Coral Health

Some of my early research insights showed significant frustration around appointment times coupled with cultural understanding for POC patients. Most telling was how people searched for care – piecing together information from insurance directories, provider websites, and online reviews in a time-consuming process. For underserved communities, this fragmentation created extra barriers, with 65% of Black and 54% of Latinx adults struggling to find providers who understood their experiences. These findings showed us that employing “Design” to solve the technical challenge of provider matching wasn’t enough – we needed to address the entire journey of finding and accessing care.

This research employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative user interviews and quantitative data analysis to explore healthcare access barriers. We conducted in-depth interviews with nine patient participants from diverse backgrounds and seven healthcare providers across various specialties. The study began by examining both sides of the healthcare equation, with our team dedicating weeks to discussing patients’ struggles in finding appropriate care and understanding providers’ challenges in serving diverse communities. This methodology aimed to identify cultural competency gaps in healthcare delivery and enhance our understanding of the barriers patients and providers face.

The research uncovered that for many POC participants, while cultural competency was necessary, they prioritized provider quality and communication style when seeking healthcare, often spending excessive time searching. They also favored personalized experiences, significantly improving engagement and satisfaction, while providers emphasized the need for clear differentiation from existing platforms. We found that removing practical barriers was as crucial as cultural matching, with users valuing streamlined access to benefits information. Additionally, research highlighted the importance of transparency and up-to-date information for building user trust in the recommendation process. These findings informed our feature development strategy. We created comprehensive provider profiles with detailed credentials, cultural competency certifications, and practice philosophies to help users evaluate providers efficiently. We implemented a custom recommendation system based on user preferences and health needs, creating clear value propositions for providers while maintaining quality standards. We integrated a simplified benefits navigation system with our provider recommendations to address practical barriers, reducing administrative friction. Finally, we developed transparent explanations of our recommendation algorithms and regular verification systems for provider information to build trust. Together, these features transformed our platform from a simple directory into a comprehensive healthcare access solution addressing cultural and practical barriers to care.

Following our research findings, we tested high-fidelity prototypes through moderated usability sessions, task completion analysis, and preference testing incorporating key features: comprehensive provider profiles, personalized recommendation systems, simplified benefits navigation, and transparent algorithm explanations. User testing revealed a strong interest in family member management features, reflecting cultural values around collective healthcare decision-making that our initial research hadn’t fully captured. This insight prompted us to incorporate family health management capabilities, allowing users to coordinate care for multiple family members through a single account interface.