Summary
Creating a platform-wide scheduling feature to enable CarePod utilization and minimize wait times
Tools + Processes
UXR, product strategy, interaction design
Duration
May 2024 to July 2024
SUMMARY
The Opportunity
A key advantage of CarePods is the promise of on-demand visits. However, with just one CarePod in many regions and visits averaging 30 mins, demand often exceeds capacity. Many users faced long wait times, due to the lack of a queue, waiting areas, or updates on availability.
Solution
The team decided to introduce a platform-wide scheduling feature to ensure members are able to utilize the CarePod when they choose to.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
As a membership-based primary care provider with a focus on preventive health, Forward created a new healthcare system to overcome the barriers of traditional healthcare. In late 2023, Forward introduced a new approach to healthcare through two facets:
CarePods
Scalable mini clinics that provide self-service, on-demand care.
Mobile Health Apps
A comprehensive set of health apps that are accessible via the Forward app and inside the CarePods.
After someone visits a CarePod to get their blood tests, they receive their results in the Forward app. The Forward app then summarizes the results for a user and helps them understand their health. Then, Forward will redirect the user to the Health Apps that are most helpful for them. Each Health App prompts the user to create a plan to address that health issue through lifestyle, medication, and monitoring plans.
THE GOAL
HMW increase the amount of successful visits by helping our members schedule visits?
REDESIGNING ONBOARDING
Ensuring First-Time Users Schedule a Visit
As we started the project, we needed to understand a first-time user’s Forward journey and where it makes sense to have a user schedule their first visit. Throughout the journey, we had three viable options.Ultimately, we decided to make it part of Onboarding. Since that first visit is extremely important to unlock the rest of a user’s Forward experience, we felt comfortable taking a heavier stance on putting it higher up in the journey.
We had to then redesign our Onboarding module to make Scheduling feel like a step in the process.
Since we introduced the visit scheduling early in the journey—before members engage with the mobile app or Dashboard—some may lack context about the importance of a visit or even what a Carepod is. How do we communicate this value and motivate them to schedule a visit?
To address this, we added context around the benefits of the visit. During onboarding, after prompting them to schedule, we designed Instagram story-like screens to educate members on the significance of their first visit and what it unlocks within the app.
VISIT INFORMATION CARD
Setting Expectations For a Successful Visit
Our visit success rate was previously quite low, primarily due to long wait times. Even when members did make it to their visit, many were unprepared. For example, blood tests required them to fast and stay hydrated, but this information wasn’t always communicated beforehand.
To improve the experience, we focused on setting clear expectations after a member schedules a visit. This includes providing essential details such as the time and location, our cancellation policy, and specific preparation instructions.
While much of the project focused on integrating scheduling for first-time users, we also needed to introduce this feature to our existing users. Many were accustomed to on-demand visits, so it was essential to guide them on how to access the new scheduling option.
Although some members may have had negative experiences due to wait times, many originally joined because of our promise of quick, on-demand visits—avoiding the delays typical of traditional doctor’s offices. Therefore, we needed to present this shift in a positive light to align with their expectations.
