Online Doctor

Overview

When the COVID-19 pandemic transformed how people accessed healthcare, Vhi faced a significant challenge.

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Demand for remote medical consultations increased rapidly, but the existing Online Doctor experience relied heavily on third-party systems, fragmented journeys and processes that struggled to scale under increased usage.

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Working closely with Vhi, we redesigned and relaunched the Online Doctor experience directly within the Vhi app, creating a seamless telehealth service that allowed members to access healthcare professionals safely from home.

The Challenge

The original service had been designed for relatively low levels of telehealth demand.

As usage accelerated during the pandemic, several issues emerged:

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• Users were redirected to third-party platforms during booking

• The appointment process felt fragmented and inconsistent

• Virtual queue systems were creating friction

• Parents struggled to book appointments for dependents

• Users lacked clarity around what would happen before, during and after consultations

• Important healthcare information was difficult to find

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The experience worked, but it wasn't meeting the expectations of users who increasingly relied on digital healthcare services.

Research & Discovery

We conducted extensive user interviews, usability testing and concept validation sessions with Vhi members.

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Our goal was to understand not only where users were struggling, but also what reassurance they needed when seeking medical care remotely. Several recurring themes emerged:

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Confidence & Trust

Users wanted greater clarity about how appointments worked, what information they needed to provide and what would happen after their consultation.

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Booking for Children

Parents found the booking process confusing when arranging appointments for dependents, leading to mistakes and frustration.

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Flexibility

Users wanted the ability to review and amend information without restarting the entire process.

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Visibility

Customers needed better communication throughout the journey, including confirmations, appointment reminders and next-step guidance.

Designing A Better Telehealth Experience

We approached the redesign as a complete service journey rather than a collection of screens.

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Bringing Telehealth Into The Core App

One of the biggest opportunities was removing the need to leave the Vhi app.

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Previously, users were pushed into third-party systems to complete their booking and consultation.

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We redesigned the experience so appointments could be booked, managed and attended directly within the Vhi ecosystem, creating a more consistent and trustworthy experience.

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Replacing Virtual Queues

The original queue-based model struggled under increased demand.

We introduced a structured appointment booking experience that allowed users to select available times that suited them.

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This reduced uncertainty and gave users greater control over their healthcare experience.

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Designing The Consultation Journey

The consultation experience itself was redesigned to better manage expectations.

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New features included:

• Appointment confirmations

• Reminder notifications

• In-app waiting rooms

• GP status updates

• Consultation summaries

• Access to prescriptions and referral letters

• Appointment history

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These additions helped users understand exactly where they were in the process and what to do next.

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Supporting Families

A significant focus was improving the experience for parents booking appointments for children.

We redesigned dependent management and booking flows to reduce confusion and increase successful bookings for younger patients.

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Iterative Delivery

Rather than waiting for a large release, we delivered improvements in phases. Research, testing and customer feedback informed each release, allowing us to continually refine the experience while rapidly responding to changing healthcare demands.

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This approach allowed the service to evolve quickly during an unprecedented period of uncertainty.

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The Outcome

The impact of the redesign was significant.

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Business Impact

• 407% increase in Online Doctor service usage within 3 months

• 4× increase in successfully completed consultations

• 33% increase in successful child appointments

• App Store rating increased from 4.5 to 4.7

• Significant increase in positive customer feedback and service adoption

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Experience Impact

• Reduced friction throughout the booking journey

• Improved trust in digital healthcare services

• Better visibility and communication before appointments

• Increased accessibility across different age groups and levels of digital literacy

• Improved continuity between booking, consultation and follow-up care

Reflection

This project demonstrated how critical user-centered design can be during moments of real-world disruption.

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The challenge wasn't simply to digitise healthcare appointments. It was to create a service that felt trustworthy, accessible and reassuring at a time when many people were unable to access traditional healthcare services.

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By combining user research, rapid iteration and close collaboration with healthcare, legal and product teams, we transformed Online Doctor into a core part of Vhi's digital healthcare offering and delivered meaningful outcomes for both members and the business.