We were tasked with overhauling the online refill process by reducing the number of steps between accessing one's prescriptions and completing checkout.
Background and Constraints
The CVS Caremark online experience is tethered to an archaic back end system built around the idea that someone would only be requesting their prescription via a written form which would then be sent to the mail order pharmacy, or completing the same action through a call center. Years of operating in a Waterfall environment has fostered a project-based approach to problem solving that completely ignores a user's holistic needs that can only be addressed by focusing on the entire product.
Design strategy
Once we our initial research and basic competitive analysis, we mapped the entire existing refill flow. We then used the customer feedback provided to us by the business team compare to determine the user's pain points.
Prescription information card sort
Most online pharmacy experiences still stick to showing everything that appears on the prescription label when communicating information to the user. But what matters and what doesn't? We spent two afternoons doing a quick card sorting exercise with 10 different coworkers, split evenly across gender and ranging in age from 24–60. We also made sure to use a mix of those who take regular prescriptions and those who do not, as well as those who may also manage prescriptions for their families.
Fun findings:
No one cares about the prescription number. No one. Ever.
Only 1 person knew the difference between an automatic renewal and automatic refill.
Establishing the user flows
We mapped out 3 flows based upon both existing functionality and what we learned during our two-week discovery phase . The Calendar Dashboard was our big 'experiential' proposal — why not show users what is available to refill based upon the date? This way, all information would be completely accessible and up-to-date regardless of when they logged into their account.
Calendar Dashboard
We saw this as an opportunity to transform what is more or less a garden variety checkout flow into a health management tool. This experience also better delivers the personalization promised when greeting the user by their first name.
