How our new appointment booking flow improved the quality of leads and doubled our conversions

 

  • Me (Product Designer), Amitto (Product Manager), Ankit (Product Manager), Harsh (Product Designer-LO), Sumit (Product Designer)

  • Aug-Sep 2023 (4 weeks)

  • UX Research, Developed User Journeys, Wireframes and Prototypes. Collaborated with another designer on the UI features. Worked alongside Project Managers and Frontend Developers.

 
 

Context

This case study examines how at Dezy, an O2O (Online to Offline) dental care provider that offers all dentistry services, we designed an efficient booking flow which streamlined appointment booking by bucketing different dental requirements into broader categories. This approach significantly improved the quality of leads generated, resulting in a doubling of our conversion rates.

As a dental care providing platform, implementing the broader categorisation of dental treatments and adding a detailed information tray for each treatment, providing enough information about the treatment you are booking for has improved user experience and doubled booking conversion rate. Our new booking flow has delivered outstanding results, making the dental care experience smoother, more trustable, and user friendly.

 

Who we are

Dezy is one of India’s leading dental care platforms, operating across multiple cities. Founded in 2020, Dezy is an O2O (Online to Offline) dental care provider offering a full range of dentistry services. Vetted doctors, transparent communication and anxiety-free consultation are the core principles of our desired user experience.

We prioritise ease of use and a superior user experience. Wether you are rushing for an emergency Toothache checkup or trying to improve your smile, a smooth and quick experience is must. We provide a variety of dental treatments at your desired location -be it at home or in-clinic- which results in some challenges when it comes to appointment booking.

 

Problem

Few problems user faced with appointment booking:

  1. Treatment Confusion Leading to Drop-offs: Users can choose from a list of all the treatments we provide, but many are not familiar with the various dental treatments or which one they need. This often leads to users either dropping off from the booking page or booking appointments for the wrong treatment, resulting in cancellations and a poor experience.

  2. Overwhelm and Hesitation Among New Users: New users who lack prior knowledge about dental treatments often feel overwhelmed when presented with a long list of options without any detailed information. This leads to confusion and hesitation, negatively impacting their overall experience.

  3. Frustration for Emergency Cases: Users experiencing dental emergencies, such as a toothache, are also required to go through the same lengthy booking process. This results in unnecessary delays and prolongs their discomfort, leading to a frustrating experience during a critical time.

 

Analysis

Data

We discovered that approximately 71% of users drop off from the ‘Select Treatment’ page, indicating significant confusion about which treatment to choose. Additionally, 16% of users tap on the ‘Help’ option immediately after starting the booking flow, suggesting that many find it difficult to book an appointment on their own.

 

User Feedback

We discovered that several clinics and dentists reported cancellations or appointment changes due to users booking the wrong treatments. Additionally, some users have raised concerns about the credibility of our services and questioned whether our dentists are reliable.

When we interviewed new users and asked why they didn’t book an appointment after registration, many cited a 'lack of clarity', while others mentioned that the booking process was confusing and time-consuming. This feedback highlighted that booking an appointment is not easy for new users. Additionally, many users revealed that they were primarily interested in comparing the prices of our services.

 

Goals

  1. Guide users efficiently to the right treatment / get them closer to their broader goal
    - Make the journey easily understandable and less intimidating.

  2. Build brand equity: Why is Dezy different, how are we unique?

  3. Users need to feel that we are approachable, authentic and experts.

  4. For free consultations, we need to qualify users better so operational costs are being spent efficiently.

 

How might we know we are successful:

  1. Improve confirmed booking percentage

  2. Reduce bounce rate

  3. Increase conversion rate

  4. Reduced cancellations

 

Users we are building for:

  1. Users who know their desired treatment for consultation

  2. Users aware of their problem but uncertain about treatment

    a. Unfamiliar with available treatment options

    b. Unsure which treatment to choose

 

Research

We examined direct vertical competitors and healthcare platforms to understand their approach to appointment booking. While most competitors focus on a single type of treatment, Dezy offers a comprehensive range of dental services, making it challenging to find a comparable booking experience. However, we drew valuable insights from various competitors: Practo excels in treatment sorting and categorization, while Opencare provides clear communication and information about treatment categories. These examples helped us recognize that when users encounter a long list of treatments, organizing them into categories makes it easier to navigate. Additionally, grouping treatments under broader categories provides an extra layer of information, which greatly enhances the overall user experience.

 

Here are two examples:

 

User Interviews and Surveys

We conducted user interviews and surveys with both Dezy's existing customers and new users. These interviews featured open-ended questions to gather in-depth insights into their needs and appointment booking experiences. Additionally, we surveyed 50 random users to understand how they interact with online appointments and their overall approach to dental care.

 

Key Observations

  • Convenience: Users are positive to book dental services online as it saves time in their busy schedules.

  • Lack of Awareness: 72% of people were unaware of Dezy and the dental services it provides.

  • Information Needs: Users expressed a desire for more information about treatments before booking an appointment.

  • Ease of Use: Users want the booking process to be simple and seamless, making it easier for them to schedule an appointment.

User Needs

  • Comprehensive Information: Users seek detailed insights into dental treatments due to the intimidating nature of these procedures.

  • Helping Hands: Users want guidance for choosing the right treatment while booking an appointment.

  • Efficiency: Users want the appointment booking process to be quick and efficient, avoiding any lengthy or time-consuming steps.

  • Customer Experiences: Users desire access to information about previous customer experiences, including testimonials or reviews.

 

Business Goals

The free consultation strategy at Dezy successfully attracts new users, but it also impacts the quality of leads. Many users do not book an appointment after registration, and others do not proceed with treatments even after a consultation. This inefficiency in lead conversion increases operational costs.

To address this, we need to design a booking flow that filters out non-serious users while guiding those genuinely interested in treatments. This approach will help the company save on operational costs and ensure resources are spent more effectively.

 

User Flow Base

 

With this new flow, our goal is to provide value by offering clarity and personalized information early in the process, but with some friction in terms of completing a flow. Not all friction and drop-offs are detrimental -for example, we aim to filter out users who are either not serious about pursuing treatment or have selected a treatment that isn’t right for them. Drop-offs in these segments can help reduce operational costs.

However, we want to avoid losing users who are serious about the treatment and are a good fit but hesitate to commit due to perceived friction in the process. Balancing this friction is key to ensuring we retain high-quality leads while filtering out less relevant ones.

What we need to do therefore is:

  1. Reduce friction by addressing major objections

  2. Provide short term benefits that outweigh the cost of a longer flow

  3. Reframe the flow away from just booking to Starting a Consultation so users can expect value early and booking is just another part not the main purpose.

 

After aligning with business goals to improve the quality of leads and gathering data on the appointment booking process from both new and existing users, we synthesized these information to develop an improved process within the existing booking flow framework. We began with rough sketches and progressed to detailed wireframes. Multiple iterations of the flow were created and reviewed by team members, incorporating their feedback to refine and enhance the process further.

Wire 1.png
Wire 2.png
Wire 3.png

View Wireframes Iteration 1 below:

⏳ Please wait for it to load, and expand it for a better view.

 In Iteration I, we streamlined the basic structure of the booking flow, but it remained somewhat vague and lacked a solution for users who were unsure about which treatment to choose or had limited dental awareness. To address this, we decided to design an additional flow specifically for these users. This new flow collects information about their dental issues and pictures of their teeth, then generates a report suggesting possible treatments based on the data provided.

This self-serve flow, called Smile Assessment, guides confused users toward the appropriate treatment by analyzing their answers and submitted images.

 New improved flowchart

 Revised Wireframes:

⏳ Please wait for it to load, and expand it for a better view.

The revised wireframes now include an additional flow for users who are unsure about which treatment they need, guiding them to the right option based on the data they provide. This ensures that every user can find the appropriate treatment.

To further improve the quality of leads, we've added a "Submit Pictures" step, which provides dentists with detailed information about the user's dental issue, helping them offer more accurate consultations later. Users who complete this step and go through the entire process are more likely to be genuinely interested in treatment, effectively filtering out non-serious users early and reducing operational costs for the company.

 

Testing

During testing of the new prototype, we identified several key issues:

1. Emergency issues need quick action: For urgent situations, like a toothache, users require immediate attention. We need to shorten the flow and streamline the booking process for these users to provide a faster response.

2. Build trust with users: To foster greater trust, we should add elements that communicate Dezy's credibility, such as showcasing vetted dentists, patient testimonials, or highlighting our commitment to anxiety-free consultations.

3. Capture essential data early: Based on feedback from the business team, users often drop off after selecting a treatment. To avoid losing valuable data, we should move the mobile number and city capture to the beginning of the flow. This way, if users abandon the process midway, we still have their contact information and can follow up by phone to encourage them to book a consultation.

4. Direct path for users from specific ads: Based on feedback from the marketing team, we also learned that some users come to our platform through ads targeting specific treatments. For these users, we should bypass the initial steps and direct them straight to the "Select Location" stage, allowing them to book a consultation in just a few steps.

These adjustments helped us create a more efficient and user-friendly booking experience while aligning with business goals.

 

New Challenges

To provide immediate care for emergency issues

Requiring users to complete a full booking process when they need immediate attention—such as for a severe toothache—can result in a poor experience. To better serve these users, we need to provide value and attention in just a few steps.

To streamline the experience, we've developed a new flow tailored for urgent cases that require immediate action. This includes features like "Connect with a Dentist," allowing users to quickly reach a dentist for immediate advice and relief until they can either visit our clinic or have a dentist reach them.

By shortening the process and making it more straightforward, we aim to deliver faster responses and a smoother experience for users in critical situations, ensuring they receive timely and effective care when it matters most.

Quicker booking process for users from specific ads

To enhance the experience for users arriving from our paid treatment ads, we need to create a more efficient booking process. Since these users already show intent by clicking "Book an Appointment," the treatment selection step can be bypassed entirely.

Given that most of these users will not be logged in when they land on our website, the flow should begin with a prompt to enter their contact details and city, followed immediately by the option to select their preferred treatment location.

To further encourage these users to book an appointment, we should include prominent trust markers—such as testimonials, certifications, or success stories—that build credibility and confidence in Dezy's services.

Final Design

 View Booking Flow Prototype below:

⏳ Please wait for it to load, and expand it for a better view.

 

View Treatment Paid Ads Flow below:

⏳ Please wait for it to load, and expand it for a better view.

 

Results

The new booking flow, incorporating the Smile Assessment approach, yielded impressive results. We observed a notable increase in conversion rates for new users and an overall rise in appointment bookings. Additionally, the rate of cancellations due to incorrect treatment selection significantly decreased, enhancing both user satisfaction and operational efficiency.


Cancellations due to wrong treatment selection
16.3% drop

Appointments to Treatment conversion

Doubled the rate
Earlier 19 out of 100 appointments, Now 42 out of 100 appointments

Appointment Booking Completion
28% increase