Project Description
Duration:
2017 - 2018 | 1 year duration
Tools:
Excel, Illustrator, Sketch, Principle,
Marvel, Zeplin
Organisation:
1mg Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
(Healthkart Plus), Gurgaon
Reason:
Interested in healthcare data and possible digital intervention in this sphere.
About the project
The product that I got an opportunity to work on is called "Ask a Doctor". This vertical of 1mg deals with the online consultation with doctors. The major problems that we tried to solve was: a patient cannot use his/her consult to buy medicine online in case of prescription drugs. This limits his experience to just consulting a doctor. As a result, the whole ecosystem of e-consultation is very fragmented. The aim of the project was to enhance the overall experience of using online consulting and make it as seamless as possible across all the verticals of the 1mg.
Organisation Details
1mg Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Healthkart Plus), Gurgaon
1mg is India's leading consumer health platform. It aspires to be the trusted health partner for all Indians and its mission is to make healthcare accessible, understandable and affordable for a billion Indians. It enables consumers to learn more about their medicines and also find more cost-effective substitutes.
Mixed Method Research
UX Research - Problem Framing
75%
For this research project, we followed the double diamond problem-solution finding approach.
The UX research approach was undertaken to better define the problems faced by the users of 1mg application. There was extensive user interviews, surveys and field visits to nearby hospitals, clinics, doctors and patients for better contextual inquiry. By understanding the data and literature review, we got the following division in the user base of the application.
The above segmentation was used to build personas for the generic user base of the application. A qualitative research process was followed including:
​
1. User interviews using customer calls (sample size 80) - to get a general understanding of the users of the app
2. Surveys sent through social media (no. of respondents 52) - to understand the non-users mostly and also to get unbiased opinion
3. Contextual Inquiry of patients at hospitals/clinics (sample size 20) - capture non-users' behavior and in their natural settings
4. Segmentation through affinity mapping - to help elaborate the nuances of different user group
​
Total of 11 personas were defined from the process followed above which were categorised as per the segmentation above:
User Personas
25%
50%
50%
Primary Users
Secondary Users
Critical Users
Non-Users
Problem Brief
From the insights gathered in the persona building process, the problem brief which emerged was:
How might we enhance the overall experience (including the patients and doctors) of the online consultation ecosystem so as to make the healthcare more accessible?
Contextual Inquiry
Before mapping the task performed by the user, the user were again interviewed with the goal to know:
​
1. The pain points while using the e-consult service
2. Reasons of using the existing e-consultation platforms
3. Beliefs, fear, expectations, attitudes towards the remote consultation and tele-consultation
4. The difference between the physical and online consultation as perceived by the users
5. The problems faced by both doctors and patients in each phases of consultation.
Competitive Analysis
Following are some of the organisation and application provide a platform for online consultation between the patient and doctors:
Journey Mapping
Taking the insights from the above process, the journey of the user is mapped where the phases of the online consultation along with actions taken in each phase, highlighting the features, gaps or opportunities, suggested design interventions and mood indicator of the user.
This journey mapping helped in narrowing down the solution to the problem brief. There was a need for re-designing the application of the patient and doctor keeping the pain-points in mind.
Re-design Solution (Doctor & Patient App)
Feature listing for user type
There are five types of patients using the application which we had to cater to:
Premium
User (Paid)
Free User
(Non-paid)
User opting
Second Opinion
User with multiple
speciality problem
Novice user
(never experienced
remote consultation)
Based on the pain-points faced by the patients, gaps and opportunities identified in the process above, the following features were finalised for the re-design of the patient application:
-
Introduce Symptom checker and Ask a super-specialist option
-
E-Prescription available for the patient easily
-
Hassle-free online booking of appointments
-
Forums to check for common concerns among patients and reduce anxiety
-
Audio consultation at times of emergency
-
Better follow-up system
-
Support on all platforms - mobile, desktop and tablet
Information Architecture
By using card sorting method, the following architecture of the re-designed patient application was defined:
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UI of on-boarding patient to the app
The landing page of the e-consult vertical from the home page of 1mg application had to display:
1. Entry point to Booking Appointment feature
2. Entry point to Forums
3. Information about the service (for first time user)
4. Display buttons for Ask Doctor, Ask Super-specialist (in case of second opinion), Symptom checker and their detail information.
5. Omni-channel communication option
6. Past consultations of the user (for returning user)
7. Start new consultation button
These are some of initial wireframes of the re-designed patient application based on the information architecture:
Iteration 1
(for first time user)
Iteration 2
(for first time user)
Iteration 3
(for first time user)
Iteration 4
(for returning user)
Iteration 5
Iteration 6
Iteration 7
Iteration 8
(Trying to integrate various channels of communication)
Iteration 9
Iteration 10
Iteration 11
Iteration 12
Final Landing Page UI
In the final design, the specialists and their detailed information is displayed before the conversation starts to aid in better decision making by the patients. The entry point to audio consultation is also introduced after the conversation starts with a particular specialist in case the patient chose chat consultation from the initial list of services.
Home page of 1mg main app
Landing page for first time / logged out user
Landing page for returning user/logged user
Select category based on chat / call or specialists
Detailed information of each services
Detailed information like specialists, expectations and treatment
Chat consultation
with the chosen doctor
Summary of the conversation, to rate, follow up and buy
e-prescription
UI of E-Prescription Feature (for Doctor & Patient)
A patient cannot use his/her consultation to buy medicine online in case of prescription drugs. This limits his experience to just consulting a doctor. On the doctor side, issuing of an online prescription in a chat consultation was very difficult, time-consuming and confusing at times for the patients to decipher.
This e-prescription feature aims at cross integrating with pharmacy and labs vertical of the application as well so that the task flow of an user while using e-consultation is seamless and successful.
DOCTOR'S APP
- Write new or check past Rx
- Patient details
- Prescribe lab tests
- Prescribe medicines
- Follow-up information
- Preview before sending
- Medicines parameters can
be chosen while adding
- Collapsed view
after adding medicine
PATIENT'S APP
The e-prescription once sent to the patient, appears as below in their respective chat interface. This form of prescription helps the patients to directly order the medicines or lab tests, hence completing the ecosystem of patient care.
- List of prescribed lab tests to be ordered. User can deselect or select the options accordingly.
- List of prescribed medicines to be ordered along with the dosage instructions without opening the e-Rx. Availability of the medicines can be known from here as well.
- View the e-Rx prescribed by the doctor.
Status of the lab tests can be viewed in the chat interface.
- Prescription can be shared or
downloaded for future use.
- Doctor's details
- Patient details in the e-Rx
- List of the prescribed medicines along with the dosage instructions and date of prescription to track.
- List of the prescribed investigative lab tests and test type along with follow ups.
- Special instructions like diet, lifestyle changes etc.
- Disclaimer as the e-Rx is online prescribed without actual physical checkup of the patient.
Downloaded view of the e-prescription
UI of Booking appointment Feature (for Doctor)
This feature on the doctor side helps him to:
1. Generate the bill for the patient online from the appointment they would have booked and hence taking care of the insurance part of the medical services provided.
2. Add the services they provide to the patients so that it is easier for the patients to check online while booking.
3. Accept or decline the requests. In case of decline, the specific reason has to be provided.
4. Reschedule or cancel the scheduled appointments. In case of cancel, the reasons of cancellations has to be mentioned.
5. The past records of the patients along with the bills generated for each can be tracked.
Usability testing
A Guerrilla research approach to assess the accessibility of the new login page for e-consultation feature of the app. Targeting the elder adults, a critical and non-user demographics of the user personas. Key aspect included ease of navigation, clarity of instruction, button accessibility and overall user experience.
01
Preparation
Participant profile: First time users or returning users
Task Design: Developed clear and concise tasks that mirrors typical user actions such as logging in and starting a e-consultation.
Device selection: Used mobile phones with larger screens and larger font size.
03
Testing Procedure
Introduction: Briefed participants about the app and its functionalities, emphasizing that the focus was on the app’s usability, not their tech skills.
Guided Tasks: Participants were asked to complete specific tasks, with an emphasis on ‘thinking aloud’ to capture their thought process and reactions.
Observation and Note-Taking: Documented participants' interactions, challenges, and feedback, noting both verbal and non-verbal cues.
Feedback collection: Post-task, participants were asked about their overall experience and any difficulties faced.
02
Recruitment and setup
Location: Conducted in public parks, a setting frequented by the target demographic.
Approach: Participants were approached respectfully with a clear explanation of the purpose of the study.
Incentives: Offered small tokens of appreciation, such as coffee vouchers, to thank participants for their time.
04
Analysis and Reporting
Data Synthesis: Compiled and analyzed the data to identify common themes, difficulties, and patterns.
Insights and Recommendations: Generated a report detailing insights on user experience, highlighting areas for improvement and suggesting actionable design changes.
Findings and Recommendations
-
Simplified Navigation:
-
Observation: Elderly users experienced discomfort with too many options on the landing page.
-
Recommendation: Streamline the interface to reduce choice overload and enhance user navigation.
-
-
Detailed Step Descriptions:
-
Observation: Participants preferred comprehensive step-by-step descriptions throughout the app.
-
Recommendation: Integrate detailed instructions for each process to aid understanding and usability, particularly for those new to the app.
-
-
Prominent Consultation Options:
-
Observation: Users requested visible and immediate access to various consultation types, especially audio/video options.
-
Recommendation: Reorganize the app’s layout to prominently feature and easily access different consultation services from the main interface.
-
-
Visual Representation of Doctors:
-
Observation: Participants expressed a desire to see the faces of doctors rather than icons. Found them misleading.
-
Recommendation: Include real images of doctors for a more personal and trustworthy user experience.
-
Note: Above mentioned features have been implemented in the Android / iOS / Web desktop versions of 1mg application since Nov 2018. The stats of usage and revenue generated because of the features have increased significantly with a positive feedback from the doctors. Features like Audio consultation, Follow up system, Symptom checker and forums have been explored and implemented in phases. Due to some constraints, it couldn't be documented online but I would be glad to discuss it offline.