A telemedicine app for dermatologists that allows patients to analyse photos of affected areas, book appointments and talk to their doctor via video call.
Module: Interface Design
Team: 2 people
Role: Research & UI/UX
Tool: Figma
Timeline: April – July 2020
Problem statement
Patients want to avoid long waiting times in crowded doctor’s offices as much as possible. As a result of that, people have a tendency to see a doctor only in urgent cases and often try to diagnose themselves via Google. This quickly leads to misdiagnoses.
Background
Hypothesis
A tool that identifies skin conditions based on photos of the affected area and provides scientifically proven information on treatment options. Furthermore, the tool allows patients to book and have a digital appointment with their dermatologist.
Why?
Telemedicine can be a way to care for patients, especially in rural areas and when there is a shortage of specialists. Thus, telemedicine enables both time savings and the certainty of getting help whenever it is needed.
Business opportunities
This app would be an excellent tool to efficiently support and enhance the services of a dermatologist. People can be encouraged to examine worrying skin conditions at an early stage.
Correct diagnosis
Reduce misdiagnoses by providing easy access to scientifically proven information on skin conditions.
Time savings
Reduce inhibitions to seek the advice of a dermatologist by enabling digital appointments.
Early treatment
Through early diagnosis, there is a better chance of successful treatment of the skin condition.
Research
Telemedicine
After researching the topic of telemedicine itself and what both doctors and patients think of it, we looked at existing telemedicine applications to analyse functionalities, layout and design.
We did research on:
- Benefits of telemedicine
- Areas of interest for telemedicine
- Existing services in telemedicine
Insights
Telemedicine applications represent added value for patients in many medical fields.
Telemedicine applications are a supportive part of medical practice.
Existing telemedicine applications are available to patients via Android or iOS apps.
Telemedicine can be a way to care for patients, especially in rural areas and when there is a shortage of specialists.
Telemedicine makes it possible to provide diagnostics, consultation and emergency medical services despite physical separation.
Concept
Scenarios
Video call with a dermatologist
A patient wants to save time and, on the recommendation of his/her dermatologist, decides to use the SkinCare app, which enables him/her to attend certain check-up appointments with the dermatologist digitally via video call and, if necessary, upload photos of the affected areas of the skin.
Examine a worrying area of the skin
To see if an abnormal change in the skin is of concern and should be treated, a person uses the SkinCare app. Running a technical analysis of the recorded area of the skin, the person receives an initial diagnosis that provides helpful information about the skin’s condition and a recommendation for further action.
Operating philosophies
Design
Key moments
Below are some of the key moments of the dermatology app based on our research. Further research and testing would likely uncover more use cases.
Appointment request via calendar
Instead of calling the doctor’s office, people can book an appointment with their dermatologist via the in-app calendar. The calendar shows available appointment options so that the patient can book the most suitable appointment.
Digital appointment via video call
Instead of sitting in a crowded waiting room for long periods of time, patients have the option to talk to their doctor via video call. This way, patients only need to come to the doctor’s office when their doctor needs to perform a treatment.
Visual system
Colours
Typography
Bold; used for headers
Bold, semibold, & regular; used for sub-headers, buttons, & body text
Outcome
Deliverables
Designed and prototyped screens illustrating the concept of a mobile telemedicine app.
Values
The SkinCare concept provides value to dermatologists and their patients.
Initial diagnosis
A technical analysis of an affected area can provide an initial diagnosis, which patients can then pass on to their doctor if further treatment is required.
Time savings
Patients can save time as they can attend appointments from home and do not have to get to the doctor’s office every time.
Health benefits
We can help people to be healthier by giving them the tools to examine skin problems at an early stage.
Future Roadmap
Future research
Once a product like this could be built in a MVP form using the real technology (AI-analysis), there are several things that should be tested. A few are included below:
How reliable and accurate are the AI-assisted diagnoses?
To what extent can the appointment booking system be realised in medical practices?
What are the most common things people use this tool for?
Future use cases
Right now, the concept is focused on providing services for dermatologists and their patients. But with continued research and iterations, here are some other roles it could play in different markets:
Medical fields
How might this concept be useful in other medical fields? Which other medical specialists and their patients could benefit from this?
Shortage of specialists
How might this concept be adapted to counteract a local shortage of specialists? To what extent are patients flexible to consult different doctors depending on their availability?
Contact
info@elenabraeutigam.com
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