InReach

PROJECT OVERVIEW

TL;DR

Healthcare booking is broken and scheduling a doctor’s appointment is often complicated and time-consuming.

InReach simplifies the booking process with smart doctor discovery, real-time availability, and integrated insurance verification, taking users from a 20-minute search to a 2-minute confirmation.

Role

Product designer / Solo project

Tools

Figma

PROBLEM

Booking appointments is a nightmare

Healthcare systems are fragmented.

Patients have to navigate multiple platforms, endure long waits, and hunt for limited appointment slots.

This creates real barriers to timely care and adds unnecessary stress to an already difficult experience.

Healthcare systems are fragmented. Patients have to navigate multiple platforms, endure long waits, and hunt for limited appointment slots.

This creates real barriers to timely care and adds unnecessary stress to an already difficult experience.

Biggest pain point

Finding available appointment slots that fit a patient’s schedule.

The question

How might we streamline appointment booking so patients can access care when they need it, without friction?

solution

Meet InReach

I designed InReach around 3 pillars that directly addressed user pain points:

Smart doctor discovery

Users search once to see doctors across three pathways:

Featured doctors on the home screen provide instant access to highly-rated, nearby providers.

Browse by condition (e.g., "Colds & Flu") connects users to specialists for specific symptoms.

Advanced search filters by specialty, insurance, location, ratings, and language.

This eliminates the "Where do I even start?" paralysis and gets users to the right doctor fast.

Users search once to see doctors across three pathways:

Featured doctors on the home screen provide instant access to highly-rated, nearby providers.
Browse by condition (e.g., "Colds & Flu") connects users to specialists for specific symptoms.
Advanced search filters by specialty, insurance, location, ratings, and language.

This eliminates the "Where do I even start?" paralysis and gets users to the right doctor fast.

Users search once to see doctors across three pathways:

Featured doctors on the home screen provide instant access to highly-rated, nearby providers.
Browse by condition (e.g., "Colds & Flu") connects users to specialists for specific symptoms.
Advanced search filters by specialty, insurance, location, ratings, and language.

This eliminates the "Where do I even start?" paralysis and gets users to the right doctor fast.

Streamlined appointment booking

Three quick steps from a doctor's profile:

Select time: Color-coded calendar (green = available, yellow = limited, gray = unavailable)

Choose reason for visit: Pre-populated or custom options

Verify insurance: Automatic verification using stored insurance cards

Booking takes under 60 seconds, start to finish.

Three quick steps from a doctor's profile:

Select time: Color-coded calendar (green = available, yellow = limited, gray = unavailable)
Choose reason for visit: Pre-populated or custom options
Verify insurance: Automatic verification using stored insurance cards

Booking takes under 60 seconds, start to finish.

Three quick steps from a doctor's profile:

Select time: Color-coded calendar (green = available, yellow = limited, gray = unavailable)
Choose reason for visit: Pre-populated or custom options
Verify insurance: Automatic verification using stored insurance cards

Booking takes under 60 seconds, start to finish.

Convenient appointment management

Easy appointment management

Centralized My Appointments screen for upcoming visits, quick actions (Reschedule, Set Reminder), and digital insurance cards.

Smart reminders and in-app rescheduling make managing care effortless.

Together, these pillars (find, book, manage) transform appointment scheduling, cutting the process from 20 minutes down to 2 minutes.

Centralized My Appointments screen for upcoming visits, quick actions (Reschedule, Set Reminder), and digital insurance cards.

Smart reminders and in-app rescheduling make managing care effortless.

Together, these pillars (find, book, manage) transform appointment scheduling, cutting the process from 20 minutes down to 2 minutes.

HOW I GOT THERE

User research

I surveyed 9 users to understand their appointment booking habits and challenges. Three insights came up:

Insight #1: The "I can't find a time" problem

89% of users struggled to find convenient appointment times.

Design takeaway: Real-time calendar view with color coding for instant clarity.

89% of users struggled to find convenient appointment times.

Design takeaway: Real-time calendar view with color coding for instant clarity.

Insight #2: Phone call dependency

78% of users still booked via phone, with 56% experiencing frustrations with hold times.

Design takeaway: Make the mobile experience simpler and faster than calling.

78% of users still booked via phone, with 56% experiencing frustrations with hold times.

Design takeaway: Make the mobile experience simpler and faster than calling.

Insight #3: Feature priorities

Top needs: ease of use (89%), speed (89%), 24/7 availability (67%).

Design takeaway: Prioritize speed and simplicity over feature depth.

Top needs: ease of use (89%), speed (89%), 24/7 availability (67%).

Design takeaway: Prioritize speed and simplicity over feature depth.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

How I determined InReach’s value prop

I analyzed ZocDoc, Amwell, and Healthgrades.

While they offer cross-platform booking and provider search, their interfaces lack the instant visual clarity required for quick decision-making, especially around availability and insurance steps.

Opportunity: Deliver immediate, personalized availability information with a clearer, faster booking experience.

Usability testing

Design evolution through iteration

Two rounds of usability testing with 5 participants revealed huge improvements needed:

Cleaner doctor profiles

Problem: Long lists of information overwhelmed users and made scanning difficult.

Solution: Reorganized key details with icons and collapsible sections for scannability.

Intuitive calendar color scheme

Problem: Initial calendar caused confusion with availability.

Solution: Simplified to three colors (green, yellow, gray) for availability clarity.

Feedback: "I really like how I don't even have to think about which dates to pick."

Simplified home screen

Problem: Too many browsing options created a cluttered interface and decision paralysis.

Solution: Reduced clutter to three core sections: Upcoming Appointments, Featured Doctors, Browse by Specialty.

Enhanced search functionality

Problem: Users wanted more ways to refine doctor searches beyond basic filters.

Solution: Added “Refine Your Search” with filters for insurance, location, ratings, and language.

Flexible insurance entry

Problem: Manual form completion for insurance felt tedious.

Solution: Added photo capture and skip option to reduce friction.

FINAL DESIGN

Interact with InReach

Results, impact and next steps

Results

Average booking time: 87 seconds (goal met: under 2 minutes).
Users spent 55% less time viewing calendars after color-coding improvements.

Real-world impact

This project and the design thinking behind it helped me secure my current role at HonorHealth as Lead in Physician and APP Experience Design and Communications, proving that low-friction, high-clarity UX is critical in healthcare.

Next steps (if this wasn't a concept project):

Provider-side tools & integration
Telehealth functionality
Prescription management
Additional provider testing

Results

Average booking time: 87 seconds (goal met: under 2 minutes).
Users spent 55% less time viewing calendars after color-coding improvements.

Real-world impact

Next steps (if this wasn't a concept project):

Provider-side tools & integration
Telehealth functionality
Prescription management
Additional provider testing

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Hurdles I jumped

Balancing simplicity and functionality
Kept the MVP focused on the essentials (find, book, manage) and cut extras like telehealth or messaging.

Making dense information digestible
Used icons, hierarchy, and collapsible sections to make doctor profiles easy to scan.

Designing for trust
Transparent insurance verification, detailed doctor info, and confirmation screens reinforced credibility and confidence.

Balancing simplicity and functionality
Kept the MVP focused on the essentials (find, book, manage) and cut extras like telehealth or messaging.

Making dense information digestible
Used icons, hierarchy, and collapsible sections to make doctor profiles easy to scan.

Designing for trust
Transparent insurance verification, detailed doctor info, and confirmation screens reinforced credibility and confidence.

Balancing simplicity and functionality: Kept the MVP focused on the essentials (find, book, manage) and cut extras like telehealth or messaging.

Making dense information digestible: Used icons, hierarchy, and collapsible sections to make doctor profiles easy to scan.

Designing for trust: Transparent insurance verification, detailed doctor info, and confirmation screens reinforced credibility and confidence.

InReach

InReach

InReach

TL;DR

TL;DR

TL;DR

Booking appointments is a nightmare

Booking appointments is a nightmare

Booking appointments is a nightmare

Meet InReach

Meet InReach

Meet InReach

Smart doctor discovery

Streamlined appointment booking

Convenient appointment management

Easy appointment management

User research

User research

User research

How I determined InReach’s value prop

How I determined InReach’s value prop

How I determined InReach’s value prop

Design evolution through iteration

Design evolution through iteration

Design evolution through iteration

Cleaner doctor profiles

Intuitive calendar color scheme

Simplified home screen

Enhanced search functionality

Flexible insurance entry

Flexible insurance entry

Interact with InReach

Interact with InReach

Interact with InReach

Results, impact and next steps

Results, impact and next steps

Results, impact and next steps

Hurdles I jumped

Hurdles I jumped

Hurdles I jumped

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