Product Sense: Help Patients Discover a Doctor Who Fits Their Needs

Many people need to find a doctor they have never seen before. Design a product that makes that search easier. Decide which users you would focus on, describe the problems they run into today, propose and prioritize solutions, and explain how you would measure success. ```hint Follow the search to a visit A list of doctor names is not the finish line. Ask what has to be true for a search to end in a first appointment the person is happy with, and find where that chain breaks for the users you pick. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which healthcare system are we designing for: one where insurance networks decide which doctors a patient can afford to see, as in the US, or a public system? - Is this a standalone product, or part of an existing platform with a large user base, such as a social network? - Should it cover primary care, specialists, or both, and does it stop at choosing a doctor or include booking the first appointment? - Is there any constraint on the business model, for example whether doctors may pay to be listed? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal that defines success as a person actually getting suitable care, not just running a search. - A chosen user segment with specific pain points such as insurance coverage, appointment availability, fit and trust in quality signals. - Prioritized solutions that address those pain points, with a clear first version. - Metrics tied to completed first visits, with guardrails on information accuracy and privacy. - Healthcare-specific risks: health-data privacy, getting doctors and clinics on board, ranking bias and fake reviews. ### Follow-up Questions - Doctor directories are often out of date. How would you keep insurance and availability information accurate? - How would the product make money without ranking doctors by who pays the most? - If this were built inside a social network, what would change, and which privacy risks would you guard against? - Suppose the prompt fixes the situation instead: you have just moved to a new city and need an app to find doctors near your new home. How would your choice of users, the problems you solve first and your first version change when the newcomer context and the local search are given rather than chosen?