Case study 02 · Healthcare · Mobile · Concept · 2026
Rescheduling an appointment without a phone call
A self-directed design exercise exploring how a small clinic could let patients reschedule in under a minute while protecting the clinic from last-minute gaps.
Concept · Fictional clinic. Not client work. No users were involved.
- Role
- Concept, UX, interaction design, visual design
- Challenge
- Make rescheduling feel safe and effortless for a patient, while giving the clinic enough notice and control to keep its calendar healthy.
- Type
- Concept exercise
- Platform
- Mobile web
- Status
- Design only, untested
01 · What is this exercise?
ConductedOverview
A fictional neighbourhood clinic and a single task: change an existing appointment from a phone. It exists to show design thinking where real project material is not yet available, and it is labelled as a concept everywhere it appears.
02 · Where is the opportunity?
HypothesisThe challenge
Hypothesis: phone-only rescheduling is a barrier outside opening hours, and an unfilled slot is costly for a small practice. Neither claim has been verified with patients or clinics.
03 · What would a good outcome require?
HypothesisProblem definition
Needs inferred from the scenario, to be validated before any build:
Patient
Change a time quickly, see exactly what is being changed, and trust that it worked.
Clinic
Receive enough notice, keep control of which slots can be offered, and avoid double-booking.
Both
A clear path to a human when the self-service route does not fit.
04 · What is the shortest safe path?
ConductedFlow and structure
The flow keeps the booking in view throughout, offers only slots the clinic has released, requires a final confirmation, and always offers a way to call.
01
Open booking
From reminder link, no login wall
02
Choose a new time
Only clinic-released slots
03
Review change
Old versus new, rules stated
04
Confirm
Old slot released on success
05
Receipt
Confirmation and calendar add
Exit paths: keep original at any step, or call the clinic.
05 · What does the core moment look like?
ConductedInterface exploration
Three key screens: choosing a new time, reviewing the change, and the confirmation. Each repeats the current appointment so a patient never has to remember what they are changing.
06 · What if it goes wrong?
ConductedEdge cases and states
Trust in a healthcare task is won or lost in the failure states, so they were designed alongside the happy path rather than afterwards.
Slot taken while choosing
Say so plainly, keep the original, offer nearby times
Why: Prevents silent double-booking
Inside 24 hours of visit
Explain the rule and show the clinic's phone number
Why: Protects the clinic without dead-ending the patient
Connection lost on confirm
Show the booking's real state on return, never assume
Why: Avoids a false sense of being rebooked
No slots available
Offer a call-back or phone, not an empty list
Why: Always a path forward
07 · How would this be tested?
Not yet doneValidation plan
Nothing here has been tested. If this were a real engagement, the first step would be to confirm the problem exists and matters before refining the interface.
| Question | Lightest method | Evidence that would answer it |
|---|---|---|
| Does phone-only rescheduling really block patients? | 5–8 patient interviews, 2 clinic staff interviews | Frequency and cost of missed or abandoned changes |
| Can people complete the change unaided? | Moderated usability test on a prototype | Completion without help; errors; confidence rating |
| Do the rules protect the clinic fairly? | Review with clinic staff | Slots refilled; staff workload |
Outcomes, stated honestly
What is known, and what isn't.
- Not measured
This is a concept. No users, clinics or data were involved, and no impact is claimed.
- Demonstrates
How I frame an ambiguous service problem, design for failure states, and define how a design would be validated.
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