LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor
Overview
Feedback showed users struggled to complete specific medication purchases efficiently. Key friction points included a confusing journey, unclear prescription steps, and patients not feeling sufficiently informed to make a purchase.
The brief:
Redesign the end-to-end purchase flow to:
Reduce cart abandonment and refunds
Improve clinical upload experience
Increase user trust and satisfaction
Research
Working with an external researcher, we sought to identify and understand the factors that can lead to a negative experience of the service, such as a poor comprehension of the process and barriers to completion of a purchase.
Note: Although the pharmacy offers many different medications, each with a slightly different journey, for the purpose of this case study I have chosen to focus specifically on weight loss injections.
User interviews
We ran remote interviews where participants were first given a Figma mock-up of the existing purchase journey in its mobile device format. They were asked to work through it, from product choice to pre-delivery, with occasional guidance from the moderator.
Summary of findings
Overall, participants felt positively about the Lloyds brand, however:
Participants did not feel sufficiently informed about products. Despite most users having purchased similar products in the past, the site failed to give them sufficient indication of product value. They often retained unanswered questions throughout the purchase process, and lacked confidence in product selection.
Participants consistently failed to identify their position within the journey. Estimations varied between participants, and steps within the journey were frequently misunderstood or forgotten. Participants experienced ‘false endings’, and, when asked, could not confidently map their next steps.
Payment took participants by surprise. Parting with money was not the issue, more that a requirement for commitment had not yet been fulfilled. For example, they may have expected contact with a pharmacist, or some feedback as to their product choice before getting to the basket.
Users were confused by the different steps and timelines used to explain the journey, varying in format, number and content.
Defining the problem
“How might we simplify the purchase flow and build user trust during the medication purchase journey?”
Ideation
We needed to ensure a single point of truth, and ownership, for the user journey. When integrating multiple products, departments and services, it is easy to lose track of the holistic journey.
Working the the Clinical and Content teams, we began to strip pages down to necessary elements only and ensure content came at the right time. It was important that instructions related to elements visible to the user and directly suggested their outcome.
I produced some mockups in Figma and presented them to various stakeholders for a first round of feedback.
Smaller UI changes, such as the addition a stock chips, can have a big impact, building confidence that the platform is up-to-date and reliable.
Positive friction?
One positive aspect of the usability testing was trust in the brand. Something we had anticipated to be a major user friction (a required video upload as proof of both identity and BMI) was actually seen as a reassuring step in the process.
Few other pharmacy providers at the time required this, and the broader perception was that easier access to prescription drugs made the provider feel “shady or unregulated”, eroding trust and credibility.
So providing video ID was not a problem, but it did feel in the “wrong place” for the journey.
Many users reported that once they saw a requirement notice for ID documents at the start of the clinical assessment, they went to get them there and then (even though they didn’t actually need them at that stage), effectively abandoning the purchase. Others, by the time they had reached checkout, had forgotten video ID was required.
The redesigned video upload screen, with simplified, “just in time” instructions, presented at the point the user actually needs to complete the task. The inclusion of images of our real GPs made the process feel more guided and personal.
Usability testing
Once approved, the designs were presented to real service users during interviews. Initial impressions of the new pages were all positive. The bulleted service points were seen as encouraging and reassuring, and users reported that they felt “more informed” and “less overwhelemed” by the content.
The number of steps in the journey had also been reduced, resulting in faster and more consistent purchase completions.
Example screens showing a cleaner and more simplified layout, with a focus on the steps the user needs to take, and when they need to take them.
Results & impact
25% increase in successful checkouts
20% drop in customer support tickets related to prescriptions
Independent TrustPilot score rose from 3.8 to 4.6 ⭐
This project taught me the importance of accessibility, trust, and clarity in healthcare UX. By more clearly understanding our users, we turned a fragmented experience into a reassuring and streamlined journey.