Hello there!
This is Jahnavi Koganti, your friendly neighbourhood Researcher. I am in charge of UX Research at Plum.
When I am not running around picking our users' brains or blocking meeting rooms to conduct unusual UX research experiments, I love writing about what I do. As a result I get to introduce this UX Research newsletter to you all.
I'll be bringing you insights right from the heart of our research studies each month. This inaugural issue focuses on Telehealth and also includes a special announcement. (👀Keep reading till the end👀).
Read, enjoy, and share your feedback and questions at [email protected].
The Trigger
Plum’s Telehealth team has been knocking it out of the park lately. We saw a record-breaking 4,600 consultations per month by the end of 2024's first quarter. Gynae and Derma consultations are soaring in numbers, bringing more female users to the app.
But amidst all this, we noticed a little hiccup-
Our nutrition consultations are lagging behind, making up approximately 4% of the total consultations.
We could've easily hit the panic button and called it a day on nutrition consultations, but we're firm believers that a good diet is the cornerstone of preventive care. So, we rolled up our sleeves and dove headfirst into some good old-fashioned user research.
We spoke to 16 users and 8 Telehealth doctors including nutritionists, encouraging them to reflect critically on their experiences.
Most of the pain points are clear to our naked eye, so clear that we made comics out of them. An extract of the comic strips for you. (inspired by webcomic name)
But, we managed to discover something more profound and impactful enough to reimagine the overall experience...
The curious case of female users
Nearly 50% of our nutrition consultations are taken by women. A quick look at the following graph will provide us a glimpse into the ‘Why?’ behind these consultations.
On the face of it, most women seem to be taking nutrition consultations predominately to manage their weight. But, an in-depth interrogation revealed that -
- Nearly 40% of these weight management consultations are for managing PCOS.
- ~15% of the our female users take the consultations for dietary care during pregnancy and postpartum.
- Majority of the consultations for specific health related concerns are from the elderly group - these concerns range from thyroid, fatty liver and gut related issues to arthritis, breast cancer, thalassemia, and more.
How is this research informing our product?
Most of the research insights flow directly into our product roadmaps. Let’s take a sneak-peek into how that works.
Case study 1: Finding you the perfect match
Context: With more women taking the nutrition route as part of their recovery journeys, we have an important role to play in leading them to the right professional.
Problem: Previously users could book a consultation only on the basis of the nutritionists' experience and the languages they speak. They were not able to filter the profiles with respect to their specific health conditions.
Solution: We've now empowered users to make informed decisions by...
- enhancing credibility - through expert background and education details
- enhancing trust - through user ratings and testimonials
- simplifying expert discovery - by including their areas of expertise.
Case study 2: Commitment is key
Context: Women experience distinct life stages that lead to significant changes in their hormones and metabolism. These changes not only affect their overall health and body weight but also their mental health.
Problem: These issues are usually swept under the broad category of weight loss or gain and are addressed with unrealistic diets for quick results. Very few women seek professional advice in these scenarios.
Solution: We designed simple in-app assessments to help users address their health concerns with more awareness. This helps them comprehend and approach the problem more scientifically. It also improves tolerance towards consistent and long-term diet changes over instant ones.
Case study 3: Two birds, one stone
Context: While users understand the need to reach out to a specialist for their health issues, they do not readily understand the role of a nutritionist in the recovery process.
Problem: Users who need professional nutrition advice are not reaching out to a nutritionist unless prescribed by the consultant doctor.
Solution: We built keyword search that will not just lead them to the right expert, but also show all the related consultations that can help them approach their problem in a more wholesome way.
We still have a long way to go to build the perfect product that serves our users and our product team is working relentlessly to make that happen.
Found these insights helpful? Stay tuned for more.
Until next time,
Jahnavi :)
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