Simplifying Healthcare in the U.S.
through Telehealth
A bold mission to make healthcare affordable for all Americans
Peppermint.md, (now drhouse.com) began with a bold ambition to make healthcare in the U.S. straight forward. In a system known for confusion, complexity, and hidden costs, the mission was to bring clarity and convenience through affordable and accessible telehealth.
As the founding designer in a lean startup setup, I led the entire experience from discovery to delivery. Working closely with the founder, CTO, and two full stack engineers, we went from concept to MVP in under eight weeks.
That included customer interviews, rapid market research, wireframes, usability tests, and a validated prototype that clearly proved its value to early adopters.
Product
Cross-Platform App
My Responsibilities
Market Research, Brand Strategy, UI/UX Design, Usability Testing, Prototyping
Tools
Figma, Figjam, Google Sheets, Clickup
Timeline
4 months
Collaborators
Erko Risthein, Ergo Sooru, Isaiah
The reality of healthcare in America
For many Americans, healthcare is unaffordable, overly complex, and unaccessible. In 2021, approximately 27 million people lacked health insurance (Source) and an estimated 52 million are underinsured, meaning their plans did not cover local doctor visits (Source). With around 700 health insurance companies in the U.S., most doctors only accept between 10 to 20 of them on average, limiting patient options even further.
As a result, patients face long wait times, high medical bills, and limited provider availability, forcing them to either delay care or turn to expensive alternatives like emergency rooms for non-life threatening conditions and creating bottlenecks in the system.
Key Achievements
- Positive user sentiment during usability testing gave us strong feedback and added confidence in our market validation efforts.
- In the second round of usability tests, task completion rates were notably high and with very low error rates compared to first round.
- Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, Peppermint experienced accelerated adoption as users turned to online healthcare solutions.
Real conversations that shaped the experience
To reduce risk and avoid wasted efforts, I wanted to capture real user stories, and since none of us had experience with U.S. healthcare system, it would have been presumptuous to deliver a solution to a problem we never faced. This approach helped us to also plan our roadmap around features that would be most valuable and personal to our target customer. The goal was to understand what people currently do about their health, how they feel about their situation, and what they truly need going forward.
Target Customer Profile
- Lower and Middle class U.S Citizens / Residents from all ages.
- Doctors of all Professions.
- People with and without health insurance.
Reframing the Problem
"How might we create a healthcare experience that feels effortless, is affordable, accessible, and transparent for uninsured and underinsured individuals, ensuring they can easily find, compare, and book services that meet their medical needs without overwhelming financial stress."
Turning Conversations into a product roadmap
I translated raw user insights into focused product decisions that shaped the foundation of the MVP. What people truly wanted wasn’t just another healthcare app. They were asking for real control over their choices, clear and upfront pricing with no hidden fees, trust in the doctors they were seeing, and an easy way to book care without the long wait times or unnecessary friction.
Shaping the MVP
Once we had clarity, we focused on building a lean MVP that delivered real value quickly. The product guided users through a simple, end-to-end experience: onboarding, finding and comparing doctors, booking appointments, and completing payments with transparent pricing. We worked fast and smart and utilized integrations where possible with Calendly, Stripe, Twilio, and Airtable.
We also prioritized security from the start, building the platform on trusted HIPAA-compliant tools to ensure user privacy. This focused approach let us move from idea to prototype quickly, concentrating on user features.
Summary Points
- End-to-end patient flow from onboarding to booking.
- Transparent pricing and flexible consultation options.
- Virtual and in-person consultations.
- Streamlined doctor onboarding via key integrations
Watching Users Interact
Once high-fidelity prototypes were ready, I ran two rounds of usability testing.
During the first round, three out of three users failed to book a doctor through the map-based flow. They got stuck, asked for help, and grew frustrated. The complexity of the map view created unnecessary friction.
This insight led to a major pivot, the homepage evolved into a simple guided choice flow, allowing users to find a doctor faster without cognitive overload. The result was higher completion rates and a smoother experience.
Real Results, Real Validation
Early adoption during a critical moment showed that thoughtful, user-centered design can not only drive immediate results but also lay the foundation for long-term growth and continuous improvement.
User Ratings & Engagement
- App Store: DrHouse boasts a 4.9-star rating from over 2,400 reviews, indicating high user satisfaction and trust.
- Google Play Store: The app has been downloaded over 10,000 times, with a 4.9-star rating based on 676 reviews, reflecting strong user engagement.
User Feedback
- "My doctor was friendly and listened to me. I probably saved a couple of hours and never had to leave my home."
- "Very easy to schedule, showed me doctors within my network, and the price was very reasonable, cheaper than going to urgent care!"
Business Outcomes
- Accelerated Adoption: Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, DrHouse experienced rapid growth as users sought accessible healthcare solutions.
- Simplified, transparent workflows increased booking completion and reduced user friction.
“Working with Matthew has been a game-changer for Producement. He seamlessly embedded himself into our workflow, delivering immediate impact and launching over 4 successful MVP products. His vast experience introduced new processes that improved our collaboration and efficiency.
Matthew’s design skills are top notch, and always user-centric. Beyond his technical expertise, he’s a true team player, always going the extra mile. If you’re looking for a designer who drives innovation and delivers exceptional results, Matthew is your go to. Highly recommend!”
Erko Rishtein
CTO/CFO & Co-Founder at Producement“Matthew's expertise, curiosity in the industry, and research-driven approach were instrumental in launching Peppermint's MVP in just under 6 weeks.
His deep user research, and constant communication with outside users, ensured we focused on the right features early on. His ability to translate insights into design decisions led to strong user adoption and growth from day one. Matt’s dedication to research and problem solving made the entire process seamless.”
