Accessing GP services in the UK has been an ongoing challenge for many patients due to long waiting times, limited appointment availability, and inefficient booking systems.Â
According to NHS Digital reports, nearly 40% of patients found it difficult to contact their GP practice in 2022, with 25% abandoning attempts to book appointments due to the complexity of the process. Additionally, inconsistent user experiences across different platforms made it harder for patients to book appointments efficiently, leading to increased frustration and reduced satisfaction.
The goal of this project was to design a user-friendly digital solution that enables patients to seamlessly book GP appointments online, reduces the time spent on scheduling, and improves overall patient satisfaction.Â
The platform aimed to ensure accessibility, inclusivity, and compliance with NHS Service Standards and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines while addressing diverse patient needs, including those with disabilities or limited technical expertise.
I chose the design thinking process to ensure a human-centered approach that prioritizes patient needs, incorporates stakeholder insights, and delivers a seamless, accessible, and efficient solution aligned with NHS standards
In this stage, I conducted health report analysis to understand systemic challenges, distributed user surveys via Google Forms to Facebook groups for direct patient feedback, and performed competitor analysis to identify best practices and gaps in existing GP appointment booking solutions.
1. Reviewed NHS Digital’s “GP Patient Survey 2023â€, revealing:
2. Insights from King’s Fund Report on General Practice Pressures highlighted the inefficiency in traditional phone-based systems, leading to longer queues and administrative strain.
To gain user insights, I conducted a survey with 20 participants distributed via Google Forms in relevant Facebook groups. The survey aimed to understand patient experiences and pain points in booking GP appointments. Key findings included:
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An empathy map was created to represent patient perspectives based on survey responses and health report analysis. The map categorized insights into four quadrants:
Personas were created to represent the primary user groups identified during the research phase. These personas embodied the key demographics, behaviors, and pain points observed in the user surveys and empathy mapping
To understand the user experience of booking a GP appointment, I created a user journey map that outlines the key stages, touchpoints, and user emotions throughout the process. This helped identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
To understand the user experience of booking a GP appointment, I created a user journey map that outlines the key stages, touchpoints, and user emotions throughout the process. This helped identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Key Stages:
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From my analysis, i derived insights on the user’s pain points and opportunities which include;
Pain Points:
Opportunities:
The user flow was created to map out the step-by-step journey users take to accomplish key tasks in the Patient Health app, such as onboarding, signing up, booking appointments, and managing their profiles. This user flow helps ensure that the design supports a seamless and intuitive user experience while addressing user pain points identified during the research phase.
The Prototype phase is where ideas began to take shape, transitioning from concepts to tangible designs. At this stage, I created low-fidelity wireframes and a high-fidelity prototype to visualize and refine the app’s structure, functionality, and user interactions.
To outline the basic structure and layout of the app, I developed low-fidelity wireframes using Figma. These wireframes focused on key screens, such as onboarding, sign-up, doctor search, and appointment booking, ensuring the user flow aligned with the insights gathered in the previous phases.
Building on the low-fidelity wireframes, I designed a high-fidelity prototype in Figma, incorporating branding, color schemes, and interactivity. This prototype provided a realistic simulation of the app, enabling stakeholders to experience the design and gather user feedback effectively.
Objective:
To evaluate the initial prototype’s usability and identify potential areas of improvement.
Methodology:
Key Findings:
Objective:
To test the updated prototype after implementing solutions from Usability Test 1.
Methodology:
Key Findings:
