Empowering users to uncover optimal medical procedure pricing
Timeline 8 weeks
My Role Lead product designer
Team Roles UX researcher, product manager, 2 developers
The Background
The U.S. government mandated that all health insurance companies allow users to search and compare prices on their site by the end of the year. The goal of this tool is to empower users to make informed decisions about their healthcare choices by providing transparent and accessible pricing information. The tool enables users to view and compare the costs of different medical procedures, find suitable doctors, and discover nearby healthcare facilities within their vicinity.
The Challenge
The existing healthcare industry lacks a user-friendly platform that allows patients to easily access and compare the pricing of medical procedures across different doctors and locations. A lack of transparency in medical costs can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction among patients, making it difficult for them to choose the best option based on their budget and preferences. We were also limited on time as we were legally required to launch the product by January 1st of the new year.
The Plan
Start with user research and objective setting. Wireframing, prototyping, and iterative testing ensured a user-friendly interface. API integration for real-time data access and geolocation personalization were key steps. Rigorous testing and feedback led to a user-centric, informative tool for healthcare choice empowerment.
The Workshop
Subsequently, we delved into a collaborative ideation workshop, encouraging participants to brainstorm creative solutions while staying within legal boundaries. By fostering open dialogue the workshop generated innovative ideas that could drive our product forward while mitigating legal risks. This collaborative approach gave us a comprehensive solution that was manageable within the timeframe and allowed us to backlog further development post launch.
I facilitated a workshop aimed at aligning product owners and stakeholders on legal requirements and ideation. The session began with a comprehensive overview of the legal landscape pertinent to our product, emphasizing key regulations and compliance mandates. This groundwork ensured everyone had a clear understanding of the legal constraints within which we must operate.
The Design Objectives
From the workshops we were able to land on solid goals and objectives to use as a “north star” in the design phase.
Transparency
The tool must provide transparent and up-to-date pricing information for various medical procedures to foster trust between patients and healthcare providers.
Location-Based Customization
Incorporate geolocation features to personalize search results based on the user's location, ensuring that they receive relevant information about nearby doctors and facilities.
User-Friendly Interface
The design should prioritize a simple and intuitive user interface to ensure that patients of all technological backgrounds can effortlessly navigate the tool.
Procedure Comparison
Enable users to compare the pricing of different medical procedures side by side, facilitating better decision-making.
Doctor Selection
Allow users to explore detailed profiles of doctors, including their experience, credentials, patient reviews, and pricing for various procedures.
Clear Data Sources
Ensure that the pricing data is sourced from reliable and reputable healthcare providers and institutions to maintain accuracy and trustworthiness.
The Build
The Low Fidelity Mock-ups & User Flow
The Design Iterations
In pursuit of enhancing both the design's intuitiveness and aesthetics, we conducted multiple iterations for the mobile web view. Once we had honed the mobile design to perfection, we proceeded to develop a desktop version.
Desktop Design
After iterating on the mobile web design until we received direct success testing on each task, we created a desktop web version of the site. With more screen real estate, it has the same functionality as the mobile version in a landscape layout.
Final Design
Outcome
The result is a user-friendly, reliable, and transparent price estimate API tool that empowers patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare options. With the ability to compare medical procedure costs, explore doctor profiles, and find nearby facilities, patients can confidently choose the best care that fits their preferences and budget, promoting a more patient-centric healthcare system.
The tool's success lies in its ability to bridge the information gap between patients and healthcare providers, ultimately improving the overall patient experience and fostering trust within the healthcare industry.