Technology

Digital Healthcare For Gen Z & Millennials

Accenture-2019-Digital-Health-Consumer-Survey

This weekend, I studied an interesting survey published by Accenture Consulting on the prediction of future healthcare for younger consumers. It’s called ‘Accenture 2019 Digital Health Consumer Survey’ and the respondents of this study were from the United States though it essentially provided some wonderful insights into the millennial and Gen Z’s behavioural patterns in general. A striking feature of this survey was the influence of future technology on a wide range of generations beginning with the 20s and the millennials who would become the most influential generation for healthcare consumerism. These are some of my notes from the study.

Distinctive User Groups

At the onset, I came across one of the most distinct categorizations of the user age groups within this survey. The study has been fairly distributed among all classes of consumers including even the generation of consumers who were born in the late 20s. The list of the user group is comprehensive as noted below.

  • Gen Z (born 1997 onward)
  • Millennials (born 1981 to 1996)
  • Gen X (born 1965 to 1980)
  • Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964)
  • Silent Generation (born 1928 to 1945)

Prominent Healthcare Insights

Traditional / Non-Traditional Healthcare – doctors, healthcare professionals, clinics, medical centres and doctor’s offices are some of the established types of traditional healthcare services. In contrast, walk-in or retail clinics, outpatient surgery hospitals, virtual health (via the phone, on video or apps), on-demand services or digital therapeutics are some examples of non-traditional healthcare services. [1]

  • Younger consumers are moving away from traditional channels and adopting technology and non-traditional healthcare.
  • The loyalty of younger generation patients is no longer assured, and the providers who heed to the changing dynamics of the consumers would be strongly positioned.
  • Gen Z and Millennials are less likely to have a primary care physician (PCP) compared to Gen X, baby boomers and the silent generation.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”” class=”” cite=”” link=”” color=””]Gen Z is the most likely generation to seek out wellness practices (e.g. yoga, acupuncture) beyond Western medicine. With millennials projected to become the largest generation in 2019, this generation holds the most power to influence future healthcare models.[/perfectpullquote]

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Wait Times Management For The Digital Age

I am involved in an engaging organizational innovation exercise with a team comprising business consultants and senior leadership of one of the top healthcare companies in Canada that own and operate over a 1000 pharmacy locations across the country. Apart from several themes one of the aims of this 3-month long exercise is to understand the barriers in the delivery of timely services to patients and finding an innovative solution to wait-times. So, what exactly is a ‘wait-time’ in the context of a pharmacy? In simple terms, it is typically that period in a given service parameter in which a pharmacy customer (patient or caregiver) has to wait before he/she is dispensed the prescribed medication and depending upon the traffic of a specific pharmacy location that period could sometimes run into hours. The current demographic of pharmacy patients consists largely of ‘baby boomers’ who were born in the 40s-60s but that won’t be the case forever because more millennials, the cohort of people generally born in the 80s-90s, have begun to emerge as an influential group not just for healthcare but the retail industry at large. This segment is most prominent for its early adoption of digital apps and automation but the ‘boomers’ aren’t laggards either with adopting a digital lifestyle. As we gather around in focusing on and exploring various options I wanted to present some of my views on tackling wait times (WT) in the incumbent age of digitization. Additionally, I also wanted to share some of my observation and learning on wait times with other brands, in particular, IKEA.

Basics of Wait Times

wait times in pharmacy

I would continue with my comprehension of WTs in the context of pharmacies. So, to begin with, what is a wait time and why is it important? In technical terms, a ‘wait-time’ is a crucial factor from the perspective of implementing the prioritization order in a customer queue to ensure that one person’s isolated need/demand does not gain precedence over the others waiting in the line. If managed efficiently on a consistent basis, WTs also play a major role in managing the working time of the pharmacy staff and also helps bring productivity and efficiency into the work culture, such as preparing the medication while the patient waits in anticipation. From a pharmacy standpoint, despite all the clear advantages, there are prevailing challenges which prevents pharmacists from meeting their stated goals. Some of those challenges include lack of team coordination and overlapping (or the lack of) of responsibilities. Then from unskilled staff to complicated digital systems and sometimes even the unavailability of medications at pharmacy locations can not only affect wait-times considerably but could also drastically lower a brand’s value over a period of time. On the other hand, it might be harder to realize but customer wait times are not just limited to pharmacies alone. In fact, in Canada, it’s common for patrons to wait for their turn while availing any form of service just that and experience levels of anxiety and anticipation. Services which have lower levels of expectation generally escape the customers’ ire from bad service experience, whereas others like IKEA have developed a robust & orderly mechanism for addressing wait time challenges using a combination of digitization and environmental factors (store). I have described my experience in IKEA in the post a little later. 

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2018 Apple MacBook Pro

2018 Was An Impressive Year For Apple

We’re still a few weeks from saying our goodbyes to 2018, and unless Apple is planning to hold an unprecedented fifth keynote this year, 2018 will go down in history as the year when Apple launched a range of innovative products. In the hype and the hoopla that generally accompanies all Apple events; some individuals might even be vindicated in assuming they are just normal product launches, although undoubtedly the company has given us a sneak peek into its future direction of integrating the best-in-class design and tech elements into great-looking, innovative products. In short, there has never been an exciting moment to anticipate which product and tech iteration Apple would demonstrate at their next glittering event.

2018 should set the tone for Apple’s future design roadmap

It was last year when Apple’s approach in breakthrough hardware and software design gained fruition and we finally began to see the perfection with Apple’s design iterations. To cite an example, it was September 2017, when along with the Apple Watch Series 3, the Apple TV 4K, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, Apple unveiled a revolutionary form factor of its flagship product the iPhone X on its tenth anniversary. The bezel-less design of the iPhone X was what impressed many, a paradigm shift in the iPhone ergonomics that was hitherto accompanied by a home button. The new form factor certainly met the expectations of the markets but then it was also the introduction of the Face ID technology a new generation of secure digital authentication which also made a mark. In a nutshell, that event marked a significant detour in the way products were going to be designed and integrated with advanced technology. In fact, not very long ago, I had mentioned a critical aspect of Apple’s future design roadmap that was supportive of modern & imminent technologies and in the process, they were also influencing behaviour change with user interaction. That being said here’s what I liked from Apple’s ‘orchard’ this 2018, 3 revolutionary product ideas with their underlying hi-tech, that I believe would eventually transform the way we interact with the world around us, and my strategic learning from the product launches so far.

Design Iterations in the form factor for the iMac
Instance of design iterations in the form factor for the iMac

The product design philosophy of Apple could be easily summarized with this insightful quote by French aviator and poet Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, he says, “perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” That sentiment is so deeply ingrained in every aspect of Apple’s design DNA.

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Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard And Mac Nostalgia

At some level, I feel like I celebrate chaos, although, I would not like to take my share of responsibility for creating any of it, to begin with. I buy and care for my stuff like my own life and store it at places inside my home where I could find them easily as the need arises but for me, ‘easily’ is a metaphor for “ease of access”, not signifying keeping stuff organized. Though with time, I lose some of my prized possessions and it makes me feel disappointed, like this priceless DVD copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

I would have lost this precious possession forever to the sands of time but I rediscovered it quite accidentally last weekend while I was looking for another piece of valuable junk in my storeroom (ugh!!). I’m talking about this copy of DVD of Apple’s Mac OS X Snow Leopard released back in 2009 (August 28, to be precise) and it was a shocker for me to find that one can order it online on the Apple Store, even today!

My Snow Leopard Saga

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

So Snow Leopard (version 10.6) was released in 2009 and within a year of my purchase of the then newly introduced unibody MacBook Pro that had come bundled with OS X Leopard, and I am proud to admit, that even to this day, I still operate this wonderful piece of hardware in significantly augmenting my creative workload.

If my memory serves me correctly, I had obtained this particular DVD-ROM at the Croma outlet in Malad who still run a dedicated corner for Apple products. I was super excited about the process ahead because it was my first major upgrade of the Mac OS X since getting my MacBook Pro. It’s also nostalgic in a sense because I have come so far in understanding & appreciating the MacBook Pros not just from a cult/design perspective but also for its reliable performance & technical architecture, and I believe Mac OS X is what makes the Mac line-up truly awesome. This landmark release of Mac OS X back in 2009 wasn’t meant to introduce new features rather addressing the stability issues with previous versions & focusing on better performance.

Personally, I am glad to possess an important portion from my past that marks my sheer interest in Apple products & future technology. Now it goes without saying, that I since have recovered this valuable treasure, despite accidentally, I’m holding on to it for posterity.

About Snow Leopard

  • 10.6 Snow Leopard was the last version of OS X before Apple started to add iOS elements from OS X 10.7 Lion onwards
  • Snow Leopard came on a DVD and was the last version to be sold on a disk
  • It was also the last version to support OS X Rosetta, and thus the last version that could run PowerPC-only applications
  • Snow Leopard has often been compared with its counterpart Windows XP for its widespread adoption and longevity
  • Snow Leopard is the last release of Mac OS X to support the 32-bit Intel Core Solo and Intel Core Duo CPUs
  • Although Snow Leopard has officially been out of support since 2014, you can still purchase it in the form of boxed DVD-ROMs through Apple’s online store.

Snow Leopard also set a new precedent for software pricing. While Leopard retailed for $129, Snow Leopard was just $30. This made the update accessible to customers who would’ve previously stuck with older versions of the operating system.
– 9to5 Mac

I still wish that Apple would have continued naming Mac OS after wild cats, it brought a sense of connection with previous releases. Although with such rapid releases of major upgrades means they’d have run out of cat names sooner than later.

Shazam A Song, Just Like That!

Shazam

I was late in discovering Shazam, just like some other apps, but I don’t regret it. I love listening to any form of music and being an ‘old schooler’, the “independent” sorts, I’ve not pledged my allegiance to either Apple Music or Spotify, although it’s becoming inevitable to avoid. Meanwhile, I’m satisfying my urge of listening to soul-stirring melodies through the droves of FM stations of this city who cycle their playlists like kids on a carousel ride, so you can’t miss out on any song now, can you? I also follow an alternative method to understand & discover different kinds of sounds, by visiting the various outlets & malls in & around Toronto. As I’m sifting through the garments or enjoying a meal I’m patiently listening to a soothing melody or a foot tapping anthem that would eventually stick in my head and wouldn’t let me breathe easy until I’m able to locate its creator’s credentials. Ugh! And a Google search would only be fruitful if I got the lyrics right which is challenging in all that chitter chatter in the vicinity, so Nah! Enter, Shazam.

Though I was always intrigued by this nifty app since even before Apple acquired it there wasn’t a practical use for me to experiment with Shazam, but its time had finally arrived. It was simple. I launched it and found the circular ‘S’ logo throbbing and inviting me to tap as a tune played at a busy H&M outlet. Even though it was faintly audible the microphone on the iPhone deftly captured the notes, and in a jiffy, it displayed not only the name of the artist but also the colourful album art, the lyrics, while giving me the choice to buy it on Apple Music. It also added it to a ‘My Shazam’ playlist so I won’t lose the information! The ‘Shazam-ing’ is so seamless & quick and searching for new music has become simpler and more exciting, and enjoyable now. No more anxiety over unknown melodies, eh. I never thought I’d say this but then Google feels weak for a change! So, if you’re late to the party just like me, give it a shot.