Redesign medical info search: streamlined for 50M+ users to find health information
MOBILE APP • REAL PROJECT
CONTEXT
In 2016, the Death of Wei Zexi caused a national sensation, he received an unapproved treatment in a hospital recommended by Baidu ( “Google” in China).
In 2017, Tencent Medpedia was born to address medical misinformation. With endorsement from WebMD, Medpedia provides authoritative, intelligent, humane medical encyclopedias for the public. Tencent is the parent company of WeChat - the largest messaging & social app in China.
I joined Medpedia in the summer of 2021. I was hired to redesign a medical knowledge search app, leverage fast-growing user needs, and help 1.4 billion Chinese to break the medical knowledge barrier.
MY ROLE
End-to-end design, research, usability testing
TEAM
with 2 designers, 1 PM, 1 UXR, 6 engineers
TIMELINE
Aug - Dec, 2021
IMPACT
200 %
boosted monthly active users
30 %
increased search fulfillment rate
88 %
satisfaction rate from 62%
PROBLEM
Initially, my PM told us the current Business Problems are: 1. user satisfaction rate was pretty low - 62%; 2. need to expand user base, especially for users in lower-tier cities.
From 300+ NPS survey results, 30+ semi-structure user interview & literature review, I summarized the main user problem.
Low Search Efficiency
Users had challenges in content discovery and search result accuracy. Low search efficiency hinders user retention rate.
Impractical Results
Users were seeking immediate, actionable guidance. However, our research results were more about the cause rather than solutions.
Complex Terminologies
70% + participants were often unaware of medical terms’ spellings, easily lost interest in articles loaded with complex terminologies.
Difficulty in acquiring appropriate medical info
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Anxiety curve when search medical info
Average anxiety curve
“ Online medical search can heighten anxiety. ”
Norr, Capron & Schmidt (2014)
DESIGN PRINCIPLE
Professional but Intuitive, Intelligent, User-friendly
SOLUTION
“Faceted search” aimed to refine search results in a large content set, but user errors rose. I analyzed that tiny filter choices are tough for human fingers on mobile, adding cognitive load to categorize their query.
Therefore, I switched to “search bar” to help users focus on core tasks. Also, I added logo on search bar to enhance product recall.
02 More User-friendly query suggestions
I mainly made 4 changes: 1. Showed instant results towards certain queries like yes-no questions, helping to skip steps; 2. Limited list (<10) to avoid overwhelming info; 3. Visually differentiate input & suggestions; 4. Help users more quickly navigate to the target info by offering the shortcuts of filters.
Collaborated with algorithm engineers, our team optimized the content of suggestions.
03 “Autocompletion enhance mobile search”
Mobile Design Pattern Gallery (2014)
To overcome complex terms’ impact on data entry, we enhanced typo tolerance and accelerated input with autocompletion/ correction.
With support of engineers, we used spelling auto-correction, pronunciation & root words recognition, predicting user intents. It helps create a smooth, calm search experience.
01 From faceted search to Search Bar
NEXT PROJECT