Problem Identification
Pakistan’s high infant and maternal mortality rates of 52 per 1,000 live births are exacerbated by limited paternal involvement, particularly in rural areas.
Addressing this is difficult as less than 25% of the population has internet access, and 42% are illiterate.
A free voice-based platform, Super Abbu, was introduced to enable fathers to ask questions about maternal health (answered by a team of doctors) and engage with other expectant parents.
While the service was a success, the doctors were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of weekly user queries.
This led to slower doctor response times, negatively impacting Super Abbu users.
❓ Problem: How might we assist doctors who aren’t tech-savvy in improving their response times?
User Research
- Target Audience: Medical Doctors (or Residents) based in Pakistan.
- Study Design: One focus group (online on Zoom) of 5 resident doctors and 3 semi-structured interviews with medical doctors (online and in-person).
Research Questions
- Can you briefly describe your current workflow for handling remote patient queries?
- What tools or software are you currently using for professional communication with colleagues?
- Are there any bottlenecks or delays you experience when answering patient queries?
- What features would you like to see in a collaboration application aimed at medical professionals?
Information Synthesis and Ideation
We needed to complete the design and development of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) as soon as possible to bring the Super Abbu service back online. Thus, we created a persona to stay anchored on the most pertinent user needs.
Persona
Name: Dr. Sal
Age: 48 years
Occupation: Medical Doctor
Location: Lahore, Pakistan
Goal:
To answer patient queries effectively in his free time.
Quote:
"I try my best to get back to patients as soon as possible. However, some complex questions require me to consult other doctors, but arranging such a consultation causes a delay due to everyone’s busy schedule."
Story:
Sal is a 48-year-old medical doctor who works at Sal’s Clinic. He is passionate about helping people in his community with his medical expertise. Thus, he joined the Super Abbu team part-time to answer user queries about maternal health through his phone.
Frustrations
- Not tech-savvy. WhatsApp is the only application he is familiar with and comfortable using.
- Incredibly busy work-life. Generally, finds himself answering Super Abbu patient queries at the end of his workday.
Need:
A mobile application that allows him to collaborate on and respond to patient queries efficiently.
Task Flow for MVP
- The doctor browses the list of New Questions and selects one.
- The doctor uses the provided interface to answer the question.
Prototyping
I created the high-fidelity prototype on Figma due to the newly introduced Dev Mode, which would quicken up our workflow.
The focus of this design was familiarity. I wanted to design a familiar, user-friendly, and intuitive interface for the doctors so that they efficiently answer patient queries with minimal interaction cost.
Style Guide
According to color theory, blue symbolizes calm, security, and order. Furthermore, research shows that blue and white is the most popular color scheme in healthcare design, aligning with my goal for a familiar look.
I selected the Roboto typeface for its screen readability and balance between content density and reading comfort.
High-Fidelity Prototype
We implemented a security code requirement in the application’s registration flow to protect sensitive patient data, providing an added defense against data theft. This would ensure that only doctors from our team could register for the application.
Due to the doctor’s familiarity with the messaging application, we implemented a WhatsApp-like interface for the collaboration and answer mechanisms. Doctors can listen to the patient’s query, collaborate with others, and record their answers from the same interface.
You can access the high-fidelity prototype for the doctor's application below:
Outcome
We developed an Android version of this application (with a PHP backend), which was launched on March 6, 2023. To date, the doctors have answered 100% of valid questions on the platform. I have included a number of relevant statistics below:
For future developments of the Super Abbu doctors app, we’re exploring integrating large language models within the interface. This enhancement aims to elevate the quality of doctor responses and expedite their response times. Pertinent research directions for this update would relate to how we can evaluate and negate automation biases that may arise in the doctor’s responses.
Reflections
This project was an amazing experience for me ✨
As someone who worked on the design, development, and deployment of this application, I am immensely proud of the impact that it has created. The UX research for this project taught me how to design for populations with limited tech literacy. I am eager to dive deeper into this domain and harness these insights in future endeavors.
My heartfelt appreciation goes out to Professor Mustafa Naseem and the entire team. Their guidance was indispensable, and their expertise significantly enriched the trajectory of our project.