Work
Play
About
MedQuest
PRODUCT DESIGN
FULL CASE STUDY
TIMELINE: 8 Weeks (May-April 2023, December 2025)
ROLE: Full- Stack Designer
PROJECT TYPE: UI/UX, Product Design, Prototyping
MedQuest enables patients to share their medical history before appointments, making doctor visits faster and more efficient.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Long wait times in Canada’s healthcare system place significant strain on patients and providers alike. As wait times increase, patient satisfaction declines and the risk of delayed diagnoses and serious health consequences rises...
Canada's healthcare is delivered through Medicare, a publicly funded system that is frequently overstretched because of a lack of pricing and limitations on healthcare availability. Therefore, patients with non-life-threatening conditions face lengthy waits for medical care, leading to patient dissatisfaction and potential deterioration in their health status.
THE CHALLENGE
How might we streamline the appointment process for patients and healthcare professionals to reduce patient wait times and improve overall care efficiency?
THE RESEARCH
Project Overview
As part of a class assignment, we were asked to select a domain and design an app that addresses a major problem within that space.
💭 THE GOAL
The purpose of the project was to apply a user- centered design process to identify a real-world issue and propose a thoughtful, design-led solution.
I chose the healthcare (medical) track, with a focus on improving the patient–doctor appointment experience. This led me to focus my research on understanding the issues in the healthcare sector.
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
I conducted secondary research by reviewing:
Academic research papers on Canadian healthcare services
Articles and reports discussing patient experience and system inefficiencies
Through this research, I analyzed recurring themes, challenges, and system-level pain points affecting both patients and healthcare providers.
01 LONG WAIT TIMES ARE A CORE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system (Medicare) consistently struggles with prolonged waiting times, especially for non-urgent procedures and specialist treatments. These delays are a major barrier to access and contribute to frustration among patients.
02 WAIT TIMES ARE INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY
A recent analysis shows that the
total wait time from being referred by
a general practitioner to receiving specialist treatment increased dramatically over decades (e.g., from ~9.3 weeks in 1993 to ~27.4 weeks
in 2023).
03 HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE AFFECTED BY DELAYS
Extended wait times are associated with:
Adverse physical health outcomes
Mental health challenges
Higher treatment costs
Increased socioeconomic burden on patients and families
These effects have been documented across chronic and serious health conditions.
SYSTEMIC FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO WAIT TIMES
🩹 FRAGMENTED GOVERNANCE
Shared federal-provincial responsibility leads to uneven service delivery and policy inconsistency, which
exacerbates inefficiencies.
📉 WORKFORCE SHORTAGES
Shortages of physicians, nurses, and specialists create bottlenecks in access and limit appointment availability.
👨🦳 AGING
POPULATION
A growing proportion of older adults increases demand for complex and specialized care, further pressuring the system.
🛠️ POORLY INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Fragmented health technology and communication across facilities (e.g., reliance on faxing referrals) leads to administrative delays and reduced capacity for efficient patient flow.
THEREFORE, THE SOLUTION
MedQuest.
MedQuest is a healthcare app that supports both patients and healthcare professionals in preparing for appointments through simple, user-centered questionnaires.
Designed to be clear, intuitive and user- friendly, MedQuest allows users to complete questionnaires at their own pace, before this visit.
HOW IT HELPS PATIENTS
SHARE ACCURATE INFORMATION WITHOUT TIME PRESSURE
FEEL MORE PREPARED & CONFIDENT BEFORE APPOINTMENTS
EXPERIENCE SMOOTHER, LESS STRESSFUL CONSULTATIONS
HOW IT HELPS DOCTORS
ACCESS KEY PATIENT DETAILS IN ADVANCE
REDUCE REPETITIVE HISTORY-TAKING & QUESTIONS
FOCUS ON MEANINGFUL FOLLOW- UP QUESTIONS
FEATURES
01 USER-CENTERED QUESTIONNAIRES
Questions are designed using simple language and progressive disclosure, reducing cognitive load and making it easier for patients to complete forms accurately.
02 ACCESSIBILITY-FIRST DESIGN
High contrast, readable typography, and touch-friendly components ensure the app is usable across age groups and abilities.
03 DOCTOR READY INFORMATION LAYOUT
Patient responses are organized into scannable, structured summaries, helping healthcare professionals review information quickly.
SKETCHING AND WIREFRAMING
JUMP TO THE HI-FI PROTOTYPE
General Questionnaire
This questionnaire aims to create a health profile of you to share with doctors immediately and help reduce the time of writing unnecessary patient information again and again.
Estd. time: 2-3 mins
What is your name?
Contact Number
Any Allergies?
Emergency Contacts
Date of Birth
Sex
Height
Weight
Good Morning,
Rachel
Here are your upcoming appointments
Your Questionnaires
Past Questionnaires
Questionnaire 01
Pre-Dental Checkup
Dr. Jane Doe
ABC Hospital, Toronto
01/05
Does your family have a history of Diabetes?
Yes
No
BACK
DONE
Questionnaire 01
Pre-Dental Checkup
Dr. Jane Doe
ABC Hospital, Toronto
01/05
Can you provide some more details?
Type Here...
BACK
DONE
Questionnaire 01
Pre-Dental Checkup
Dr. Jane Doe
ABC Hospital, Toronto
DONE
More Questionnaires
Medical Profile
Name
Contact Number
Allergies
Emergency Contacts
Date of Birth
Sex
Height
Weight
HIGH- FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
After multiple rounds of iteration and design changes, the final app design took shape.Despite the fact that the prototype
is not completely functional, it does successfully highlight the app’s ease of
use and the essential steps users will take, thus showing how it will address the
specific issues.
TRY THE HI-FI PROTOTYPE
LEARNINGS AND OUTCOMES
📲 SYSTEM PROBLEMS CAN BE ADDRESSED AT THE INTERACTION LEVEL
Many view extended wait times as a significant, systemic problem, however, this project revealed that small improvements at the interaction level, like obtaining structured information prior to appointments.
🤔 ONE PRODUCT, MULTIPLE USERS
Developing MedQuest involved considering the requirements of patients and doctors, which taught me how to design for two different user groups while converting patient feedback into useful information for doctors.
💭 RESEARCH- DRIVEN DESIGN BUILDS STRONGER SOLUTIONS
Secondary research supported my project, verifying my assumptions and making my design choices more reliable, creating a stronger solution.
NEXT UP..
