Jonathan H Brown

Headshot of Jonathan H Brown
I am an optimistic and curious
design leader and consultant;  
I empower my teams to
improve health outcomes with
Human-Centered Design.
For a large integrated health delivery company, we investigated the underlying causes of the high rate of Prior Auth resubmissions. We discovered the proposed solutions did not solve the problem for the end users and designed a service that would.
Project type
Service Design
Tools
Adobe Suite, Powerpoint
Industry
Healthcare
Roles
Design Strategist, Service Designer
For a large integrated health delivery company that was building a new Care Management platform, I was tasked with designing a solution to support Case Managers working both on and offline while performing assessments of Long-Term Services & Support Members.
Project type
Product Design
Tools
Adobe XD
Industry
Healthcare
Roles
Design Researcher,
Product Designer,
Interaction Designer
Creating a new insurance product cost too much and took too much time. In a complex, 18.2 billion dollar integrated health organization, no central authority understood the process of creating a new product. Through design sessions and ethnographic interviews, we mapped the employees responsibilities across multiple organizations and systems, then used the findings to simplify the process.
Project type
Service Design
Tools
Adobe Suite, Powerpoint
Industry
Healthcare
Roles
Design Strategist
For a Pennsylvania startup, my team redesigned chronic disease management for patients with COPD by creating separate patient and nurse interfaces.
Project type
Service Design
Tools
Adobe Suite, Powerpoint
Industry
Healthcare
Roles
Design Engineer

Case Study: Beyond the Obvious

This solution will net significant efficiencies, anticipated savings in the millions, and much happier users.

-Client
Challenge

A healthcare organization approached us with a seemingly straightforward problem: reduce the number of insurance claims rejected due to missing pre-authorizations.
Their proposed solution was simple—add a link in the provider interface to access the existing pre-authorization requirements document. The assumption: providers couldn't find this information easily.

Approach

Instead of immediately implementing the requested solution, our team proposed a critical first step: observe and talk directly with end users to validate the actual need.
With support from delivery owner and his director , our team conducted on-site sessions with financial coordinators, administrative assistants, and managers.

The Surprising Discovery

The feedback was unanimous and unexpected: "We would never use that link."
Through careful observation and conversation, we uncovered the real issue. Providers knew where to find the pre-authorization document—they simply didn't trust its accuracy. Some had resorted to submitting pre-authorizations for every procedure, yet still experienced claim rejections even when told pre-authorizations weren't required.

The User-Centered Solution

Our design team developed multiple solution concepts, created workflows and mockups, then validated them with the actual users to identify the most effective approach. The winning solution had three components:

  1. Data Integrity
    Ensure all systems use the same source of truth for pre-authorization requirements
  2. Proactive Verification
    Integrate pre-authorization requirement checks directly into the normal clinical workflow
  3. Trust Building
    Provide users with a receipt containing a unique verification number when pre-authorizations aren't required
The Business Impact

While this solution required more investment than simply adding a link, our approach delivered tremendous value:

  • Projected annual ROI of 6.5x the implementation cost
  • Avoided wasting resources on an unused solution
  • Anticipated savings in the millions
  • Significantly improved user satisfaction

Design Leadership

I know few more powerful forces for good design in the world than Jonathan. ... He's an empathetic, effective manager of people who brings out the best in them, and he brings a boundless spirit of optimism and affirmation to every task and team.

– Patrick E. Sharbaugh
Logo of SDLC Partners
SDLC Partners
2016-2020
I created and staffed the design capability at this mid-sized technology consultancy and integrated that capability throughout our service offerings. I hired, managed, and grew SDLC's team of interaction designers and design strategists.
Logo of One Sprint Beyond
One Sprint Beyond
2022-2024
I founded a bespoke design consultancy focused on delivering astonishing simple interfaces. We ensure design in intent is carried through to product release through tight integration with development teams.
Logo of CGI
Carnegie Mellon University
2020-2022
Logo of CGI
CGI
2021-2022
I delivered insight-driven and outcome-based engagements by leading teams through design strategy and user experience projects for international clients for one of the largest IT and business consultancy services firms in the world.

Speaking Samples

Photo of Jonathan H Brown speaking at Think Up conference

Writing Samples

Document Samples

Certifications and Coursework

A montage of photographs showing Jonathan H Brown at work.