Meet ZoCo Design: Transforming healthcare UX and innovation in Ohio
ZoCo Design has been a powerhouse in Columbus for over 12 years. They deliver high-impact user experience (UX) design for a diverse range of industries, but as of late 2024, their focus sharpened. They’re transforming healthcare and healthtech, partnering with product and technology teams to make understanding people and what to build for them, radically easy.
Why Healthcare?
The team at ZoCo has always prioritized building human-centered technology. After years of working with various industries, they recognized a growing need—and an expertise they could provide—for user research and product design specifically for healthcare. From frustrating patient portals to inefficient provider workflows, medical care user experience (UX) is often a pain point for both patients and healthcare providers. Lacey Picazo, ZoCo’s Founder and CEO, saw an opportunity to change that.
ZoCo partners with healthcare organizations and companies at all stages—whether they’re launching a brand-new product, improving an existing one, or defining an expansion strategy. Their approach combines in-depth user research, UX/UI screen design, and human-centered problem-solving to create seamless experiences for patients, clinicians, and healthcare professionals. Their goal? To ensure medical technology that improves health outcomes is chosen, adopted, and used long-term.
How User Research Improves Healthcare Technology
User research is all about understanding people's needs and motivations so products and services can be designed to work better for them…making those frustrating patient and provider experiences—like clunky interfaces and repetitive workflows—a thing of the past. By leveraging user insights, teams can streamline processes, reduce friction, and create solutions that truly meet the needs of those who rely on them most.
Some of the critical areas ZoCo focuses on include medical records, medical devices, medical equipment, and automation to improve healthcare services and patient experience. Their expertise also extends into telehealth with messaging and digital interactions that are seamless and HIPAA-compliant. ZoCo understands that advancements in medical care solutions require strategic design thinking, and that makes it an invaluable partner for companies aiming to create meaningful change in healthcare.
Expanding Beyond Columbus
ZoCo’s plans for growth are far-reaching. Through their Product Invitational events, they bring together leaders to discuss challenges, innovations, and opportunities. These invite-only roundtables have already expanded to Cleveland, Chicago, and San Francisco with upcoming sessions slated in Atlanta and other US cities. This type of collaboration and knowledge-sharing allows ZoCo to hear firsthand the challenges leaders are facing while offering support and community-building.
What It Means for Ohio
ZoCo’s healthcare UX focus isn’t just about designing better products—it’s about elevating Ohio’s position as a leader in the future of healthcare and digital health innovation. They’re helping local companies improve their healthcare information systems. They’re ensuring that Ohio-based startups and established organizations alike compete on a national and global scale. And, their Product Invitational events serve as a catalyst for Ohio’s tech leaders and healthcare professionals to connect, exchange ideas, and drive innovation forward.
As Ohio continues to emerge as a hub for healthcare technology, companies like ZoCo play a crucial role in shaping the future of patient care and digital health solutions. With a focus on medical technology, automation, and improved healthcare services, ZoCo is shaping the healthcare industry and enhancing the overall well-being of communities in Ohio and beyond by providing user research that ensures experiences are deeply aligned with the needs of patients, providers, and businesses.
