Background

The company focuses on health and has developed telemedicine-related businesses before the outbreak of Covid-19. It provides diverse online consultation services with doctors, including text-based and video-based consultations. Text-based consultation requires users to input text and upload images, and doctors will reply within 48 hours. The disadvantage is that the waiting time is too long. Video-based consultation is a high-priced service. Therefore, the company wanted to find a solution that could meet in the middle and came up with a telephone consultation mode. Users can input text and upload images in advance. If a doctor accepts the order within 4 hours, both parties can have a 10-minute phone call after 4 hours to quickly solve the user’s health problems.

Business Model

It is important to consider both types of users, service providers (doctors) and service recipients (patients), when planning the service. The processes for both parties are different, and the requirements and support need to be mutually matched to achieve the service. The following are key mechanisms :

1.Matching mechanism: To enable doctors in the relevant field to provide services in a timely manner, the user side needs to fill out a consultation form and upload it first. After the doctor confirms acceptance of the order, the consultation is considered a successful match, thereby enabling the service to proceed smoothly between the two parties.

2.Time mechanism: After the user uploads the consultation form, the order can be accepted by the relevant doctor within 2 hours. If there is no response after 2 hours, the order will be opened to all doctors of all specialties to accept. Within 4 hours, the user and doctor can have a smooth phone consultation.

3.Telephone Consultation: Since the service is provided through an app call, several factors need to be checked on the mobile phone beforehand :

a.Stable network connection: to ensure a good network connection and avoid interruption or lag during the call.

b.Speaker: to ensure that the phone’s speaker is functioning properly so that the user can hear the doctor’s voice.

c.Microphone: to ensure that the phone’s microphone is working properly so that the doctor can hear the user’s voice. A buffer zone should be specially designed to allow both parties to adjust.

Persona

Based on a business analysis, describe potential target audiences (TA)：

1.Emergency consultation needed for minor health issues.

2.Efficient time management needed due to geographical and time constraints.

3.Professional advice needed for those who are easily anxious, such as pregnant women and patients with chronic illnesses.

4.Connection needed for areas with insufficient medical resources, or for areas with high medical expenses, to provide overseas services.

Key Flow

Based on the requirements, I quickly organized 5 key processes :

1.User uploads request form

2️.AI automatically determines the department based on keywords

3️. Doctors in that department can view and accept the request within 2 hours

4️. After 2 hours, all doctors can view and accept the request

5️. If both parties' schedules match, an online phone consultation can be scheduled through the app invitation.

Flow chart

A quick Flow Chart will be generated based on the above to facilitate more efficient and rapid discussions, to evaluate whether it meets the proposed business model, and to simultaneously evaluate the software for possible process-related functions. There will be frequent revisions and discussions at this stage.

Design system

Prototype

01 User steps

1.Filling out a consultation form :

You need to fill out a consultation form first, fully describing your current physical condition, so that the doctor can evaluate it before accepting the order.

2.Waiting for the doctor to accept the order :

The platform will quickly match you with a professional doctor within four hours.

3.Having a conversation with the doctor :

The doctor will efficiently communicate with you through the app via a phone call to quickly understand your needs and provide consultation solutions.

02 User homepage

The user homepage quickly presents feedback from users who have already used the service, and uses three steps to help users quickly understand the functionality. The most important button on the screen is “I want to consult”, located at the bottom of the screen.

03 User order status and process

You need to fill out a consultation form and submit it, and the order status will be “waiting for a doctor to accept”. When a doctor accepts the order, there may be one or multiple doctors available, and you need to choose one as soon as possible. Once you select a doctor, the system will provide a scheduled time for a telephone consultation.

Please enter the preparation room ten minutes before the scheduled time, to ensure that your microphone and internet connection are smooth. Once you pass the system check, you can enter the call and wait for the doctor.

01 Doctor steps

1.Accepting Consultation Requests :

As a specialist, you can obtain priority access to consultation requests for your specialty within 2 hours of the order being placed. For other specialties, you must wait 2 hours if no other specialist has accepted the request.

2.Phone Consultation with Users :

Once you confirm the consultation request and the user selects you as their doctor, the system will automatically arrange a phone consultation within 30 minutes.

3.Building Personal Brand :

After completing the consultation, you will receive instant feedback and ratings from the user, which can enhance your professional image and increase your chances of being selected for future consultations. This can also promote more diverse doctor-patient interactions.

02 Doctor homepage

The purpose of the doctor homepage is to allow doctors to understand how to accept orders, recommend the current questions for their specialty, view questions for other specialties, and finally, understand how the service can help them build their reputation through user reviews. The most important button on the screen is “I want to accept orders”, located at the bottom of the screen.

03 Doctor order status and process

When you take a question in the question area, the order status is waiting for user confirmation. At this time, your personal information can be viewed by the user to choose you. If the user chooses you, the status is set to “order taken”.

After accepting the order, the system will provide you with a time for telephone consultation. Please enter the preparation room to wait at least ten minutes before the consultation time to ensure that your microphone and network are smooth. Once ready, you can enter the call and wait for the user.

Operating Conditions

Planning the service experience and workflow for both ends was a challenging design task for me, and I had to consider the development timeline and available resources. Designing shared processes and UI elements for both ends at the front-end stage was the best plan for the overall project. The CEO of the company appreciated the design, and after one year of being launched, the business model is still operational and thriving.