Investigating the Design of Online Health Consultation Platforms and Patient Experience: An Exploratory Study

Online health consultation (OHC) platforms have been extensively used since the outbreak of COVID-19, that the number of active users has been increasing dramatically in China. OHC interfaces require a more immersive environment to support the entire medical consultation journey. This study intends to explore the design features of existing OHC platforms, and how they relate to patient experience and patient OHC journey. A literature review of design features, patient experience, and patient OHC journey was conducted to generate a framework to guide the study. Then, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants were carried out. The notions of “Design Features” were interpreted differently by individuals. For example, ‘graphic design’ was viewed as colour, font, icon, etc. Design Features have varying degrees of influence on “Patient Experience” and “Patient OHC Journey”. This study explores what comprises Design Features of OHC platforms. The associations between Design Features and Patient Experience found in this study are different from the associations that have been found in other contexts, like e-commerce. The design on telemedicine platforms especially OHC should be studied as an independent topic to inform the design of a better patient experience throughout the OHC journey.