Helping New Primary Care Patients Find Care and Manage Their Health with the CVS App

My role: Product design lead strategist and Domain lead

Deliverables: End-to-end design solutions, journey mapping, research and testing

Timeline: January 2024 thru September 2024

In this project, I led the transformation of the CVS app into a patient-centered tool for primary care, directly bridging user insights with innovative design solutions. My role as a product design strategist involved:

Deep-Dive Research & JTBD Methodology: I spearheaded extensive customer interviews and data analysis to identify core pain points, using the "Jobs to be Done" framework to map the patient journey. This approach allowed us to pinpoint key friction points—such as appointment scheduling, health record navigation, and ongoing care management—that were critical for patient success.
Cross-Functional Ideation & Blueprinting: I led collaborative ideation workshops and blueprinting sessions that mapped out the entire patient journey from initial symptom inquiry to post-appointment follow-ups. These workshops not only identified emotional and operational barriers but also shaped actionable design strategies that simplified care navigation and improved user engagement.
Iterative Design & Measured Outcomes: By driving rapid prototyping and iterative testing with diverse user groups, we refined features to ensure clarity and ease of use. As a result, the redesigned app delivered measurable improvements:

A 35% increase in appointment bookings through the app.
A 25% rise in patient engagement with health records.

These results underscore how a focused, data-driven, and user-centric design strategy can significantly enhance the digital health management experience, solidifying CVS Health’s role as a trusted partner in patient care.

Opportunity

As CVS expanded into primary care, we knew the app had to evolve to truly support the full patient journey. This wasn’t just a typical update—it was an opportunity to reimagine how patients manage their health digitally. Our goal was clear: transform the CVS app into a powerful, patient-centered health management tool. We focused on simplifying key moments of the healthcare experience—from scheduling appointments and tracking health records to managing ongoing care. By enhancing the app’s capabilities, we aimed to create a more connected, proactive, and supportive experience for millions of patients.

Approach

The first step was understanding the core pain points. Through extensive customer interviews and data analysis of the current app experience, we identified key areas for improvement—caregiver access, condition onboarding, health records, health triage, and appointment scheduling. These were the moments where we could make the most impact, making healthcare navigation simpler, smarter, and more accessible.

To get even deeper, we applied the "Jobs to be Done" (JTBD) methodology. This approach helped us map the patient journey and uncover the key tasks patients were trying to accomplish at each stage. By framing the problem as a job to be done, we gained more precise insights into opportunities for innovation. For example, instead of simply focusing on appointment scheduling, we examined the larger task: How do I efficiently manage my health needs, from scheduling to post-care? This lens allowed us to identify critical moments where patients struggled to get the help they needed—such as during condition onboarding or understanding care instructions.

With these insights, I led a cross-functional team through high-impact ideation workshops. Working closely with subject matter experts, we transformed these opportunities into actionable solutions. Through rapid iteration—brainstorming, sketching, and testing—we fine-tuned ideas to address real user pain points while delivering tangible value. This collaborative, results-driven approach ensured the app redesign stayed laser-focused on empowering patients to take control of their health.

Why Jobs to Be Done?

Traditional research often relies on broad demographics and assumptions, but the JTBD methodology focuses on what users actually need to accomplish. It provided us with three key insights that directly shaped our product strategy:

Clarity on User Behaviors: We gained a deeper understanding of the tasks patients are trying to complete as they navigate their health journeys, enabling us to design more effective solutions.
Prioritization Based on Difficulty: We identified pain points causing friction in key moments—like appointment scheduling or understanding care instructions—allowing us to prioritize the most impactful areas for improvement.
User-Defined Success Criteria: This approach helped us define clear, measurable outcomes based on what patients saw as success, which in turn guided our feature innovation and iteration.

By using Outcome-Driven Innovation, a methodology proven to have a 5x higher success rate in new product adoption, we ensured that our Health Rewards experience would be engaging, easy to use, and deliver long-term value for CVS Health customers.

Key Insights & Design Opportunities

Our JTBD research revealed three major friction points that were holding back the app experience:

Appointment Scheduling & Access: Patients struggled with a confusing process for booking appointments and understanding their care options.
Health Record Navigation: Many users had difficulty accessing or interpreting their health records and lab results within the app.
Ongoing Care Management: Patients lacked a clear, integrated way to track their health journey and manage follow-up care.

These insights directly influenced our design strategy, leading to impactful improvements:

Streamlined Scheduling: We simplified appointment booking with clearer instructions and more intuitive navigation.
Improved Health Record Access: We revamped the health records section to make it easier to access and understand care instructions, lab results, and medical history.
Integrated Care Management: We introduced a centralized dashboard where patients could track their health milestones, manage ongoing care, and receive personalized notifications and recommendations.

By directly addressing the most critical moments of the primary care journey—such as simplifying appointment scheduling, improving access to health records, and making ongoing care management more intuitive—we ensured that the redesigned app not only met patient expectations but exceeded them, creating a seamless and supportive experience from start to finish. This JTBD-driven approach created a scalable, user-centered solution that solidified CVS Health’s role as a trusted leader in health and wellness, helping millions of patients stay engaged, track progress, and achieve their wellness goals—all within the CVS Health app.

Blueprinting the Patient Journey
To ensure the app truly reflected the full patient experience, I led blueprinting workshops that mapped out the entire journey—from the first symptom inquiry to post-appointment follow-ups like care instructions and lab results. This process went beyond just outlining steps; it was about identifying friction points and emotional barriers that patients face. By analyzing these moments, we found opportunities to simplify appointment booking, clarify care instructions, and make lab results more accessible.

The result? A more patient-centered experience that reduced confusion, built trust, and reinforced CVS as a reliable healthcare partner.

User Experience Study: Key Insights & Design Outcomes

To ensure the redesigned app met the needs of new primary care patients, we conducted an ongoing usability study with a diverse group of CVS customers, including individuals with disabilities and those who hadn’t engaged with CVS in the past six months. The study, which spanned several months, focused on evaluating ease of use, clarity, and excitement about the new features designed to improve health management and care navigation.

Key Findings & Design Impact

High Enthusiasm & Adoption: Across the study, participants expressed excitement about the new features, signaling strong interest in using the app for primary care management.

Smooth Onboarding & Scheduling: Users found it easy to schedule appointments and access care options within the app.
Clarity in Health Tracking & Navigation: Participants were able to navigate health records, track progress, and manage ongoing care tasks without issues.

Design Outcomes

Streamlined Appointment Scheduling: We refined the appointment booking flow to ensure a frictionless and intuitive user experience.
Enhanced Health Record Integration: We improved the accessibility and clarity of health records, making it easier for patients to review care instructions and track their health journey.
Clearer Health Milestone Tracking: We developed intuitive progress indicators to help patients follow their health milestones, such as upcoming appointments and follow-up care.
Simplified Ongoing Care Management: We optimized care navigation tools to support patients in managing and tracking ongoing care needs.

These insights led to final design refinements that resulted in a seamless, intuitive, and engaging experience, empowering primary care patients to take control of their health within the CVS app.

Success of the Launch & Ongoing Refinement

The launch of the redesigned CVS app marked a significant milestone in our efforts to empower patients in managing their health. Early quantitative feedback showed a 35% increase in appointment bookings through the app and a 25% rise in patient engagement with health records. Additionally, qualitative feedback from patients highlighted improvements in ease of use, clarity of information, and confidence in managing their ongoing care.

As we continue to gather both qualitative and quantitative feedback, we’re committed to refining the experience based on real-world patient insights. Our goals for the next phase include:

Increased Appointment Bookings: We aim for a 40% increase in digital appointment scheduling within the next six months.
Enhanced Health Record Engagement: We’re targeting a 30% boost in patient interactions with health records and care instructions.
Improved Patient Satisfaction: Our goal is to achieve a 90% satisfaction rate in post-appointment surveys related to the app experience.

Data insights

In 2024, 2.2 digital sessions were captured across CVS Health to determine pain points and improve digital customer experience.
Through digital session captures, the opportunity for annualized reduction of 244,000 calls has been identified, resulting in an estimated $2.7 Million in annual savings.
A 10% increase in treatment adherence can decrease annual health care costs between 8-28%.
Highly satisfied patients are more adherent (91%) than non-engaged or unhappy patients.

With CVS Health expanding its Primary and Virtual Care offerings nationwide, I’m collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to continue refining the app. We’re focusing on enhancing the app’s capability to support a broader range of health services, fine-tuning features based on patient needs, and ensuring it remains a trusted tool for managing health and wellness. Through real-time feedback and continuous iteration, we’re confident the CVS app will keep helping patients navigate their care with ease and confidence.