regular meetings at the same time and with the same general format to establish a reliable development structure. This type of regularity can greatly help build a sense of community and increase team productivity.
We were amazed by how effectively these principles could be translated to the development of our platform. We hope you find them useful.