Revolutionizing
Healthcare
A Seamless Tele-Consultation Journey
Tele-consultation
USP & Benefits of Teleconsultation
Convenience: Access healthcare services from home, avoiding travel and long wait times.
Timely Access: Receive prompt medical advice, reducing delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Accessibility: Available to users from diverse backgrounds, even in remote areas.
Team & Role
Timeline and duration: September 2019 - April 2020 (8 months)
For this project, worked as the sole designer
Coordinated and directed all facets of design including information-architecture, user task flows, interaction, visual, product, and prototyping
Also conducted user research using methods such as interviews, focus groups, and participatory design to address both user behaviour and attitudes
Understanding the bussiness problem
The recent pandemic and lockdowns have significantly increased demand for teleconsultation services within corporate healthcare plans. However, current solutions present challenges for both employees and medical professionals, hindering the overall teleconsultation experience. These challenges include:
Scheduling Inefficiencies: lead to frustration and delays for employees seeking care due to complex process
Engagement & Communication Issues: hinder quality care during teleconsultations due to lacking features for clear patient-doctor communication
Data Security Concerns: hinder teleconsultation utilization due to inadequate platform measures, impacting employee and corporate trust in health data privacy
As a result of these challenges, corporations struggle to offer a seamless and efficient teleconsultation experience for their employees, potentially leading to:
1.Decreased employee satisfaction with healthcare options
2.Lower utilization rates of teleconsultation services
3.Reduced productivity due to delayed or missed healthcare appointments
4.Potential health risks if employees for go necessary consultations due to scheduling difficulties
Understanding the user problem
Access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human need, yet many individuals face significant challenges in obtaining timely and convenient medical services. Geographical barriers, especially in rural or remote areas, often restrict access to healthcare facilities. Even in urban areas, long wait times for appointments and the hassle of commuting to medical centers can deter individuals from seeking necessary medical attention.
“Busy schedules and limited in-person access leave me constantly worried about my health, yearning for a convenient way to connect with a trusted doctor virtually”
Limited Accessibility to Healthcare Services: Overcoming geographical and mobility barriers that hinder patients from accessing timely medical advice.
Inconvenience and Delays in Medical Assistance: Addressing the time-consuming nature and delays associated with in-person visits to healthcare facilities.
Fragmented Patient-Doctor Connectivity: Improving communication gaps between patients and healthcare professionals outside of scheduled appointments.
Secondary Research
With a clear goal in mind to understand user behaviours and their pain points I collected as much information as I could through the internet, which are as follows:
#1 Growing Acceptance of Telemedicine
Telemedicine market in India valued at $830 million in 2022, projected to grow at 24% CAGR till 2030. Improved internet and mobile connectivity enhance accessibility. AI and ML applications improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and ease burden on healthcare system, especially in rural areas.
#2 Proliferation of Remote Monitoring Tools
Indian patient monitoring market to grow at 9.39% CAGR. Remote monitoring tools like fitness trackers, BP monitors, etc., empower patients in their healthcare. Data transmission enables timely interventions, fostering proactive health management.
#3 Transformational Diagnostics
Indian transformational diagnostic market to grow at 7.12% CAGR till 2025. Tests like genomic sequencing, RNA-based tests revolutionize healthcare, aiding in disease identification and population health management.
#4 The Rise of Healthcare SaaS
Indian healthcare SaaS industry expected to reach $50 billion by 2028, growing at 19.5% CAGR. SaaS solutions streamline EHR, population health management, billing, enabling healthcare providers to focus on patient care.
According to a survey conducted by EY Parthenon’s Life, the graph above illustrates the comparison and percentage of different age groups willing to have a telehealth visit.
Competitor Analysis
Competitors were selected based on their prominence in the Indian digital healthcare market and their range of services offered, including content related to women's health and wellness.
Information was gathered through a combination of app exploration, website analysis, user reviews, and industry reports. The analysis focused on aspects such as the availability of curated healthcare content, user engagement features, and the breadth of topics covered.
Data Analysis:
Appointment Booking: Practo offers real-time doctor availability, while mFine incorporates an AI-powered symptom checker to guide patients before booking. Apollo 24/7 allows booking both in-clinic and teleconsultation appointments.
Consultation Types: All apps offer video consultations, with some including phone consultations for wider accessibility.
Doctor Profiles: MFine features a younger doctor demographic. Apollo 24/7 offers an extensive doctor network with ratings and reviews.
Post-Consultation Features: 1mg and Apollo 24/7 excel with secure prescription storage. mFine integrates medicine delivery, and Apollo 24/7 allows booking lab tests for further investigation.
Payment: Secure payment gateways are a common feature across all apps.
Regional Language Support: MFine, and Apollo 24/7 offer consultations in Hindi, catering to a wider user base in India.
Conclusion
This competitive analysis provides valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of leading teleconsultation platforms in the Indian market. By leveraging these findings and focusing on user needs, you can create a differentiated teleconsultation experience that caters to the specific requirements of Indian primary healthcare.
Primary Research
The next stage involves the collection of data firsthand without relying on any other resources. It includes an in-depth analysis of a problem by direct interaction with users. It involves defining the user, preparing a session guide, and user interviews.
Why did I choose user interviews?
While numerous similar products are already available, direct feedback remains the most reliable method for conducting research.
You'll have a better opportunity to comprehend user capabilities, environment, and behaviour.
Defining target users
Defining users helps us get insight into the type of audience (target group) that utilizes the product. It gives us a basic understanding of the way the product is used in terms of frequency, duration, location, etc. It helps us design a solution that corresponds to the needs and wants of the users as well as the business.
Age groups you want to
research
22 - 50
Gender
50 - 50 (male : female)
Occupation of the groups you want to target
Corporate Employees
Busy professionals
Home Makers
Any other demographics you want from target user
Technical knowledge
Availability of smart phone
Questions Asked
How much time do you usually spend on scheduling consultations?
Have you ever spoken with a doctor online? If so, what platform or method did you use to have the consultation?
Is there any issue or concern with having an in-person consultation?
What motivates you to seek online doctor consultations?
Which apps do you typically use for teleconsultation and why?
Do vou utilise this platform for personal use or on behalf of someone else?
What do you manage when you're not sure about the name of the disease or fever to select the right category in healthcare apps?
Can you tell me about your experience using online consulting apps and whether you encountered any problems?
The decision for best app
75% of users rely on user reviews and ratings to decide which app to use for teleconsultation.
35% of users choose an app recommended by their loved ones.
10% of check credentials and certifications
Motivation
60% of user book tele-consultation for time saving.
29% of users book tele-consultation for cost effective.
5% of user find tele-consultation more convenient.
Trustworthy
75% of users see user reviews and ratings of doctor while booking doctor consultation
10% of users see reputation and credibility of doctor while booking doctor appointment
10% of see credentials and qualification of healthcare professionals
5% of users wants transparent pricing and billing while booking appointment
Regularly Used App
54% of users use practo app for teleconsultation
45 % of users use apollo app for teleconsulation
1% of users uses other apps
In Emergency
75% dial emergency services
25% of users contact primary care physician
Personas and Journey Map
This stage is used to organize the data analyzed into a format that can be easily interpreted using personas (characters) that represent each user set.
Let’s start the User Flow
CNH Care App
Login
Home
Online Consultation
User Selection
Search
Instant Consultation
Select Symptom
Select Speciality
Search for any doctors/ hospitals/clinics
Chat with doctors, upload documents
Doctors bio, exp, education, slot selection
Doctor Listing
Doctor Detail Page
Time Slot Selection
Payment
Payment
Retry Payment
Retry Payment
Assigning Doctor
App Homepage
Upcoming Consultation
Join Consultation
Chat Room
Chat Room
Request audio/video
consultation
Request audio/video
consultation
Rate Doctor
Rate Doctor
Follow up
Follow up
Prescription shared with
patient
Prescription shared with
patient
Failure
Failure
Success
Success
I made these detailed user flows with the help of Product Managers
Ideation (Approach 1)
Started with pen and paper as the first step because it is the fastest way to portray early ideas and eliminate the ones which are not addressing the problems effectively. Started with the patterns which were similar to the products which users were having already to reduce the learning curve.
The solution was to build a circular architecture which helped tie in all the features present in the app. This linked all the transaction flows to one another, helping replicate the real world physicalities of medical consultation.
Ideation (Approach 2)
This time, I've adopted a form-based approach for booking online consultation
Users are required to provide additional input within this approach.
This approach may increase the cognitive load on users when booking consultations with doctors.
Digital Wireframes
Created comprehensive wireframes to gather feedback from various stakeholders and to thoroughly comprehend the workflow of approach 1.
Important design decisions
While working on the wire framing, I made several design decisions regarding the structure, flow, and choice of components, all based on research.
Visual Design Guide
I am using a existing design guideline of connect and heal with some of the rules of material design specially for Layout, Text, Margins, and Paddings the main objective here is to keep the design minimum and clear
Schedule Online Consultation Happy FLow(UI Design)
Outcome
Patients are Loving the Convenience! Our teleconsultation feature has been a hit with users. We've seen a surge in positive reviews on social media and app stores. Core metrics like user engagement and appointment bookings have all skyrocketed. We've also made significant progress in making the feature easy to find and navigate for new users, addressing initial discoverability and onboarding challenges.
958K
2021
Consults
(Covid Period)
316K
2022
Consults
315K
2023
Consults
Improved Accessibility: The teleconsultation feature has demonstrably improved accessibility to healthcare services. This is evidenced by the significant rise in consultations observed in 2021, indicating that the feature has addressed a key need for patients.
Sustained User Base: The consistent consultation volumes in 2022 suggest that the teleconsultation feature has fostered a loyal user base. This highlights the value proposition of the feature and its ability to meet the ongoing needs of patients.
Optimize for Further Growth: While the teleconsultation feature has shown positive results, there might be opportunities to optimize it for further growth. Analyzing user data and feedback can help identify areas for improvement and drive even higher consultation volumes in the future.
Data taken from Tableau
Takeaways
This 8-months tele-consultation project solidified my belief in human-centred design. Including people from various backgrounds throughout the process yielded invaluable insights and ultimately a more user-friendly product.
Bringing the engineering team on board early on proved crucial. Their expertise helped avoid technical roadblocks later in development, ensuring a smoother workflow.
Solid Foundation Leads to Faster Development: The time spent upfront solidifying the core functionalities (fixing the groundwork) during initial sprints ultimately saved time and resources. The team was able to move faster on building upon that strong foundation
The importance of centralised systems like design systems, principles, and tech databases became abundantly clear. These systems helped steer all teams towards a unified direction, ensuring consistency and avoiding design/development silos
Securing leadership support for a long-term project like this can be challenging. However, focusing on quantifying the potential return on investment (ROI) proved to be an effective strategy for building a strong case and gaining buy-in during the early stages.