In the context of the Pandemic, responding at pace to ensure uninterrupted access to medical advice for millions of customers.
An intuitive, empathetic mobile experience which enables the end user to book and receive a consultation in a safe, secure and efficient way.
International SOS is the world’s leading health and security services company. Employing over 10,000 people worldwide, they provide specialist medical and security advice and services to three quarters of the Fortune 500 companies and their employees.
Medical Services, one division of International SOS, is the largest private employer of medical professionals in the world and a 24/7 operation which fields millions of assistance calls each year. In addition to their contact centre operations, where experts are available to provide immediate support and advice, they have a global network of 2000 clinics in over 200 countries too.
Our approach
Whilst Medical Services’ contact centre operations remained largely unimpacted by the Pandemic, their ability to deliver ‘on the ground’ care was effected — particularly where local restrictions meant ‘in person’ meetings and consultations weren’t allowed. With its commitment to providing medical care anywhere and under any circumstances, International SOS wanted to ensure that access to their local clinics and clinicians was maintained. To do this, they recognised that the existing Telehealth proposition needed to evolve — at pace and in a secure and fully-integrated way.
Given the need for rapid development and the size and complexity of the stakeholder group, we worked in a series of Agile sprints — with high levels of collaboration and communication with internal leads and external IT partners managing the ‘back end’. Putting the end user at the centre of the design process, we wanted to create something that was easy and intuitive to use and given the context — and the likelihood that the user would have some kind of medical challenge or issue — something which was friendly and empathetic too.
Leveraging agile methodologies and ceremonies, the Journey team created wireframes and prototypes at pace. We validated our ideas through extensive user testing, with test data informing every element of the experience, from customer journey decisions through to user flows.
The Journey team designed an app to help International SOS customers get quick, easy and effective access to the medical care they needed – regardless of local restrictions or barriers in place.
The visual design was a key element. Given the context in which it would be used, we wanted to create an app that looked friendly, which felt suitably empathetic. We were given the licence to stretch the corporate brand by incorporating a wider, softer palette and through using illustrated content as opposed to stock photo footage.
Feedback from the International SOS team on the MVP that Journey delivered has been universally positive. The design helps to simplify and humanise what could be a potentially daunting and clinical interaction – particularly for more vulnerable patients.
In addition to addressing the immediate challenge and needs that International SOS had, the MVP has provided a strong foundation from which to progress their telehealth offering moving forward. Further development phases are planned, with additional features and functionality being added over time based on user data and feedback.
