Mobile Design
TCare
Connecting U of T students to the health care they need.
OVERVIEW
A mobile app that simplifies the booking of Health & Wellness clinic appointments for U of T students while also providing a single platform for health information.
As an international student unfamiliar with the Canadian healthcare system and UofT’s insurance coverage, I personally experienced difficulties in finding relevant healthcare information. This served as the inspiration behind TCare, as my group and I recognized the challenges faced by UofT students in accessing and managing their healthcare needs.
TIMEFRAME
Sep 2021 - Dec 2021
In partnership with the UofT’s Innovation Hub
MY ROLE
Product Designer
UX Researcher
TOOLS
Figma
Mural
Sketch
DELIVERABLE
Hi-fi Prototype
PROBLEM
The current experience at the UofT Health & Wellness Centre falls short in addressing students' needs, resulting in significant challenges and frustrations.
Locating relevant insurance information and scheduling appointments is a time-consuming and cumbersome task. Students have to navigate through various websites, engage in email communication, make phone calls, and complete multiple forms, resulting in delays in receiving the necessary care.
How might we improve access to on-campus healthcare services?
SOLUTION
TCare: An new mobile app that provides a single platform for students to seek health information and book appointments.
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Onboarding - Set up the account in one go, instead of having separate accounts and paperwork across multiple platforms.
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Seeking Health & Wellness and Insurance Information - Access Health & Wellness and insurance information directly on a single platform, without the need to navigate through multiple different websites.
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Booking an Appointment - Book an appointment at the Health & Wellness clinic in 5 minutes rather than 3 days.
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Checking Live Wait Times - Check live wait times at the clinic beforehand so that students can better manage their schedules.
Onboarding
Set up account in one go, instead of having separate accounts and paperwork across multiple platforms.
Seeking Health & Wellness and Insurance Information
Access Health & Wellness and insurance information directly on a single platform, without the need to navigate through multiple different websites.
Booking an Appointment
Book an appointment at the Health & Wellness clinic in 5 minutes rather than 3 days.
Checking Live Wait Times
Check live wait times at the clinic beforehand so that students can manage schedule better.
PROCESS
Ok, but how did we actually get there?
The design process commenced with thorough desk research, surveys, and user interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of the pain points experienced by users. Obtaining this information early on was deemed crucial, even before generating ideas or prototyping.
After analyzing the gathered insights, we proceeded to consolidate them through an affinity diagram, allowing us to identify and define the core tasks of the product. Our focus then shifted towards creating user flows and wireframes, enabling us to iterate rapidly through various concepts and ideas. These iterations paved the way for the production phase, where we designed the app interface, incorporating design principles like contrast, hierarchy, and more.
Throughout each phase of the design process, my teammates and I collaborated closely. However, I took the lead in both the visual design phase and the usability testing phase as it was vital to maintain design consistency and ensure that our proposed features and overall concept effectively addressed the needs of our target audience and solved their problems.
INITIAL SECONDARY RESEARCH
5 Potential barriers that hinder U of T students from accessing healthcare services.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the problem space, our initial step involved conducting exploratory secondary research. We extensively reviewed a range of sources including academic articles, market research, news articles, social media platforms, and more. Our goal was to uncover any potential barriers that hinder University of Toronto (UofT) students from accessing on-campus healthcare services. Additionally, we aimed to identify the key factors that influence UofT students’ utilization of on-campus health and wellness services, including the on-campus clinic.
Here are our secondary research findings:
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Long wait times at U of T’s Health and Wellness Centre.
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UofT students have varying insurance plans across campuses, posing challenges in navigating healthcare services.
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UofT students encounter difficulties in finding and accessing doctors in the Toronto area.
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UofT’s online health and wellness information is disorganized and scattered across multiple websites, creating barriers to access.
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Telehealth services have gained popularity among UofT students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Gathered primary data through an online survey and user interviews from a total of 42 potential users.
We conducted 10 interviews, 2 of which I conducted, and collected 32 survey responses.
Outlined below are our primary research findings:
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7 out of 10 interview participants struggled to find information about what services Health and Wellness offers.
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18 out of 32 survey participants did not understand their insurance plan or know how to use it.
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On average, it takes approximately 3 days to complete the booking process at UofT.
KEY FINDINGS FROM AFFINITY DIAGRAM
Research revealed 3 pain points in U of T students' healthcare journeys.
After we performed descriptive statistics to summarize the quantitative findings, we used an affinity diagram to identify and highlight key themes derived from the qualitative data.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES
How could we translate these pain points into design opportunities?
OUR TARGET USER
Meet with our target user - Gabby the Globetrotter.
Gabby is a first-year undergraduate student here at UofT. She’s from Beijing, China and while settling in at a new school, she is also settling into a completely new country. Everything is brand new. On top of all her competing demands, she starts to feel sick. She’s not sure what’s wrong but she knows she needs to access healthcare services on-campus. Unfortunately, there are so many barriers to accessing the care she needs, it takes her several weeks to be treated, and she is feeling worse than ever.
EMPATHIZE
Empathy map, As-is & To-be scenario
By utilizing an empathy map, as-is and to-be scenarios, we immersed ourselves in Gabby's perspective, allowing us to deeply understand her needs. Through this process, we developed clear statements that defined her requirements, serving as crucial guidelines to inform our design decisions.
Gabby needs a way to:
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Learn about and understand her health insurance so that she can use it when accessing healthcare.
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Find her health information in one place so that the information is easily accessible.
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Learn about Health & Wellness services so that she can utilize these services effectively.
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Efficiently book an appointment so that she can quickly seek treatment.
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Know the wait times at the walk-in clinic so that she can manage her time accordingly.
IDEATE
Think big.
Guided by our research, we brainstormed and prioritized 'big ideas' based on their feasibility and impact. As the ideas took shape, we sought to make a strategic decision, employing a prioritization grid that helped us narrow our focus onto a promising solution.
Final solution.
We selected two solutions from the 'home runs' section that received the majority of votes. These solutions involve providing users with a digital platform where they can access Health & Wellness and insurance information, book appointments, and conveniently check real-time wait times for walk-in appointments.
In this way, Gabby can...
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Set up her account in one go, without the need to set up separate accounts across multiple platforms.
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Book an appointment at the on-campus clinic in under 5 minutes rather than 3 days, without having to call the clinic.
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Access Health & Wellness and insurance information on a single platform, without the need to navigate through several different websites.
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Check live wait times for walk-in appointments at the clinic beforehand so she can better manage her schedule.
DESIGN
Lo-Fi prototype
We started with a lo-fi prototype of our user flow. Each team member drew their own sketch and we converged them to create a single lo-fi prototype.
Displayed below are four key feature sketches:
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Log in using the University of Toronto credentials (UTORid).
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Access comprehensive health and insurance information in one place.
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Easily book appointments at UofT's Health & Wellness Services clinic.
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View live wait times and join the walk-in waitlist for the clinic.
USABILITY TESTING
Round #1
Next, we proceeded to conduct guerrilla testing using our low-fidelity paper prototype to uncover any notable usability issues.
To ensure diverse perspectives, we recruited three U of T students - two undergraduates and one graduate student - whom we encountered in public spaces on campus. Our participants were tasked with completing four key actions: onboarding, accessing insurance and Health & Wellness information, booking an appointment, and checking live wait times. Following the testing session, we also conducted post-study interviews to gather their overall impressions of the app's prototype.
Outlined below are the key findings from our round #1 testing:
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3 participants did not understand the purpose of the plus button in the bottom navigation.
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When it came to the booking page, 2 out of 3 participants preferred a single-column layout that provided comprehensive information about the physician.
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Regarding the live wait time page, 2 out of 3 participants expressed a preference for a single button that allowed them to join the waitlist and receive notifications.
Round #2
In the second round of usability testing for our mid-fidelity prototype, I took charge of leading the initiative. Collaborating with another team member, we recruited four students who were awaiting appointments at the U of T Health & Wellness clinic. I specifically chose this group as they would likely have firsthand experience with the existing booking process, anticipating their valuable insights and feedback.
Here are the key findings from our round #2 testing:
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4 out of 4 participants preferred to explore the app's features before being prompted to log in. They emphasized the importance of making an informed decision about using the app and establishing trust from the outset.
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4 out of 4 participants praised the prototype for its ease of use and intuitive design.
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3 out of 4 participants expressed a desire for additional features in the app, including telehealth functions, access to prescription information, and the ability to schedule follow-up appointments.
DESIGN CONCEPT
Visual Identity
REFLECTION
Key takeaways.
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Emotion and storytelling have tremendous power.
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I've learned that crafting a user-centric story is one of the most successful ways of communicating research findings and demonstrating product value.
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Be open, and always willing to learn from and embrace new ideas
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I am grateful for my diverse team, composed of individuals from various corners of the world, each bringing their different cultural and educational backgrounds. Our team's diversity served as a valuable asset, as it provided me with a range of perspectives and insights.
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THAT WILL BE IT!
Thanks for reading :D
A big thanks to the people who participated in the interviews and gave us feedback to improve the idea. In particular, I thank Xiyao Tang, Claudia Jiang, Olivia Najdovski, Vicky Hu, Akshay Mahimtura.
If you are interested in our project, please watch TCare promotional video as well!