In the discovery phase I have focused on researching iDoctor’s market, analysing the former product and how best to optimise it. Heuristic evaluation combined with in depth competitor comparison has been fundamental in this process and it was fascinating to discover how many applications struggled to create a user friendly experience. It also highlighted significant complications in the existing architecture  which needed to be improved in the second phase of discovery.

I personally coordinated research  monitoring user sentiment and behaviour; gaining  insight which ultimately  helped to improve the product.

In the second phase of discovery I focused on empathising with the users, creating personas and user journeys to draw out possible pain points and ways to resolve them. The research made it possible to design a new user journey and a completely revitalised Information architecture.

Driven by the new user journey I restyled the website; designing wireframes for mobile and desktop for evaluation. Drawing the possible user path, starting from different pages, has been instrumental in evaluating the usability and navigation of the website and has left me with keen insights into how best to improve modular heavy infrastructure.

The booking calendar and the booking section itself has been redesigned to improve the journey and usability. Given the medical nature of the project, accessibility and inclusivity was absolutely key and many aspects had to be taken into account, for example scalable font sizes, effective colouration, clear forms and prioritising usability.

Designing the user interface has been challenging as the medical sector tends to rank processes and generic templates over the form and design of its applications. I started out by choosing an accessible palette which kept in line with the users expectations. Drawing from some of the main reusable components I emphasised the  necessity of applying a  modern look to a complicated product used mainly by elder members.

I decided to  use generic 3D characters and elements to add energy and dynamism  to formerly static pages and elected not to use any  images that could drive  prejudice or bias.

We evaluated the functionality of the iDoctors app through five-second tests, revealing a significant improvement in its intuitiveness. We also saw a marked improvement in user experience, especially with our key demographic, with users successfully navigating the app and completing their goals.

This project has been particularly rewarding to me and provided a number of institutional challenges. I am passionate about adding value to people's lives through enhanced design practices and the fact that I have been able to make it easier for people to engage medical professionals and get the help they need is an enormous source of pride for me.