Just home
Many people booking were recently discharged. They're adjusting to a care plan and new routines.
So: say what happens next, in order.
Booking virtual care after discharge
Clearer words, simpler and modern design, fewer dead ends, and a way to cancel that didn't exist before.
Read the story
1Context
Who books these visits
A patient who just came home and needs a follow-up. They want a way to easily get in touch with doctors and get back to resting.
- Product
- Video appointments with a licensed clinician, booked in the app or on the website.
- The flow
- Choose a state, pick a time, add details, leave a note, get a link.
- The brief
- Audit every booking screen for UX and content, then show what better looks like.
- Constraint
- Clinicians can only see patients in states where they're licensed.
Low on energy
Recovery is tiring. Every extra field, pop-up or unclear button costs more than it would on a good day.
So: ask less, and keep choices in view.
Possibly worried
Something might be wrong. A cold error message or a confusing time can turn worry into a phone call.
So: be calm, plain and specific.
2The audit
We audited every screen in the app and on the website
We went through the whole booking flow in the app and on the website, start to cancel. Each screen was checked for clarity, tone, accuracy and what happens when things go wrong. Here are the original screens, with the main problems marked.
3What we found
Six patterns behind the issues we found
Fixing screens one by one would have left the causes in place. Grouping the findings showed six habits that kept producing the same problems, so we fixed the habits.
Context disappears
Choices made in one step vanish in the next. By the note step, patients can't see the time they picked.
BeforeEach step starts blank. Nothing carries over.
AfterA running summary on web. On mobile, "New York · Change" and a time card stay in view.
Language doesn't fit recovery
Clinical or bureaucratic words where a patient expects a person.
Before"Tell us about your diagnosis" (Minimum 20 characters)
After"Anything you'd like your clinician to know? You don't need a diagnosis."
Copy explains the system
Sentences describe how the company works, not what the patient should do.
Before"We use this to make sure you're connected with a provider who is licensed to provide care in your state."
After"Clinicians can only see you in states where they're licensed."
Errors lead to dead ends
Errors blame the patient and don't say whether the appointment is safe.
Before"404. Looks like you're lost." Go back
After"This page didn't load. That's a problem on our side. Your appointment is still confirmed."
Buttons don't say what happens
Generic labels make people stop and reread the screen before they commit.
Before"Are you sure?" No / Yes
After"Cancel your visit on Sat, Oct 3?" Keep my visit / Cancel visit
Inconsistent or broken
Times in the wrong zone, title case next to sentence case, and fields that shouldn't exist.
Before"If Other, please specify" on a list of licensed states
AfterYour state, preselected. Others in one regular dropdown.
4Three levels of change
Some issues need new words, others need design changes
Original![]()
Content only![]()
Full redesign![]()
Drag, or use the arrow keys
5Cancelling
Fixed in the app, new on the website
The app already let patients cancel, but with one unclear option and no undo. The website had no way to cancel at all, so patients had to contact support.
6Copy, rewritten
Most of the improvement came from the words
A sample of lines from both platforms, before and after.
7The playbook
Content rules that apply beyond this flow
The six patterns became six rules for the whole product, so the next flow gets them right from the start.
Keep context in view
Show what the patient has already chosen, and let them change it in place.
Write for someone recovering
Plain, warm and short. Ask what they'd like to share, not for a diagnosis.
Explain only what helps
Give a reason when it helps someone decide. Leave out how the company works.
Errors own the problem
Say what happened, what's still safe, and what to do next. Never blame the patient.
Buttons name the action
"Book appointment", "Keep my visit", "Cancel visit". Sentence case, always.
One word, one meaning
Same term for the same thing everywhere, and times in the patient's state.
Glossary
Words to use and words to avoid
The app says "visit" and the website says "appointment", each one used consistently.
| Use | Instead of | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician | Doctor, provider | Accurate, and it's who they'll see |
| Continue | Next | Steps move forward. The last one says "Book" |
| Eastern Time (New York time) | EDT, IDT, local time zone | Tied to where the patient will be |
| Check your phone | Phone Verification | Says what to do |
| Your note | Admission info, diagnosis | Patient language, not intake forms |
| This page didn't load | 404, you're lost | Owns the problem |
| Cancel visit | Yes | The button says what it does |
8What we delivered
The redesigned flow is ready for usability testing
21New screens, 11 app and 10 web
9Content-only screens in the old UI
6Product-wide content rules
1New web flow, cancel with undo
What's next
Measuring impact
Every change ships with a clear metric, so each improvement can be proven before the next one is built.
- Baseline the current funnelTrack every step, from location to booked, to get today's drop-off, time to book and error rates.
- A/B test the content-only releaseSplit traffic between old and new copy. Compare booking completion and drop-off at each step.
- Usability test the redesign5 to 8 recent patients per platform. Task success, time on task and errors for booking, rescheduling and cancelling.
- Measure downstream impactBooking-related support calls, no-show rate, and the share of cancellations that become reschedules, before and after.