At Significo, we pride ourselves on our custom software development partnerships that consistently exceed expectations. Our customers rate us 9/10 for the quality of deliverables and communications! Our well-crafted process, honed over dozens of healthcare partnerships over the last decade, ensures a smooth software development journey from concept to project delivery, providing our healthcare partners with a human and value-driven experience. Here's a comprehensive guide to developing healthcare software with Significo.

Discovery: Building the Foundation

The discovery phase lays the foundation for the entire project, ensuring that all requirements, goals, and expectations are clearly understood and documented. We treat this phase as a deep dive into the project’s specifics to align our solutions perfectly with our partner’s vision. We establish shared goals and scope what an approach could look like. We take note of all requirements and ensure

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• Conducting Thorough Market Research and Industry Analysis: To ground our solutions in best practices, we conduct market research and industry analysis. This provides insights into current trends, competitor solutions, and regulatory landscapes, which are critical for creating a competitive and compliant product.
  
  
• Technical & Interoperability Exploration: It’s often the case that our customers have legacy systems and existing workflows that the new software must integrate with. Failing to consider these can cause significant technical challenges. We thoroughly analyze the existing systems and workflows, identify integration points and potential compatibility issues, and plan for data migration and interoperability from the outset.
  
  
• Understanding Regulatory and Compliance Standards: We identify relevant regulations and standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) and incorporate these compliance requirements into the project’s documentation and planning to ensure the software meets all legal obligations.
  
  
• Exploring Data and Innovation: It is important to consider how data and innovations like AI/ML can impact the solution. So we explore what we can learn from the customers' existing data and how Machine Learning can be used to solve their problems. Additionally, we search public data to estimate the software’s impact on patient populations, identifying potential savings and calculating ROI. We also explore how AI and other innovations can enhance the solution design phase.

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• Brainstorming and Prioritizing Solutions: We brainstorm a range of potential solutions and evaluate them for feasibility, impact, cost, and alignment with project goals. We conduct data analysis to identify weak spots and support our decision-making. After rounds of reviews, the most promising ideas are prioritized.
  
  
• Scope Definition and Documentation: Detailed documentation of the solution, objective, and approach is created. This could include a high-level approach, scope of work for future phases of work, deliverables, timelines, and more.
  
  
• Stakeholder Alignment and Documentation: Buy-in is imperative so we make sure we’ve built in ample time for stakeholder alignment. This may mean multiple rounds of presentations to support buy-in through the various levels of the organization. We ensure all stakeholders are aligned by presenting the proposed solutions and strategies for their input and approval.

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UX: Creating Human-First Solutions

At Significo, we prioritize creating human-first solutions. We go beyond merely thinking about users; we aim to understand the heart of the individuals whose problems need solving. This is why the UX phase is crucial to our process. We focus on developing user-friendly and engaging interfaces by understanding user needs and behaviors, designing intuitive navigation, and conducting thorough user testing to refine the experience.

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• Developing User Personas and Stories: We create detailed user personas and stories to represent the diverse types of users who will interact with the software. This helps us understand their needs, preferences, and challenges, ensuring our designs cater to real-world scenarios.
  
  
• User Journey Mapping: By mapping out the user journey, we identify key touchpoints and ensure a seamless experience from start to finish. This holistic view of the user’s interaction with the software informs our design decisions, allowing us to enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
  
  
• Conducting User Research and Testing Existing Solutions: Our UXR team conducts user research to understand user behaviors, need states, friction points, and opinions on existing solutions. Our data team supports this process by using data to quantify user needs and identify weak spots in products or solutions.
  
  
• Creating Wireframes and Prototypes: Using the insights and strategies developed earlier in this phase, we develop wireframes and prototypes to visualize the software’s layout, navigation, and interactions. These early-stage models are essential for us to test ideas, gather feedback, and make iterative improvements.
  
  

Design: Crafting the Experience

The design phase is where we craft the user experience and system architecture to align with the project’s goals and user needs. This phase focuses on creating detailed plans and visualizations that guide the development team in building a cohesive and intuitive product.

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• Architecture Design: We define the system architecture, including the high-level structure and technical framework of the software. During this process, we ensure scalability, security, and performance requirements are integrated into the architectural blueprint. To complete this phase, we develop a comprehensive technical specification document outlining all elements of the architecture.
  
  
• User Interface Design: Our team ensures a high level of style and elevated visual experience in every project. We create comprehensive design systems that standardize visual elements and interactions across all components and modules. We prioritize intuitive, user-friendly layouts that enhance the user experience
  
  
• Data Design: We design the data model, including database schema and data flow diagrams, and plan for data migration and integration. By establishing data management protocols, we ensure the right level of integrity, security, and compliance. These data models are also used for insight generation and continuous evaluation, allowing us to learn and best support our customers.

Development: Building Functional Scalable Solutions

In the Development phase, our team turns the design into a working reality. This step is where ideas and plans take shape, becoming a functional and reliable software solution that can make a real difference in healthcare. We typically use an agile approach, breaking the project into smaller tasks or sprints. This method allows us to be flexible, adapting to changes quickly, and delivering parts of the software incrementally.  And we prioritize the "privacy by design” model, ensuring that healthcare data is protected throughout the development process.

We develop core functionality and features as per design specifications, ensuring that the code is written following best practices and industry standards for maintainability and scalability. Our solution is developed and deployed through a structured life cycle environment that includes development, staging, and production stages.

Development and Deployment Process:

• CI/CD Pipeline:
  • We use GitHub Actions to manage continuous integration and continuous delivery workflows, ensuring efficient and reliable updates and new feature releases.
• Mobile Platforms (Android & iOS):
  • Bitrise automates the building, signing, and releasing of binaries to Google Play Store and Apple App Store for each stage (development, staging, production).
• Backend Services:
  • We use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Pulumi, and Helm Charts for deploying services to Kubernetes (K8s) clusters, ensuring consistent and repeatable deployments.
• Documentation and Version Control:
  • We thoroughly document the codebase, including APIs, libraries, and modules. This enhances collaboration and ensures the software can be efficiently maintained and updated in the future.

Testing: Ensuring Quality, Security, and Compliance‍

The testing phase ensures that what we've built functions as intended, is secure, and provides a seamless user experience. Our comprehensive approach to testing guarantees that the final product meets the highest standards of quality and reliability, ready to make a positive impact in the healthcare sector.

Each feature is defined by a set of specifications collected in functional requirements documents and presented as acceptance criteria. Developers follow these criteria and provide proof of compliance using quality management tools such as Jira tickets and GitHub pull requests. These acceptance criteria are evaluated by QA engineers through manual testing and a suite of unit and instrumented tests during the development process to ensure new additions meet requirements and no regressions are introduced.

• Functional Testing: We verify that all features and functionalities work as expected.
• Performance Testing: We ensure the software can handle expected loads and performs well under stress.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Real users validate the solution to ensure it meets their needs and expectations.
• Compatibility Testing: We test the software across various devices, operating systems, and web browsers to ensure a consistent and seamless experience for all users.
• Security Testing: We conduct rigorous security testing to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance.
• Regression Testing: We perform regression testing to ensure new code changes do not adversely affect existing functionalities.
• Automated Testing: Automated tests are used to quickly verify code changes and perform repetitive tasks efficiently.

Deployment: Going Live

In the Deployment phase, we launch the software and make it available to users, ensuring a smooth transition from development to production. It’s a special moment in the journey for our customers. This step is crucial to ensure everything runs smoothly and the software is ready for real-world use.

Key Activities:

• Setting Up the Production Environment: We prepare everything needed for the software to run smoothly. This includes configuring servers, setting up databases, and ensuring all infrastructure components are in place and ready.
  
  
• Migrating Data and Configurations: We carefully transfer all necessary data and settings from the development environment to the production environment. This ensures that the software has everything it needs to function correctly and that no important information is lost.
  
  
• Final Round of Testing: Before going live, we conduct one last comprehensive round of testing. This helps us catch any final issues and make sure every part of the software works perfectly.
  
  
• Creating User Accounts and Roles: We set up user accounts and define roles and permissions to ensure everyone can access what they need while keeping the system secure. This step is crucial for maintaining security and usability.
  
  
• Deploying the Software: Now, the software is ready to be launched in its target environment. We ensure it’s accessible to all authorized users, making sure they can start using it right away.
• Monitoring the Initial Rollout: Once the software is live, we keep a close eye on how it’s performing. This allows us to quickly address any issues that come up and ensure everything runs smoothly from the start.

Support and Maintenance: Ensuring Longevity

Some customers stay on board so we can partner with them during a Support and Maintenance phase. This ensures that their software continues to perform optimally after deployment. Especially for customers with small engineering teams, this phase is crucial for maintaining efficiency, security, and adaptability as user needs evolve.

• Continuous Monitoring: We continuously monitor the software’s performance to identify areas for improvement. This proactive approach helps us optimize the system for better efficiency and user satisfaction.
  
  
• Ongoing Support: We provide continuous support to address any issues or bugs that may arise. Our team is always available to help troubleshoot and resolve problems quickly.
  
  
• Comprehensive Analytics: We deliver detailed analytics around the software we create, focusing on user interaction, success rates, and areas needing improvement. customers can access on-demand insights through reports and dashboards, all while ensuring compliance with GDPR. This data-driven approach helps us fine-tune the software to meet evolving user needs and maintain high standards of performance and security.
  
  
• Regular Updates: We release regular updates to enhance functionality and security. These updates ensure your software remains cutting-edge and protected against new threats.

Significo: Your Partner for Custom Healthcare Software Development

Choosing Significo means more than just hiring a software vendor. It's about starting a partnership where your success matters to us. We adhere to the highest standards of compliance in healthcare (ISO 13485, CCPA, GDPR, and HIPAA) and work with some of the largest payers and providers in highly regulated markets, so we’re a partner you can trust. We're ready to work with you, serve your users, and make a real impact together — to make healthcare more human.

• Tailored Solutions: Our process is not one-size-fits-all. We tailor our approach to our partner’s unique needs, ensuring a custom software solution that aligns perfectly with their goals.
• Innovation at the Core: Our Innovation Workshop kickstarts the process, fostering creativity and uncovering innovative solutions that set our solution apart in the market.
• Proactive Communication: We prioritize transparent and proactive communication at every stage. Partners are kept informed, involved, and in control throughout the partnership.
• Collaborative Onboarding: Our team integration goes beyond mere collaboration. We immerse ourselves in the project, ensuring a seamless and efficient partnership from day one.
• Human-Centered Technology: Our mission is to make healthcare technology more human: empowering, effective, and engaging. Throughout the process, we center the users as real people: diverse, individual, and unique. The result is an experience that drives more engagement, retention, and impact — our personalization efforts have tripled engagement on digital platforms!

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