Versum Health
Connecting uninsured patients with dental students
A platform that pairs low‑income patients with supervised student clinicians for accessible, affordable dental care.
Project Summary
Role
Co-founder, Product Designer, Front-end Developer
Time
6 months (Research to MVP)
Product
Healthcare Access Platform
Project Vision
Versum Health helps uninsured or low‑income patients book free/affordable dental visits with dental students who must complete supervised clinical hours. Patients get care; students gain experience under direct supervision (overseen by supervisors in the real world).
Two‑sided platform — access for patients, hours for students. The platform creates a connected marketplace where patients find care and students get clinical hours, with built-in confirmation that all procedures will be performed under direct supervision.
Challenges
- 1Patients struggle to find affordable care, students can't find enough supervised cases
- 2Discovery is the main bottleneck for both patients and students
- 3Safety and supervision confirmation must be built into the platform flow
Success Metrics
- Reduce time‑to‑care for patients who avoid treatment due to cost
- Increase student clinical‑hour throughput and case diversity
- Ensure platform confirms all procedures will be performed under direct supervision
- Enable loop from discovery → booking → logging end‑to‑end
Design Process
1. Empathize & Research
Research & Validation
To understand user needs and validate the opportunity, I conducted comprehensive research across multiple channels:
Stakeholder Conversations
- 4 dental students, 2 recent grads: "We need qualifying procedures and documentation; must manage schedule and clinical log; want reliable attendance."
- 1 clinic coordinator: "We need proof of consent, scope control, and sign‑offs; want simple oversight, not new administrative burden."
- 5 low‑income patients: "Uninsured, postpone routine care; need transparent availability and costs; prefer mobile scheduling and reminders."
Desk Research
- Statistics on dental insurance coverage and missed care revealed significant gaps in access.
- Journey mapping: "Find care" (patient) and "Find qualifying case" (student) showed discovery as the main bottleneck.
Personas
Patient (Alicia, 34)
Uninsured, postpones routine care; needs transparent availability and costs; prefers mobile scheduling and reminders.
Student (Noah, D3)
Needs qualifying procedures and documentation; must manage schedule and clinical log; wants reliable attendance; confirms all procedures will be under direct supervision.
Two platform users drive the core IA: find, schedule, with built-in supervision confirmation (supervisors oversee in the real world).
2. Define
Problem Statement
How might we allow patients to seamlessly access affordable dental care while helping students gain required clinical hours, all under proper supervision?
How might we (HMW)
HMW make it easy for patients to discover and book supervised student appointments near them?
Reduce search friction and no‑shows.
HMW help students source qualifying cases and log hours without duplicate data entry?
One action should satisfy both clinical and scheduling needs.
HMW ensure all procedures are performed under direct supervision with clear confirmation?
Safety and supervision confirmation first; seamless experience second.
Ideate
I brainstormed multiple UI approaches, including patient-focused booking (streamlined but potentially overwhelming), student-centered dashboard (guided but slow), and three-panel layout (immediate feedback, familiar pattern).
Final Concept: Three-Panel Marketplace
The final concept is a three-panel marketplace: patients browse and book appointments, students manage their case pipeline and log hours, and supervisors oversee the process with verification tools. Each panel serves one primary user type while maintaining visibility across the system.
Information Architecture
To ensure the interaction felt intuitive, I mapped out the complete user journey from discovering the platform to successfully completing appointments. This flow chart helped identify potential friction points and validate the three-panel approach.
Patient Portal
browse availability → request appointment → confirm supervision → reminders
Student Dashboard
case pipeline → schedule → treatment logging → clinical hour tracking
IA mirrors the two platform users to minimize mental model conflict, with built-in supervision confirmation (supervisors oversee in the real world).
Design Principles
- Safety by design: consent, scope, escalation pathways are surfaced before actions.
- Low‑friction forms: few fields, progressive disclosure for medical details.
- Mobile‑first: appointments and reminders optimized for 320–768px.
Principles matched resource constraints of real clinics.
Prototype & Design
Design Goals
The design aims to seamlessly integrate healthcare access with minimal cognitive load, show clear visual feedback when appointments are active, and ensure touch-friendliness for mobile users.
Platform Feature Breakdown
The platform works through a simple three-panel approach: patients browse and book appointments, students manage their case pipeline and log hours, and supervisors oversee the process with verification tools. While appointments are active, clear visual indicators show the status, and users can manage their experience with one tap. At any point, users can toggle between panels to access different functionality, ensuring the original healthcare experience is preserved.
Where We Placed It (and Why)
The platform uses a three-panel layout that keeps the interface clean while making all functionality easily accessible — similar to modern healthcare platforms but optimized for the three-user workflow.
Design System Integration
We used healthcare-appropriate colors and typography to maintain trust and accessibility, applied consistent spacing and component patterns for rhythm and readability, and designed icons that match existing healthcare platform conventions.
Micro-Interactions & Polish
The experience includes smooth animations for appointment creation and status transitions, subtle feedback aligned with healthcare platform patterns, and loading/error states that feel native to healthcare applications.
Test & Validation
With the Figma prototype complete, I'm ready to validate the platform design through comprehensive user testing and technical feasibility assessment.
Success Metrics
- Task completion rate > 90% for appointment booking
- Time to book first appointment < 5 minutes
- User satisfaction score > 4/5
- Zero critical usability issues
Technical Considerations
- Integration with existing healthcare systems
- Appointment state persistence across sessions
- Performance impact on booking engine
- Cross-platform consistency (iOS/Android)
Implementation Strategy
The platform would be implemented as a phased rollout: first to pilot clinics as a beta feature, then gradually expanded based on usage data and feedback. This approach allows for iterative improvement and risk mitigation.
Business Impact
Implementing a healthcare access platform could significantly improve patient outcomes and student training. Highly engaged users – such as patients seeking affordable care and students needing clinical hours – would benefit from streamlined access. This deeper engagement has been linked to better healthcare outcomes and educational success.
Reflections & Takeaways
Versum Health might seem like a simple platform, but it addresses a fundamental gap in healthcare access. From patients to students to supervisors, people need to connect for care and training quickly and reliably. This platform empowers users to access healthcare and gain clinical experience without traditional barriers.
"I just need to find affordable dental care, but everything is so expensive."
As a designer and developer, this project taught me the value of solving real problems with simple solutions. Sometimes the best platforms are the ones that eliminate complexity rather than adding features.
Key Learnings
- Healthcare + UX = Impact – The combination of healthcare needs with thoughtful user experience design can create platforms that feel almost magical to use.
- Simplicity Scales – The most powerful platforms are often the simplest ones. Versum Health's success comes from doing one thing exceptionally well.
- Real Problems, Real Solutions – Building platforms to solve your own problems often leads to solutions that resonate with others facing similar challenges.
Future Enhancements
Planned enhancements include supervisor console with verification and bulk approvals, eligibility screening to protect students/patients from mis‑scoped cases, attendance equity with guardrails against preferential selection, and community partner integration to widen patient reach.
Final Thoughts
This case study pushed me to think deeply about the intersection of healthcare access and user experience design. Versum Health is about more than appointment booking — it's about making healthcare accessible to everyone, regardless of their insurance status or financial situation.