Find My Doctor - UX Design

Health Care Barriers to Canadian Newcomers

There are multiple barriers that prevent new immigrant, refugee, children, youth, and families from accessing or receiving quality health care in Canada. A barrier to health care is anything that restricts the use of health services by making it more difficult for some individuals to access, use or benefit from care. Barriers vary among provinces and territories. Broadly, however, they include a complex array of political, social and health system-related rules and requirements, as well as factors relating to the culture of the patient, the family and the health care provider.

Being aware of barriers to health care can help Canadian newcomers have health care access easier from their Health care providers.

The goal of this project is to come out with solutions and try to reduce or overcome some of these barriers and improve the quality of care.

Project Overview

This project was developed at BrainStation as part of the research component of the course. The brief was to tackle a healthcare-related problem by applying the methodologies taught at the program.

TIMELINE
4 Week Solo Project

MY ROLE
Experience Strategy. Problem Solution

DELIVERABLES
Solution, Mid-Fidelity Flows, Prototypes, Product Mockups, Process

Solutions will focus on a particular demographic:
Canadian Newcomers. But why?

As immigrants always represent an enormous percentage of the Canada population. It plays an essential role in-country economic, social and demographic assets, ensuring newcomer benefits (e.g. health care) it’s never been more important than before.

However, a great number of studies (Ahmed et al., 2015; Klassen et al., 2011; Wang and Kwak, 2015) conducted in Canada indicate that immigrants frequently face multiple common barriers when attempting to access health care services. For instance, a study of over 2000 Chinese seniors in Canada, Lai, and Chau (2007) found that most immigrants have difficulty with English/French speaker doctor.

Another study of Wang (2007) noted immigrants were more likely to access health care when the services were ethnically and linguistically similar to the patient themselves. Immigrants frequently present with a favourable health status on arrival but over time develop the same or even worse health status than Canadian-born populations (Newbold, 2009).

Summary of Secondary Research

Identifying general themes

After review and compare findings from a variety of studies regards immigrants’ experiences with the current healthcare system.There are three major themes emerged from the secondary research finding:

the language barrier, cultural sensitivity, and geographic barrier

Primary Research

Common knowledge is that Canada heavily relies on immigrants to strength national economies, fill labor shortages, and contribute to demographic stability (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2007). However, a great number of studies (Ahmed et al., 2015; Klassen et al., 2011; Wang and Kwak, 2015) conducted in Canada indicate that immigrants frequently face multiple common barriers when attempting to access health care services.

This research objective is to understand the major key barriers to the current Health Care System in Canada as perceived by a particular demographic, new immigrants themselves. This research result will essential to understanding the challenge or key barriers experienced by recent immigrants in Canada.

3 current immigrant were interviewed
to get sense of challenge or key barriers experienced in Canada

User Research – Participants & Finding

Interviewee#1: Alysia

Age: 28
Original Country: China
Occupation: Part-Time Casher

Alysia is a young mother who becomes a Canadian preliminary resident in July 2017. She had a car accident and broken her arm a year ago, therefore she had somewhat health care experience in Canada. Language barriers are the biggest health care challenges for her. She failing to follow the treatment plan due to her unable to understand the doctor’s word. It is sad to know that “okay” is the easiest and common word when Alysia communicates with a doctor or nurse in the hospital, even she has no idea what they are talking about. Medicine in Canada just too expensive is another impression to Alysia. Alysia feels very frustrated with the Canadian Health Care System that the health card only covers specific things but all kinds of medicine.

Interviewee#2: Nolan

Age: 30
Original Country: South Korea
Occupation: Barber at Hair Salon

Nolan had been live in Canada for more than 6 years, and he got his PR card in 2017. In general, Nolan is a very healthy person with a strong body and rarely sick. Most of the chance for him to go to see a doctor due to his dental health problem. He always has a tooth problem because he loves to eat sweets. It is too expensive to see a dentist in Canada, and this is also the biggest health care challenge for Nolan. He believes dental health care and eye problem should be fully cover in the Canadian Health Care System in the future. It is too difficult for him and for people who have low income to afford the cost. Meanwhile, Nolan has a lack of knowledge with the Health Care System in Canada. It is essential to know that Nolan has a terrible experience with Health Care System in Canada, although he not usually get sick (please find Appendix for detail).

Interviewee#3: Hazel

Age: 34
Original Country: Vietnam
Occupation: MBA Student in Sudbury

Hazel is a current graduate student study in MBA who become a Canadian preliminary resident in August 2018. In general, Hazel is a healthy person, but she did get a terrible flu last winter and seek medical help. She feels upset after wait for an hour to see a doctor and get no medical back. Hazel thinks seeking help from a doctor is time-consuming if you just got a common illness with no that serious. Meanwhile, she doesn’t have a family doctor, because it is so hard for her to find one. Therefore, she only can go walk-in clinic when is necessary. The biggest health care challenge Hazel is facing today is that she won’t have a car and never drive. It is so challenging for her to see a doctor in Sudbury, especially when it’s snow outside and extreme cold. At the same time, a family doctor who speaks in Chinese is so hard to find in Sudbury. She feels uncomfortable with the Health Care System in Canada not only it is hard to find a family doctor who can speak in Chinese but also a lack of female doctors in gynaecologists.

Interview Raw Note

Main Themes & Insights

By talking to interviewees, I’m able to sort their pain point into three majority themes

1. Language Barrier

2. Economic Barrier

3. Doctors Shortage

So, what is the solution?

Insights & Opportunities

A digital booking system might help to solve a part of this problem since this platform can provide extra information to new immigrants who not familiar with the Health Care System in Canada. This digital platform is able to let users search doctors who nearby base on their search criteria. Base on their request, they can search for doctors who currently accept new patients, or speak in their language. I believe this digital platform would provide real help to new Canadian immigrants.

Meanwhile, a digital platform is much easy to produce. It might cost a couple of months from production to launch to the market. On the other hand, it takes years and years to change health care policy.

Create Users Persona with Empathizing

By doing user research, it led to the development of one persona and one experience map.

What is A User Persona?

A user persona is a fictional representation of your ideal target users. In this case, I will start the design process by conducting user research—building empathy with my target users and identifying exactly what they need from the product I am designing. A persona is generally based on this user research and incorporates the needs, goals, and observed behavior patterns of your target audience.

What is An Experience Map?

User experience map is a mirror to the user interactions within your products/services. The aim of creating user experience map is to identify and address the pain points of your target users.

User Persona

Tsubaki’s Experience Map

What a typical medical seeking process in Tsubaki life would look like

Epic & User Stories

Selected Task Flow

Inspiration – Mood Board

After defining the selected task flow and core solution concept. I started exploring what the look and feel of the app could be.

Inspiration from Zocdic
Zocdoc: The app allows patients to view open appointment time slots in the next 24 hours and book their appointments instantly online, without being put on hold. You can also view verified patient reviews of providers and receive appointment reminder notifications.

Inspiration from iamsick.ca
amsick.ca allows you to easily filter by healthcare provider type, hours of operation, location; language. Great local Toronto app to learn about physician booking apps as reference.

Sketch

From Concept Sketch to Capstone Ideation

Thinking about concepts, I’m interviewing someone who has online appointment booking behavior to figure out what would be the critical point if they are going booking an appointment with a doctor online and sketch our digital version of the answer.

Critical point when patient looking for doctor via digital/online:

1. What is the specialty of the doctor
2. Doctor choosability
3. Doctor’s availability
4. Doctor’s Rating/Reputation
5. Doctor’s Background / Speak Language
6. Clear and easy to book
7. Easy to check back