Patients requests
Context
We redesigned the way that patients request medicines, prescriptions or referrals from doctors to address a lot of issues that had cropped up over the years. The goal was to give it a fresh, modern look that fits with our new design system while also making life easier for doctors. It simplifies the process for patients to request what they need and creates a smoother, more enjoyable experience for both sides. Ultimately, this helps build better relationships between doctors and patients, which could lead to higher engagement and conversion rates. This redesign was just the first step—kind of like a test—to validate our ideas before diving into creating a more connected, omnichannel platform for even better communication.
Problems
General Practitioners (GPs) and their secretaries in Italy face significant challenges managing patient requests:
Overwhelming workload: GPs and secretaries are inundated with requests, both in-person and online.
Inefficient request management: Patients often submit requests through multiple channels (WhatsApp, email, Doctoralia app), making it difficult for secretaries to organise and categorise them.
Lack of clarity: Patients frequently submit requests without specifying the correct type, requiring additional work from secretaries. Mulitiple CTA’s on the profile page of the docotrs create a lack of undesrtanding that results in a high amount of personal messages being sent to doctors and secretaries whei
High patient volume: GPs often manage thousands of patients, making it challenging to keep up with requests.
Screens from the previous design
Docplanner’s opportunity
Having identified the main issues we transformed the problems into 2 main opportunities
How might we Improve patient satisfaction
Hypotheses: Provide a seamless and efficient request submission process.
How might we reduce GP and secretary workload
Hypotheses: Provide Gps and secretaries with a clear distinction in their Saas requests menagament section about the types of requests being submitted
Opportunity solution tree
As we worked through different design iterations, we kept talking to our customers and testing our ideas with them. We used an Opportunity Solution Tree to map out potential future solutions and figure out which ones would have the biggest impact. This approach helped us stay focused on what would bring the most value to our users.
Breadboarding
Mapping out the high-level flow and discussing potential pitfalls was crucial for identifying key issues and prioritising what to tackle first from a development perspective. It helped us strategise the work and coordinate efforts across teams, with both dev and design starting to tackle different aspects simultaneously. My focus was primarily on research and testing hypotheses, while the back-end and front-end teams explored the technical feasibility of our solutions.
User research
Ongoing user research helped me uncover opportunities, which started as raw data and were later refined and added to the Opportunity Solution Tree. At the same time, I tested prototypes to pinpoint areas for improvement and further refine our approach.
We conducted interviews and a closed card-sorting exercise with patients to uncover their mental models. This process helped us determine how to organise and structure the categories effectively.
Design iterations and prototyping
I worked through several design iterations using the old design system to move quickly, with the goal of eventually testing with the more modern components. My main focus was on working fast and learning as much as possible along the way.
Final Designs (Patients mobile)
Final Designs (Doctors Saas)
Impact and Future Directions:
The implemented solution has greatly reduced the workload for GPs and secretaries, boosted patient satisfaction, and helped drive user acquisition and retention. While the initial focus was on streamlining request management, future updates will look at deeper integration with other healthcare systems and expanding the platform’s capabilities.