Background
A successful orthodontist practice had begun expanding into a chain; they wanted to find innovative ways to meet the needs of their patients to be able to sustain their growth in spite of emerging disruptive competitors like Smile Direct Club.
Approach
I conducted background research to compile examples: how have other companies adapted to technology and consumer expectations? These were used during the workshop to spark ideas from the group about how they might adapt.
On the morning of the workshop, I sat in the waiting room, interviewed patients, and visited exam rooms to observe. I compiled the observations into a quick research summary to use during the workshop.
My colleague and I then conducted a workshop with employees. We provided an introduction to design thinking, then presented research and had them do some ideation. They then conducted their own quick round of research, then prototyped and tested ideas.
One of the waiting room observations was that several patients looked for outlets to charge their phones while waiting, but they weren’t readily available. The team found a table and portable chargers and prototyped a charging station.
After observing this prototyped station and getting feedback, ROG ended up adding permanent device charging options to all of their offices.
Outcome / Deliverables
New ideas were prototyped and tested by the end of the day. Resulted in permanent changes to several aspects of the office environment