Hike One
During my bachelor's graduation internship at Hike One, I identified the needs of international students as users of the Dutch healthcare – choosing the right general practitioner, understanding health insurance, and access to the right healthcare information. After thorough user research consisting of interviews, a competitive assessment, desk research, user journey mapping, card sorting, and a co-creation session with the target audience, I gathered a set of insights which then guided the design phase of the project.
The design phase involved a research-through-design approach and the creation of a card deck. Using my research insights, I developed a healthcare platform prototype in Protopie to explore key aspects of healthcare. The biggest challenges centered on understanding the psychosocial experience users seek and designing an environment that feels calming and trustworthy - guided by the core values of trust, safety, intimacy, security, and transparency identified in my research. Beyond examining the desired user experience, the platform also explored how interactions should be structured, what language should be used, and which features users expect.
The platform explored two approaches: one offering a personalized experience, where users could choose an animal advisor, name it, and manage their healthcare needs with guidance from their digital companion in a dialogue-like manner. This transformed the often stressful process of healthcare arrangements into a relaxed, step-by-step experience, with clear information, choices, and explanations provided by the "digital pet." The second approach took a more serious tone, replacing the friendly companion with animated explanations and a formal style. The results showed a strong preference for the animal-guided approach, as users found it more relaxing, engaging, and supportive.
