Afia

Ana Gimeno

Web Designer

UX Designer

Product Designer

Figma

Midjourney

Notion

A healthcare concept project for a potential Start-Up: validating market fit and user needs, crafting an end-to-end platform, including branding, user interfaces, and admin functionalities.

I worked with other 3 designers on this project in an agile way, with a fast-paced environment, implementing and iterating quicky to create a viable product that could attract investors and secure funding for the founder's vision.

Background

We had a meeting with the company’s stakeholder to understand the problems and its mission.

Goal

To provide health conscious individuals the access to preventative healthcare.

Aim

To organize annual patient check-ups with trusted laboratories at their holiday destinations, creating a hassle-free experience.

Design challenges

To build a MVP that offers the key deliverables for the later expansion of the brand.

To develop a clean, neutral aesthetic brand identity that aligns with the healthcare industry and resonates quality and trust.

User Research

Surveys & Interviews

Before we started brainstorming design solutions, we wanted to know how customers felt about their relationship with their healthcare services and their willingness to go abroad for medical check-ups.

We gathered 73 survey responses which gave us an overview of what people generally do, and what concerns they have around seeking preventive care abroad.

We followed up with 36 detailed interviews. By having these one-on-one conversations, we were able to gather more specific and in-depth information, which was super valuable in understanding our users on a deeper level.

Outcome

The information gathered from the interviews and surveys revealed that the proposed business goal had a low probability of success. People are not willing to travel for just for medical screening. If they are currently going abroad to do so, it’s because it’s their home country, and they have already the contact there.

Reshaping the concept

Our research showed that the majority of interviewees were familiar with people travelling abroad for medical or cosmetic treatments.

Desk research

We wanted to dive in and find more information about medical tourism before presenting the idea to the stakeholder. We found that there’s a high increased by the rapid expansion of the medical tourism industry.

NHS waiting list

NHS waiting list hit record of 7.8 million in September 2023, delaying operations like joint replacements and cancer tumour removal.

Booming industry

The global medical tourism market was valued at $19.28 billion in 2022, projected to be $93.38 billion by 2030 at 21.3% CAGR.

We held a meeting with the stakeholder to present our findings and after discussing a few options proposed. We decided to iterated the mission to craft a product that balances users pain points, business viability and technical feasibility.

New goal

To provide a concierge service that provides tailored packages for individuals seeking treatments in the UK and abroad.

Target audience

Based on our research and mission, our target audience was clear:

People who are on the NHS waiting list, seeking faster access to treatment, who can't afford private treatment in the UK or want more affordable cosmetic treatments.

Competitor analysis

To evaluate Afia's potential position in the market, we analysed 9 competitors that offer medical procedures in the UK and abroad.

Conclusions

Some characteristics of these competitors that helped guide us through the design creation process and determine how Afia would fit into the market were:

Questionable Clinic Appearances

Suspicious Price Reductions

Lack of Online Reviews and Ratings

Impersonal Website Experience

Concierge Service Offering

What differentiates Afia from the rest?

A strong and trustworthy impression online

A streamline experience

Transparent service

Clear and continue communication

Tailored service

On-the-go platform

The evolution of the brand

Logo

We designed Afia’s logo to represent the fusion of relationships and healthcare, which are the core focus areas of Afia’s company.

Relationships + Healthcare

Colour palette

We aimed to choose colours that reflected the warmth of the service while also representing the healthcare industry, which was the business focus.

Typography

Customer experience map

We designed a platform an entire service from both the patient's and Afia's perspectives - from the initial discovery of the platform to receiving the patient's feedback.

Find a Solution

User Flows

To understand how users will interact with the website, the client portal on desktop and on app, and Afia's team in their portal, we mapped out the step-by-step user flows from the initial onboarding to the post-treatment of the patient on both ends. This enabled us to identify pain points and opportunities to optimize the user experience. Our goal was to create intuitive paths that fulfil user needs with minimal friction.

Sketches

We used sketches to rapidly explore ideas and user flows. Through iterations and feedback, we implemented changes into our design to better fulfil the user’s and Afia’s needs.

Low-fidelity wireframes

Then we went digital and created the low-fidelity prototypes where we explored potential solutions. Focusing on just the concepts rather than details allowed us to rapidly ideate and evaluate. This iterative approach enabled the identification of an effective design direction before additional specific elements were added.

High fidelity

We created high-fidelity prototypes that fully realize the intended user experience. These interactive prototypes accurately reflect the final product's visual design, content, and functionality.

Website

Patient Portal

Itinerary

Outcomes

Balances business viability and market fit

Our research identified a gap between business objectives and market demands. We've bridged this gap by designing a product that meets both needs.

Trustworthy and warm brand

We've developed a brand that brings a sense of trustworthiness and professionalism while being approachable. It emphasizes a holistic approach that sets us apart from competitors.

End-to-end service

We've created an end-to-end service journey for both the customer and Afia. Streamlining both ends with an easy and permanent contact to provide the best possible experience for the patients.

Final thoughts

What did I learn?

Design system

The importance of a functional design system to make sure consistency is kept when working with different UI designers for different platforms in a project.

Team communication

The essential clear and open communication within the team, exploring all the thoughts and determining clear roles.

What would I have done differently?

Scoop & time constraint

We did not determine the scope of work possible within the 6 week timeline, which made the design process quite intense.

Stakeholder workshop

If time had not been a constraint, I would have conducted a workshop with the stakeholder to show her the sketches and flow of the platform in order to take her feedback into account.

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Posted Jul 26, 2024

A healthcare concept project for a potential Start-Up: validating market fit and user needs, crafting an end-to-end platform, including branding, user interface

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