APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING FEATURE

A tablet designed for elderly individuals and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), used in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The tablet focuses on ease of use, with features like one-press calling, a digital photo frame, and easy-to-manage contacts.

THE PROBLEM

Problem Statement:

Elderly individuals living in nursing homes or similar care environments often struggle with managing doctor’s appointments. Many of them rely on caregivers or nursing staff to coordinate appointments, leading to potential communication gaps, missed appointments, and inefficiencies. The tablet's current functionality did not include a simple, direct way for users to schedule and manage their doctor’s appointments themselves. The goal was to create a feature that would allow elderly users to easily schedule, view, and join their doctor appointments with minimal assistance.

Context:

The company provides tablets to nursing homes to enhance communication and make day-to-day tasks easier for elderly individuals and those with IDD. Features like one-press calls and access to a digital photo frame make it simple for users to stay connected with family and caregivers. However, there was no way for users to directly manage healthcare appointments, leading to confusion and dependency on others. The goal of this project was to integrate a simple, intuitive appointment scheduling and management system into the tablet, allowing users to independently handle their appointments and join video calls with doctors.

TIMELINE

MAKE OF THE TEAM

2-3 months

Sole UX Designer (collaborated closely with developers and product managers)

KEY GOAL

Design a feature that enables elderly users and individuals with IDD to independently schedule, manage, and join doctor’s appointments through their tablet.

USER RESEARCH

Target Audience:

Primary Users: Elderly individuals and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
Secondary Users: Caregivers, nursing staff, and family members who assist in managing appointments and healthcare needs.

Research Methods:

Stakeholder Interviews: I had detailed discussions with my manager and other key stakeholders to gather insights into the specific needs and challenges of the elderly and IDD users in nursing homes. This helped define the primary objectives for the feature.
Review of Existing Features: I analyzed the tablet’s current capabilities, including its ease of use, one-press calling, and photo album features, to ensure the new appointment scheduling feature would align seamlessly with the existing design.
Competitive Analysis: I researched other similar products and telehealth solutions targeted at elderly and IDD users, identifying best practices for scheduling appointments and integrating telemedicine features.
User Feedback from Caregivers: I reviewed feedback from caregivers and nursing home staff to understand the most common difficulties they face when coordinating medical appointments for residents.

Key Insights:

Dependence on Caregivers: Many elderly users rely on caregivers to schedule and manage their appointments, which can lead to miscommunications or missed appointments.
Need for Simple, Visual Interfaces: Users preferred large buttons, simple icons, and visual cues to help them navigate the system.
Clarity & Ease of Use: Elderly users require clear, easily readable notifications and reminders to stay on top of appointments.

DESIGN PROCESS

Ideation:

I began by brainstorming ways to simplify the appointment management process while maintaining the tablet’s core feature of ease of use.

The design needed to be:

Simple and intuitive, with a focus on large buttons, clear labels, and visual cues.
Accessible to users with varying levels of technical proficiency and cognitive abilities.
Seamless integration with existing features, such as the one-press call function, while allowing users to schedule and join appointments easily.

Key Features to Include:

Appointment Calendar: A simple calendar to view upcoming doctor appointments
One-Tap Video Call: Users could join their scheduled doctor’s video appointment with a single press of a button.
Appointment Notifications: Clear reminders and prompts for upcoming appointments, with options to reschedule or cancel.
Integration with Web System: A web-based system for caregivers and healthcare providers to schedule, join, and manage appointments.

Wireframes & Prototyping:

I created initial wireframes that featured a calendar view for scheduling appointments, a single-button call feature to join video sessions, and reminders/notifications. The goal was to create an interface that users could easily interact with, using large buttons and simple layouts. Once the wireframes were tested and refined, I moved to high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, incorporating feedback from both users and caregivers.

Usability Testing:

Usability testing was conducted with a group of real users, including elderly residents, caregivers, and managers, to evaluate the effectiveness and ease of use of the new appointment scheduling feature.

Key feedback included:

Positive Reception of Visual Design: Users appreciated the large, readable calendar and buttons.
Navigation Confusion: Some users faced challenges when navigating the calendar, prompting the addition of more prominent visual cues, such as clearer date indicators, to improve the navigation experience.
Effectiveness of Reminders: The reminder notifications were helpful, but it was suggested that more prominent reminders, such as larger notification pop-ups, would further enhance visibility and prevent missed appointments.

THE FINAL DESIGN

Designed Solution:

The final design integrated a calendar system where users could view upcoming appointments, as well as clear visual indicators for scheduled dates. The one-tap join video call feature was prominently displayed for easy access, and reminders were set to notify users of upcoming appointments.

Here are the main components of the final design:

Calendar View: A clear and simple calendar where users could see available dates and times to schedule appointments.
Upcoming Appointments: On calendar view, users could see upcoming appointments, with a color-coded system.
Call System: A quick and easy one-click “Talk to a Doctor Now” button.
Caregiver Integration: The design also included easy integration with the web-based system that caregivers or healthcare providers could use to schedule and manage appointments

RESULTS & IMPACT

User Impact:

Simplified Appointment Management: Users now had a direct and simple way to schedule, track, and attend doctor’s appointments, without needing constant caregiver assistance.
Improved Appointment Visibility: The calendar and reminder features helped users stay informed about upcoming appointments, leading to better appointment awareness.
Increased Independence: Elderly users reported feeling more independent and in control of their healthcare schedules.

Healthcare Provider Impact:

Streamlined Communication: The integration of the tablet with the web-based system allowed healthcare providers and caregivers to manage appointments more efficiently.
Improved Caregiver Efficiency: Caregivers found the system easier to use, saving them time when scheduling and managing appointments for multiple residents.

CONCLUSION

The doctor’s appointment scheduling feature successfully enhanced the user experience for elderly individuals in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. By designing a simple, accessible calendar, reminder system, and one-tap video call functionality, I created a solution that increased independence for users while reducing missed appointments and communication gaps. This project reinforced the importance of user-centric design and accessibility, and I’m proud of the impact it had on users’ ability to manage their healthcare.

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