Sutter Plan
Appointment-Scheduling Chatbot Design

Overview

Sutter Plan - a user-friendly chatbot

Scheduling a doctor’s appointment can be frustrating, especially when interacting with a voice bot that doesn’t understand you. Sutter Plan is a conversation-based chatbot designed to simplify appointment scheduling, reduce errors, and make the process inclusive for all patients, including non-native English speakers and those with speech impairments.

This project is a passion project, with the potential for adoption by Sutter Health or other healthcare providers.

Research

Patients struggle with voice-based scheduling

I surveyed 37 participants to identify common pain points when booking appointments using voice technology.

Key findings:

• Long and frustrating interactions often result in redirects to human representatives

• Non-native English speakers struggle with pronunciation issues

• Speech-impaired users frequently fail to complete the scheduling task

• Overall, the voice interface causes redundancy, delays, and frustration

Insight: A voice-first approach alone excludes many patients; an alternative, inclusive method is needed.

Problem Statement

Patients fail to schedule appointments due to limitations of current voice interfaces

Existing Sutter Health VUI systems do not accommodate all patients. Users with different native languages or speech impairments often cannot follow the “happy path,” resulting in task failure and negative experiences.Proposed solution

Provide an inclusive, easy-to-use chatbot

To address patient frustration, I designed a simple chatbot that:

• Offers an accessible alternative to voice-only scheduling

• Accommodates diverse communication preferences

• Provides clear options to reduce typing or pronunciation errors

Design Process

Designing the conversation flow

I began by mapping the user flow, incorporating research findings to create a minimum viable conversation.

Key design considerations:

• Error handling: Clarifications for common misunderstandings and pre-selected options for non-native speakers

• Task completion: Focused on making scheduling fast, stress-free, and reliable

The flow was prototyped in Voiceflow, allowing for live interaction testing.

FINAL DESIGN

“Your appointment has been scheduled.”

The Sutter Plan MVP allows users to book appointments efficiently and inclusively. The prototype demonstrates:

• Alternative to voice scheduling

• Pre-selected options for users with language or speech challenges

• Reduced task failure and frustration

Summary

Outcome & Impact

• Increased accessibility: Users with speech limitations or language barriers can schedule appointments stress-free

• Faster scheduling: The chatbot complements voice-first interactions, saving time in scenarios where voice alone fails

• Improved patient experience: Offers a user-centered, inclusive alternative, reducing friction and frustration

What I Learned

• Accessibility requires considering multiple communication modes, not just the fastest technology

• Error handling and guided options significantly improve usability for diverse users

• Passion projects allow rapid iteration and testing of innovative solutions, even with limited resources