Wisedocs’ Brain Power: Meet Marquessa MacKenzie, Senior Designer

Welcome to another edition of Wisedocs Brain Power, where we spotlight the talented individuals behind Wisedocs. Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to Marquessa MacKenzie, our Senior Designer. Marquessa's journey is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of a clear vision. From her early days in a small community to her current role at the forefront of medical insurance technology, she has consistently used her design skills to simplify complex problems and improve lives. Join us as we delve into her career, her day-to-day at Wisedocs, and her instrumental role in developing our game-changing Medical Summaries Platform.

Can you tell us a bit about your career and your role at Wisedocs?

I’m the Senior Designer at Wisedocs, and I've worked on a variety of projects, from product design and websites to conference materials and visual assets for our product launches. I love deriving simple solutions to complex problems, and navigating the rapidly developing medical insurance industry is a challenge that satisfies my need to connect the puzzle pieces and help improve the quality of life for others.

Tell us about your career so far; how did you get to where you are today?

My journey as a designer has been a process of constant learning and adaptation. I've always had a knack for visualizing and executing ideas, and over the years, I've honed this skill and added new ones to my toolkit. I moved from a small community to Toronto to expand my opportunities, earning a degree in Design and a certificate in UX/UI.

As a freelancer, I worked on diverse projects across various industries, which broadened my perspective and taught me how to cater to different needs. I've been involved in everything from building businesses and developing visual identities to creating physical products and digital assets.

Before my design career, I was a vision therapist and worked in the restaurant industry. This experience was invaluable, teaching me empathy, teamwork, and the importance of anticipating others' needs. It was the perfect training ground for a career in product design and the startup world, where understanding users and improving their quality of life is key.

How did you end up in the tech and startup world?

My journey to the tech and startup world has been very intentional, if not slightly unconventional. A life-altering car accident in 2012 gave me a new perspective and a deep appreciation for those who helped me heal. This experience ignited a desire to help others in a similar way.

I was drawn to the tech and startup world, a space known for its problem-solving ethos and potential for significant impact. With a clear goal to grow and contribute, I moved to Toronto. It was there that I met Connor Atchison, the Founder and CEO of Wisedocs, and was immediately captivated by his mission and the potential of the company.

What does a typical day look like for you as Wisedocs' Senior Designer?

My day is a mix of collaboration, management, and creativity. It usually starts with standup meetings with our engineering, sales, clients, and consultants. These meetings help us align our goals and ensure we're all on the same page.

A significant part of my role involves managing our design team. This includes cutting tickets for product and graphic design, scoping projects with the team, running check-ins, and providing feedback. It's all about ensuring our team is working effectively and efficiently.

Throughout the day, I place a high emphasis on collaboration. I'm constantly asking questions, seeking thoughts and opinions to make sure we're creating the best possible product.

Of course, there's always time for a coffee break and some music to keep the energy levels up. And last but not least, there's the design work itself. This is where I get to put my skills to use and bring our ideas to life. It's a busy, dynamic role, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

What’s an unexpected perk or challenge (or both) about being a Senior Designer?

An unexpected perk of being a Senior Designer at Wisedocs has been the opportunity to work at the intersection of design, technology, and healthcare. It's not every day that a designer gets to contribute to a product that has the potential to significantly impact an industry and improve people's lives. This unique position has allowed me to grow not just as a designer, but also as a problem-solver and a leader.

On the other hand, an unexpected challenge has been navigating the complexities of the medical insurance industry. As a designer, I'm tasked with creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. However, the nature of our work involves dealing with complex medical records and intricate insurance processes. Balancing the need for simplicity in design with the complexity of the content has been a challenging but rewarding experience. It has pushed me to think outside the box and constantly innovate in my design approach.

What part of the Wisedocs are you most proud to have worked on to date? What is your biggest achievement you celebrate here?

I am most proud of having worked on the AI Medical Summary Platform. This platform is a significant achievement as it builds off our existing medical record review software and provides a solution that allows companies in the insurance ecosystem to quickly summarize thousands of pages of medical records. This enables fast and inexpensive reviews of and decisions on medical records. It's a game-changer in the industry and a testament to our team's hard work and dedication.

You recently led design for our Summary Platform; tell us about your experience developing a new product.

Developing a new product is a comprehensive process that begins with learning and listening. We recognized a need in the medical insurance industry for a more efficient way to organize and share files for summarization. We knew our existing AI technology could be part of the solution, but we needed to understand the problem fully.

The development process involved market research, information sessions, iterative design and development phases, user testing, and auditing. It was a collaborative effort involving Founder and CEO Connor Atchison, Co-Founder and COO Jenna Earnshaw, Engineering Lead Lisen Kaci, our early adopters, and myself.

Seeing an idea evolve into a fully-fledged product is incredibly rewarding. 

As we announce the product launch, we're excited to share our Medical Summaries Platform with the industry. We're eager to receive feedback, develop new features, and contribute to positive change in the medical insurance industry.

What was the coolest part to build of the Summary Platform?

The coolest part to build was undoubtedly the interactive summary annotator. This feature allows users to extract key clinical information in real-time and build meaningful, customizable medical summaries from complex medical records. It was a challenge to design, but seeing it in action and how it simplifies the process for our users makes it all worthwhile.

What’s the part of the Summary Platform you know clients can’t wait to use?

Our clients have been particularly excited about the interactive timeline view, summary templates, and keyword and date filtering features. These tools will save them hours on generating summaries and insights into medical records, allowing for simpler review of medical records and the ability to take on more cases while shortening the process for all involved.

What part is the most exciting to see in action?

The most exciting part to see in action is the AI-powered summary generation. Our platform uses state-of-the-art machine learning to generate a few-sentence summary in the user's notes. This feature is reshaping the future of claims and moving the insurance ecosystem further towards automation and away from manual, laborious processes.

Can you tell us more about the Summary Platform and why it's a game-changer for the insurance and claims ecosystems?

The Summary Platform is crucial because it addresses a significant gap in the industry - the long wait times for creating medical summaries. 

Currently, it takes an average of six months to receive a completed medical summary. Our platform provides a digital solution for organizing, sharing, and creating summaries, aiming to drastically reduce this turnaround time. Ultimately, there's a person waiting for these summaries to receive treatment. Our goal is to ensure our solution expedites this process and facilitates timely care for those who need it most.

What makes you excited about Wisedocs? What are the challenges?

What excites me most about Wisedocs is our mission. The opportunity to transform an industry by providing a solution that benefits both professionals and those impacted by it is incredibly fulfilling.

I'm also inspired by our team. The dedication, diversity, and collaborative spirit of the Wisedocs team drive progress and foster a culture of growth and learning.

However, working in a startup and in the tech industry comes with its challenges. The pace is fast, and with the rapid advancements in our AI technology, staying ahead can be demanding. But these challenges are essential to ensuring we deliver the best product on the market. They keep us on our toes and constantly push us to innovate and improve.