Strategic Identification of Product Challenges
for Converting an MVP to MLP
Background
Jeevam Health provides holistic treatment for thyroid patients, focusing primarily on lifestyle and dietary changes alongside medical interventions. The Jeevam Mobile App serves as a key touchpoint in this treatment plan. However, the existing MVP (Minimum Viable Product) faced obvious challenges such as:
While these issues were immediately noticeable and suggested deeper problems, they were only surface-level symptoms. Through a detailed analysis, we sought to uncover the specific underlying challenges that needed to be addressed to optimize the treatment process and resolve operational inefficiencies.
Objective
The goal was to launch a polished version of the app within three months, designed to effectively support the treatment process.
A full redesign was not feasible due to time constraints, so the focus was on identifying and addressing the highest-impact areas to optimize both user and business outcomes.
Understanding Pain Points
USER PAIN POINTS
"I don’t understand this online format of treatment at all-Booking online appointments feels like an alien concept."
"Following all this gluten free, sugar free diet is very confusing. I have been eating traditional Indian foods my whole life."
"I feel frustrated and desperate when Doctors and Care Managers don’t respond promptly to my concerns. I always have so many queries."
"I don’t understand the treatment process. All I understand is that i need to make some lifestyle changes but I’m always confused about what steps to take, and I constantly need to contact the Care Manager.”
BUSINESS PAIN POINTS
High operational load: Care Managers are overwhelmed with constant queries from patients, making timely responses almost impossible.
Low adherence: Patients struggle to follow diet plans and lifestyle changes, leading to no noticeable results and hence, frustration and distrust in the product.
Analysing Problems with the Product
Guidance Deficit
Patients are not guided through their treatment plan in the app. Lack of clarity causes patients to rely heavily on Care Managers for basic information. And delays in response lead to frustration and distrust.
app only provides the basic information like the plan days and the number of appointments
Ineffective Navigation & Features
The app’s current structure does little to support users in their treatment journey. Here’s an analysis of its key sections:
Home : The screen prioritizes the doctor’s name but provides minimal actionable information.
The “Book Appointment” button leads to a lengthy, questionnaire
The patient still can’t book the appointment on their own.
Chat : Functions as a direct line to doctors and Care Managers, but response delays lead to dissatisfaction.
Community : A echo chamber of unresponded inquiries, providing zero actual benefit to consumers.
Health : Solely for uploading health reports, with no further utility.
Discover : Archives doctor-contributed pieces, yet engagement and organization are lacking.
Settings : Limited relevance to the treatment journey
Problems Identification and
Solution Mapping
#1 The Appointment Booking Method
Problem : Appointments are currently scheduled manually by Care Managers over phone calls. This process often results in delays, inefficiencies, and miscommunications. Patients sometimes find it difficult to follow up on their appointment status or make changes, which further adds to their frustration.
Solution : Introduce a dedicated Appointments section where patients can:
Book appointments directly within the app.
View and manage upcoming appointments, including rescheduling appointments.
#2 Clarity of the Treatment Plan
Problem : Patients frequently report feeling lost and unsure about their treatment journey. This lack of clarity leads to anxiety, reduced adherence to the plan, and a sense of helplessness about their progress.
Solution : Implement a Treatment Plan Overview during onboarding to clearly outline the steps of the treatment.
Also add a persistent reference section within the app where patients can access the treatment plan at any time.
#3 Overwhelming queries for Care Managers
Problem : Care Managers are inundated with patient queries, many of which are repetitive or non-urgent. This creates delays in providing timely assistance, frustrating both users and Care Managers.
Solution : Redesign the Community Section such that it fosters collaboration and reduces dependence on Care Managers. Key features may include:
Allowing users to post queries and receive answers from experts or experienced fellow users.
Curated FAQs by Care Managers and Doctors to address common concerns and minimize repetitive questions.
#4 Progress Tracking
Problem : Patients struggle to visualize their progress over time, which leads to demotivation and, in some cases, discontinuation of treatment.
Solution : Introduce a Progress Dashboard where users can:
Track key metrics like weight, thyroid levels, and adherence to their diet plan.
Set personal goals and view progress trends over time, encouraging consistency and accountability.
Receive motivational updates, such as celebrating milestones with badges or rewards.
#5 Diet Plans
Problem : Most of the sugar-free, gluten-free recipes shared by nutritionists are not aligned with traditional Indian meals, which patients find unfamiliar and unappealing. As a result, they struggle to follow these plans consistently, leading to suboptimal results.
Solution : Add a dedicated Diet Plan section in the app that provides:
Modified versions of traditional Indian meals to suit gluten-free and other dietary requirements, ensuring familiarity.
Daily meal suggestions tailored to regional and cultural preferences.
Easy-to-follow recipes and grocery lists to make adherence simpler.
Narrowing the Scope for Relaunch
To meet the estimated launch schedule, we needed to prioritise and select the highest-impact solutions that could be implemented on time.
Initially, we planned to create an Effort-Impact Matrix. However, given that the app was essentially being rebuilt from scratch, we needed to consider which features were most urgently required for the relaunch.
After discussions with the stakeholders, here’s what was concluded:
1. Progress Tracking of Thyroid Markers : Since doctors review these metrics during every appointment, a visual feature in the app to motivate patients was not deemed an immediate necessity.
2. Diet Plan Section : Nutritionists helped us prepare extensive PDF meal plans tailored to Indian dietary habits. Hence, incorporating this feature into the app was also not an urgent priority.
Based on these decisions, the three main features of the relaunched product were finalized: