Designing a Community Forum for
Faster Query Resolution and
Reducing Dependence on Care Managers
Background
Patients face an overwhelming shift during their treatment—adopting a new dietary regime, booking and attending appointments online, and adjusting their daily routines.
Adding to the challenge was the fully online nature of the treatment, which left many feeling confused and skeptical. This led to patients frequently reaching out to Care Managers with questions, but timely responses to every query weren’t always feasible. Delayed replies resulted in dissatisfaction and eroded trust among users.
To address this, there was a need for an active community space where common concerns could be resolved efficiently while fostering a sense of support and reassurance.
Ugh! This is so frustrating! Why do they never respond on time.
Oh my God! How do I repond to all these queries simultaneously!
Requirements
Our product manager told us about this observation that women aged 35–55, our target users, are familiar with Facebook.
So, in order to reduce the learning curve and align with their expectations, the community section needed to be designed to visually resemble Facebook.
Exploring the Elements and Structure of the Community
Overall Structure
One of the key challenges we faced was addressing the diverse needs of thyroid patients. Thyroid affects individuals differently, leading to unique symptoms and information requirements.
So, it was essential to create a structure that allows users to easily find relevant recommendations tailored to their specific needs.
The existing platform used single discussion threads where all topics were mixed together. This approach was chaotic and unhelpful—users couldn’t find relevant discussions amidst all the posts. It became clear that we needed a more organized structure.
Iteration 1 : Groups
First, we tried to divide discussions into broad groups, such as Fitness, Nutrition, and Mental Health. This gave users a clear starting point based on their general interests and needs. For instance: A user looking for exercise tips could join the Fitness group, someone needing advice on thyroid-friendly diets could turn to the Nutrition group.
Iteration 2 : Topics within the Groups
While groups were a significant improvement over the single-thread approach, they were not enough. Groups were too broad, and it was still difficult to find answers to their specific questions within a group.
So, we added topics within each group to focus on specific concerns. For example:
• In the Nutrition group, users can find specific discussions on meal plans for PCOD or tips for managing pregnancy cravings.
• In the Mental Health group, topics could include stress management techniques or dealing with mood swings.
Post Types
Creating an engaging and versatile posting system for the community was the next challenge.
Users needed the flexibility to share their experiences, ask questions, and seek advice in a way that felt natural.
Doctors required specialized methods to share guidance and resources.
User Post Types
Text-Only Posts: For simple questions or sharing experiences.
Text with Photos/Videos: Users could share visuals, such as weight loss progress, meal ideas, etc.
Doctor Post Types
Polls: Doctors can use polls to gather insights or preferences from the community.
Recipes: Doctors can share detailed meal ideas with step-by-step instructions.
Articles: Doctors could post in-depth insights or expert advice on different topics.
New Community Section
Choosing the Groups and the Topics
Posts Tiles
User Cards
Doctor Cards
Along with the other User Cards, the Doctors can post the following additional types of posts.
Scrollable Feed of the Community
'Search', 'Notifications' and 'Saved Posts' Button
Managing and Viewing your Groups
Filter Chips
Viewing your added Topics
Posts by the users
Profile Section
Doctor’s Profile Page
Doctor’s Profile Page
Group's Page
Saved Posts
Rewards Page
Prototype
Results
Adding a community forum was the last step for the upcoming launch. The documented KPIs were:
Users' Engagement within the community and the groups.
Feedback from Care Managers about User satisfaction.
There was a 16% rise in daily active users, due to more relevant content about their conditions. Direct queries to Care Managers decreased by 18%, as users were able to find many answers within the community. Overall, this redesign of the community led to an increase in user satisfaction and improved operational efficiency.
Aahh! Dr. Srisha just replied to my query about my thyroid markers.
Wow! I am not able to dedicate more time to other operational tasks.
