CLIENT

Heyday Health — a primary care provider for adults on Medicare

Designing beyond the screen for Medicare patients.

How user research led to a phone-first care model that reduced no-shows and expanded access to care for digitally disengaged older adults.

UX RESEARCH ⦿ UX + SERVICE DESIGN ⦿ PRODUCT STRATEGY 
ROLE

I led user research and experience design, working with product, operations, and clinical staff to understand patient behaviors and co-develop viable solutions.

TL;DR

Context

Heyday Health is a virtual-first primary care provider serving Medicare patients. Many of its patients are rural, low-income, mobility-impaired, or unfamiliar with digital platforms.

The Challenge

High appointment no-show rates were limiting care access and continuity. We suspected that relying on video visits and digital tools excluded a large portion of our patients.

Solution

Through user research and cross-functional collaboration, we uncovered that many patients preferred — and were only reachable through — phone calls. This insight led to the development of a phone-first care pathway, reducing no-shows and expanding access.

Impact

  • Reduced no-shows among phone-first users

  • Increased patient retention, engagement, and satisfaction

  • A scalable dual-channel model now core to Heyday’s operations

STEP ONE

The problem.

Our medical director came to me a problem. As the company expanded to new regions, our “no show” problem seemed to be growing. No shows meant worse patient outcomes and time wasted for our clinical team.

Through qualitative and quantatative research we uncovered a crucial truth:
Some patients were not going to use an app or their email.

For many low-income, older adults, even the most “accessible” digital solutions weren’t realistic. They preferred (and trusted) phone-based interactions. Training didn’t help if the underlying discomfort or unfamiliarity remained.

STEP TWO

Research methods & insights.

To understand why patients were missing appointments and struggling to engage, I conducted mixed-method user research in collaboration with the clinical and product teams. Research included:

  • Interviewed 25 No-Show patients across tech literacy and health complexity

  • Tested the MyHeyday patient portal with active patients and target demographics on desktop, tablet, and smartphone experiences.

  • Integrated a patient survey conducted by our clinical staff at the first appointment to better understand and track what devices they are using, their scheduling and reminder preferences, and other people involved in their care.

  • Created user archetypes based on 1) patient’s health complexity as defined by the clinical team, 2) patient’s approach to health (struglling or coping), and 3) high vs low tech savviness.

87% of patients preferred phone calls as their primary mode of communication.

  1. Many patients felt most supported when they could call and reach a real human — not a portal or call center.

  2. SMS was widely used and understood — more than email or portal messages.

Insight: For some people, patient portals and video-based care created more friction, not less.

Many patients had difficulty switching between tabs, apps, and portals during virtual visits — some spent 15–20 minutes trying to join a Zoom appointment.

  1. Pop-up blockers and small screen sizes created invisible errors that went unaddressed.

  2. Even patients with smartphones found the process confusing or stressful.

Insight: Care is often shared and requires multiple communication touch points.

  1. 70% of patients had a caregiver involved in some way (family/friend, professional, or both).

  2. Over half were not their own primary contact, making portal-based communication complicated and incomplete.

  3. Patients living with others or with high mobility needs often relied on shared decision-making.

Our research revealed a disconnect between the digital-first care model and the on-the-ground realities of patients’ lives.

Patient’s who had not shown up for the their appointments overwhelmingly preferred phone calls and had digital-touchpoint access issues preventing them from regularly receiving follow ups, reminders, patient portal messages and more.

“They answer the phone and someone helps me. That’s the most important thing.”

“Even when something’s small, it helps to talk to someone. I don’t want to log in just to ask a question.”

“It took me 20 minutes just to figure out how to join the Zoom. By the time I got in, I was already frustrated.”

“I don’t know what happened. The screen went blank and I thought I broke it, so I hung up.”

“I think my daughter signed up for the portal but I never got anything about a follow-up. Maybe I missed the email or maybe it went to my daughter? I don’t know.”

Insight: Phone was not a fallback. It was the primary access point for trust and continuity.

STEP THREE

Solution: Integrating a phone-first user journey to expand trust and access.

Sometimes no amount of

Booklet

New analog user journey integrated

SMS opt out issue