The Challenge
Invisalign patients tracked their treatment through fragmented email updates and manual calendar reminders. This led to missed aligner changes, confusion about treatment progress, and high support call volume.
I was tasked with designing a centralized treatment tracking experience that could serve 12 million users globally while reducing the support burden on orthodontic practices.
"How might we help patients stay engaged with their treatment while reducing the support burden on orthodontic practices?"
A Fragmented Patient Experience
The existing patient experience was scattered across email, SMS, and provider portals. Patients had no single source of truth for their treatment, leading to confusion, missed aligners, and frustrated support calls.
The Scale of the Problem
Where Patients Lost Track
Research revealed three critical pain points in the patient journey:
Understanding the Treatment Journey
My approach centered on understanding the 18-month patient journey from multiple perspectives. I combined patient interviews, provider consultations, and behavioral analytics to build a comprehensive picture of engagement patterns.
Patient Interviews
In-depth interviews with patients across treatment stages, from first week to final retainer.
Provider Consultations
Worked with orthodontists to understand clinical requirements and communication preferences.
Journey Mapping
Documented the full 18-month treatment journey to identify key engagement touchpoints.
Key Insights
Research synthesis revealed three core needs that shaped the solution:
Visual Progress
"I want to see how far I've come. Looking in the mirror, I can't tell if anything is changing." — Patient, month 6 of treatment
Contextual Reminders
"I get so many emails I ignore them all. But if something reminded me at the right moment, I'd pay attention." — Patient, missed two aligner changes
Easy Provider Access
"When something feels wrong, I don't want to call and wait on hold. I want to message my doctor directly." — Patient, experienced fit issues
A Unified Treatment Hub
We designed a dashboard that surfaces the most relevant information based on where patients are in their treatment journey, with progressive disclosure for those who want more detail.
Three Design Principles
The solution was grounded in three core principles that directly addressed the research findings:
Visual Progress Tracking
Show treatment progress visually with before/after comparisons and milestone celebrations. Make the invisible visible to keep patients motivated throughout their journey.
Smart Notifications
Replace generic reminders with contextual, timely notifications. Deliver the right message at the right moment based on treatment stage and patient behavior patterns.
Direct Provider Connection
Enable secure messaging between patients and providers. Reduce phone tag and give patients confidence that help is always accessible when they need it.
Treatment Journey Touchpoints
Onboarding
Set expectations and goals
Active Treatment
Track and celebrate progress
Checkpoints
Provider visits and adjustments
Completion
Retainer and maintenance
Business Impact
The redesigned dashboard was deployed globally over six months, with metrics tracked against the previous version. Results exceeded targets across all key engagement metrics.
Global Rollout
Measured Impact
Global Scale Achieved
Successfully deployed across 90+ markets with full localization, serving 12 million active patients in their native languages and meeting regional compliance requirements.
What I Learned
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Global Scale Requires Local Nuance
What works in the US doesn't automatically work in Japan or Brazil. Localization goes beyond translation to cultural expectations around healthcare communication.
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Healthcare Design Has Unique Constraints
HIPAA compliance, clinical accuracy requirements, and provider workflows add layers of complexity that consumer apps don't face.
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Engagement is Earned, Not Designed
Features don't create engagement; value does. Every notification and feature had to prove its worth to patients or it created friction.