HEALTH
APP
Project duration
April, 2023 - June, 2023
Problem statement
A healthcare company hired me as a freelance Content Designer to improve the appointment cancellation experience in their mobile app. When a healthcare professional canceled an appointment, patients often felt confused and unsupported — unsure about refunds, next steps, or how to find another professional.
This unclear and transactional communication increased frustration and led many users to abandon the platform, directly affecting trust and retention. My challenge was to redesign this critical moment so patients felt guided, reassured, and empowered to reschedule or book a new appointment with ease, reducing drop-offs and strengthening the platform’s reliability.
My role and proccessI worked independently as the Content Designer, collaborating closely with the client’s product lead and design partner. To structure the work, I applied the Double Diamond framework, moving from research to delivery. This ensured that the solution addressed both patient needs and the healthcare provider’s business goals: reducing drop-off when appointments were canceled.
Step 1 - Product DiscoveryTo understand the cancellation journey, I explored how patients interacted with appointment notifications and mapped critical pain points. I benchmarked both Brazilian and international apps, from healthcare platforms like Zocdoc and Teladoc to service apps like iFood and Uber, paying special attention to how they handled cancellations, refunds, and alternatives.
I also mapped initial assumptions and open questions:
Was the cancellation triggered by the professional or by a system mismatch?
Would patients be notified instantly or only when they opened the app?
At what stage did payments occur, and how were refunds communicated?
This helped me define the main friction points: unclear communication, lack of empathy, and limited alternatives when a regular doctor became unavailable.
Step 2 - Definition“How might we communicate quickly and empathetically so patients understand their options and remain engaged when their regular doctor cancels an appointment?”
Step 3 - Ideation I designed user flows that reduced friction by reusing the same layouts for both booking and rescheduling, simplifying the overall experience and avoiding duplicated journeys. The primary path was the reschedule flow, encouraging patients to either keep their slot with another professional or book the next availability with their regular doctor.
The secondary path was starting a new appointment from scratch, which reused the same patterns for consistency. Deleting an appointment was intentionally deprioritized, as it didn’t support retention.
Content design decisions were critical:
Standardizing terminology → “appointment” for clarity and “professional” for inclusivity.
Simplifying actions → “Book appointment” (new) and “Reschedule” (existing).
Unifying confirmations → “Appointment scheduled” across both paths.
User Journey Map
Step 4 - DeliveryI consolidated the work into journey maps, wireframes, and UI writing. The final delivery provided the healthcare company with a scalable and consistent cancellation flow, empathetic notifications, and a clear content system to guide patients during moments of frustration.
The result was a patient-centered experience that balanced empathy and business value: fewer drop-offs, stronger trust in the platform, and a smoother rescheduling process.
Step 5 - Content Decisions by Screen
Home — Appointment Cancelled
Decision:
Use a calm, conversational tone to welcome the user before addressing the cancellation. The header (“Welcome back, Design Team! How are you feeling today?”) sets a reassuring and human tone, softening the impact of the negative news. The main message (“Appointment cancelled”) is clear and direct, followed by essential information: doctor’s name, date, time, and a short, empathetic explanation from the professional.
Two CTAs were included to guide next steps: “Reschedule” (the primary action, keeping the user’s journey continuous) and “Book an appointment” (a supportive alternative for users needing urgent care or a new professional).
Why:
The objective was to reduce frustration and uncertainty by creating a moment of reassurance and guidance.
Starting with empathy builds trust and prevents the experience from feeling transactional. Presenting both emotional (acknowledging inconvenience) and practical (offering next steps) elements helps users stay engaged and in control.
The dual-path design — reschedule or book new — keeps users within the app ecosystem, supporting retention while showing care for their wellbeing.
Appointment Scheduled — Success Screen
Decision:
Use a concise confirmation message — “Your appointment with Dr. Roberta Albuquerque has been scheduled” — to immediately reassure the user that the process was successful. The tone is confident yet calm, emphasizing reliability and closure.
The structure of the screen mirrors the booking flow: title, confirmation text, appointment card, and secondary guidance. The appointment card highlights key details (professional, specialty, date/time, and type) in a clear hierarchy to make information easy to scan. The small info balloon — “You'll receive a reminder 30 minutes before your appointment” — reinforces support and reduces uncertainty about next steps.
Two CTAs were included: “View details” (for users who want to double-check or manage the booking) and “Back to home” (for those ready to leave the flow). This dual choice respects different user intents and keeps navigation intuitive.
Why:
Success states are crucial to reinforce trust and satisfaction. This message was written to celebrate completion without sounding exaggerated — focusing on clarity, reassurance, and continuity.
Displaying appointment details within the confirmation itself avoids unnecessary back-and-forth navigation, while the reminder message anticipates a common user concern (“Will I get notified?”).
The clear, calm tone reinforces the brand’s role as a reliable health partner, closing the experience with confidence and care.
Reschedule Appointment Decision:
Decision:
Use a clear, action-oriented title — “Reschedule appointment” — to anchor the user in the task and reduce cognitive load. The supporting subtitle explains both the current step (“Select a professional”) and what comes next (“choose your insurance or payment method”), providing context and predictability.
The layout prioritizes the previous professional (Dr. Mariana Costa) at the top to maintain continuity and reassure users that their care remains connected to their original choice. Below, the section “Other available professionals” introduces flexibility, showing similar options for those who need new times or prefer different doctors.
Two tiers of CTAs guide the experience: selecting a time slot (micro action) and “Confirm reschedule” (macro action). This structure gives users a sense of progress and control.
Why:
When users face cancellations, they often feel uncertain about what happens next. The content here balances clarity and reassurance, transforming a moment of inconvenience into one of empowerment.
By keeping the tone supportive (“Select a new date and time”) and offering equivalent alternatives (“Other available professionals”), users feel their needs are prioritized — not disrupted. The transparent explanation of steps reduces anxiety, while consistent CTA language across the app (“Confirm reschedule”) builds confidence and predictability in navigation.
