Shifo LMIS

Project Snapshot

• Role: UX / Product Designer
• Context: Government & public health supply chains
• Users: Health facilities, district managers, national supply planners

What is LMIS?

Shifo LMIS is a digital system that helps governments track: - Medical stock levels (vaccines, medicines, supplies) - Consumption rates - Orders and replenishments - Expiry dates - Distribution flows It replaces fragmented spreadsheets and paper reporting with structured, real-time supply chain visibility.

The Core Problem

Health facilities often experience: - Stock-outs of essential medicines - Expired products going unnoticed - Manual reporting delays - Poor visibility across districts - Inaccurate consumption forecasting Data existed, but it was not usable, trusted, or timely. The challenge was not just digitizing forms, but designing a system that ensures: - Accurate reporting - Faster ordering - Clear visibility - Better decision-making

Primary Users

1. Facility Pharmacists / Store Managers

They: - Record stock entries and consumption - Submit monthly reports - Raise replenishment requests Pain Points: - Manual logs, confusing forms, delayed approvals

2. District Health Officers

They: - Monitor facility stock levels - Approve orders - Prevent shortages Pain Points: - No real-time overview, reactive instead of proactive

3. National Supply Planners

They: - Forecast demand - Plan procurement - Monitor national stock health Pain Points: - Fragmented data, inconsistent reporting formats

UX Approach

1. Reduce Cognitive Load at Facility Level

Instead of long complex forms, we: - Structured data entry in logical steps - Auto-calculated balances - Added inline validation - Highlighted required fields clearly This reduced reporting errors and form abandonment.

2. Make Stock Status Instantly Visible

We introduced: - Color-coded stock indicators (Healthy / Low / Critical / Overstock) - Visual stock balance trends - Expiry alerts Users could understand inventory health at a glance without reading tables.

3. Turn Data Entry Into Decision Support

Instead of just recording numbers, the system: - Suggested reorder quantities - Flagged unusual consumption spikes - Warned about near-expiry stock The system became proactive, not passive.

4. Design for Low-Resource Environments

We optimized for: - Low bandwidth - Offline-friendly flows - Minimal UI clutter - Clear typography for field workers This increased usability in rural facilities.

5. Align UX with Supply Chain Logic

We mapped real supply workflows: - Receive stock - Record consumption - Check balance - Submit order - District approval The interface followed this exact mental model with no unnecessary navigation layers.

Design Impact

Improved Reporting Accuracy

Auto-calculations and validations reduced reporting errors significantly.

Reduced Stock-Outs

District managers could now: - Identify facilities running low - Reallocate stock - Approve replenishments faster

Increased Data Trust

Because calculations were system-driven and transparent, users trusted reported balances.

Faster Decision-Making

Instead of waiting for monthly paper reports, managers had near real-time visibility.

Measurable Outcomes (Illustrative)

• 45% reduction in reporting errors
• 30% reduction in stock-out incidents in pilot districts
• 60% increase in on-time report submissions
• 35% reduction in approval processing time

What Made the UX Effective?

• Designed for real workflows, not just screens
• Prioritized clarity over feature density
• Built feedback loops directly into the interface
• Transformed LMIS from a data entry tool into a decision-support system

Final Insight

The LMIS module was successful because we understood that supply chain problems are rarely about missing data, they are about invisible data. By making inventory health visible, actionable, and reliable, the LMIS design directly improved healthcare delivery efficiency.