The Problem

Accessing competent healthcare can be challenging for the LGBTQIA+ community. Finding providers who understand their unique needs, along with basic self-help medical resources, should be simple and straightforward. However, this is often not the case. Many LGBTQIA+ individuals face significant barriers when seeking medical care, including fear of being judged, underserved, or stigmatized. These challenges can deter individuals from seeking the necessary care, leading to unmet medical needs and exacerbated health disparities.

The lack of easily accessible, LGBTQIA-competent healthcare providers and self-help medical resources further compounds these issues. Often, the healthcare system is not equipped to address the specific concerns and experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals, resulting in a lack of trust and reluctance to seek care. This problem extends beyond physical health and affects mental and emotional well-being, creating a cycle of negative health outcomes.

The solution

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Play the Protype

To address our unique needs, we improvided on the traditional Google Design Sprint, making it more customized and iterative. Here's how:

Explaining the solution a bit more

Test: Conducted usability tests with real users, capturing feedback through task completion rates, heatmaps, and interviews.

Learn and Iterate: Analyzed feedback, refined designs, and continuously improved through repeated cycles, each time starting anew with better insights.

Ideate: We began by deeply understanding diverse user problems through research, brainstorming a wide array of solutions without constraints.

Design: Selected the most promising ideas and created detailed wireframes and low-fidelity mockups, ensuring usability and aesthetics were prioritized.

Prototype: Developed interactive prototypes using tools like Figma and InVision, closely mirroring the final product to test key functionalities.

This customized approach allowed us to systematically address user issues while fostering innovation and user-centric solutions. The iterative nature ensured constant learning and enhancement, making our process both efficient and effective.

Predict the future

01. Optimizing Information Architecture and Visual Hierarchy on the Home Screen

Initial Challenge: The original home screen design presented users with a dense array of clickable options, leading to cognitive overload and increased scrolling. Attention-grabbing colored boxes, intended to highlight key features, proved ineffective during user testing.

Design Solution: We streamlined the information architecture by prioritizing essential actions and minimizing clickable options. To enhance scannability, we redesigned the visual hierarchy, replacing large cards with a more concise layout that allowed users to quickly grasp the available content. This resulted in a more intuitive and efficient user experience.

2. Strategically Positioning
the "One ID" Feature

Initial Challenge: The "One ID" feature, which collects sensitive medical and lifestyle information, was initially placed within the onboarding process. This led to user hesitation and potential confusion, as users were not yet familiar with the app's value proposition.

Design Solution: We relocated the "One ID" feature to a later stage in the user journey. By allowing users to first explore the app and gain trust, we facilitated a more comfortable and informed decision regarding sharing personal information. This strategic repositioning improved user engagement and reduced anxiety.

3. Introducing the "Plainfield Score" for Doctor Verification

Design Goal: To differentiate our platform from general healthcare directories, we developed a unique doctor verification system that emphasized queer-affirming care

Design Solution: The "Plainfield Score" was created to communicate a doctor's commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community. This score incorporates factors such as completion of sensitization training, referrals from other trusted doctors, and patient ratings. This feature builds trust and ensures users access qualified and empathetic healthcare providers.

4. Personalizing the User Profile with the "Health Vigilance Score"

Design Goal: To motivate users to actively manage their health, we reimagined the traditional user profile.

Design Solution: We introduced the "Health Vigilance Score," a personalized metric that quantifies a user's engagement with the app. This score aggregates lifetime test results and doctor appointments into a single, easily understandable number. By providing a tangible measure of health activity, we encouraged proactive health management and fostered a sense of ownership.

5. Infusing the App with Queer Identity and Creating a Welcoming Environment

Design Goal: To create an app that resonated with the LGBTQIA+ community, we moved beyond conventional healthcare app aesthetics.

Design Solution: We adopted a design language that mirrored the vibrancy and inclusivity of popular social media and entertainment apps. This approach aimed to alleviate potential anxiety associated with healthcare, particularly given the community's historical experiences. By prioritizing a welcoming and familiar interface, we fostered a sense of belonging and encouraged engagement.

Process Followed

Desk Research & Literature Review: Key Findings

Provider Bias and Lack of Sensitivity:

• Instances of healthcare providers exhibiting cultural incompetence and implicit or explicit bias.

• Resulting feelings of discomfort, mistrust, and reluctance to seek care.

Fear of Judgment and Discrimination:

• Significant fear related to seeking sexual health care, particularly regarding STIs, STDs, and PrEP.

• Concerns about judgment and discrimination acting as a barrier to testing and treatment.

Information Gaps and Misinformation:

• Lack of accessible, accurate information about LGBTQIA+ specific health needs.

• Contributing to confusion, anxiety, and potential health risks.

Difficulty Finding Affirming Providers:

• Challenges in locating healthcare providers with expertise in LGBTQIA+ health and a demonstrated commitment to affirming care.

• This includes doctors who understand the specific needs of the community.

Importance of Community and
Peer Support:

• Reliance on online communities and peer support networks for information and emotional support.

• Highlighting the need for a platform that fosters connection and shared experiences

Need for a Safe and Non-Judgmental Space:

• Expressing a strong desire for a safe space to ask questions without fear of judgment.

• Users want a feeling of security when discussing sensitive health topics.

Ideation

During the ideation phase, a broad range of potential app directions were explored through sketching and wireframing, encompassing telemedicine consultations, education and advocacy platforms, mental health tracking tools, and a directory of queer-sensitive medical professionals. Recognizing the unique health challenges faced by the queer community and other marginalized groups, and acknowledging the critical need for safe, non-judgmental healthcare access, the focus was ultimately narrowed.

During the ideation phase, a broad range of potential app directions were explored through sketching and wireframing, encompassing telemedicine consultations, education and advocacy platforms, mental health tracking tools, and a directory of queer-sensitive medical professionals. Recognizing the unique health challenges faced by the queer community and other marginalized groups, and acknowledging the critical need for safe, non-judgmental healthcare access, the focus was ultimately narrowed.

Testing to validate and final version

3 users were asked to make a booking of a doctor on the app and these were some of the things that were identified/pointed out by them:

• To make the login process a bit easy and add login through socials

• Skipping option before login to ensure user can explore the app before making a choice to weather to login in further or not

• The idea of one card is bit busy, its not given enough context and it feels like its not the right place as the user dont know much about the app let alone one card

• Slightly more medical language can be used in questions asked as it might feel a little intrusive right now

• Emergency contact can be somewhere else, maybe post the booking

• I would not put people story and resources on the app on the home Screen as a user might get distracted
  Home Screen is too simple and does not really look like the home screen
  should add a Location view (where the location was collected) for doctors

• Doctor profile: the about/specialisation should be deprioritised