The Challenge
Established by the Victorian Government Department of Health in 1999, the Better Health Channel (BHC) is one of Australia's leading health, medical and lifestyle information websites. With a reputation for quality-assured, comprehensive and trustworthy information, it receives over one million unique visitors each month. The multi-award winning site has regularly been ranked by Experian Hitwise as the No. 1 Health and Medical Information Website in Australia. With Australians now strong users of smartphones for content browsing and applications, the Department of Health were looking to broaden the delivery of the BHC message and services into the mobile arena.
The Solution
The process began with a series of collaborative workshops to determine what functions the app would incorporate, consulting with a diverse range of stakeholders across Victorian Government departments. Research on mobile user behaviours and interests in healthcare was also considered. Using a library of standard iOS user interface elements, Deloitte created wireframes to visualise the proposed user experience, and adapted the Better Health Channel brand to the mobile interface using creative treatments.
Deloitte’s Online practice utilised their mobile development expertise to develop the app using native iOS functions, gestures and animations, ensuring the app would be intuitive to mobile users. Concurrently, the Department of Health developed the server functionality required to serve the data for content structures, fact sheets and service provider lookup.
The final app incorporated the following functionality:
• Extensive BHC health and medical information, including information on health conditions, treatments, medical procedures and first aid. Information can be found by category, A-Z index, or text search.
• A location-based search to find health service providers in Victoria, such as doctors, dentists, pharmacists and physiotherapists. Each service provider’s information includes contact details and map directions, and users are able to save a list of their favourite providers.
• Urgent medical help and advice contacts including Nurse on Call, Kids Helpline, Poisons Information, Lifeline and more.
The Benefits
The Better Health Channel mobile platform and content enables anywhere, anytime access to quality assured and reliable health information and services for all Victorians. The app supports health consumers to establish and maintain positive health behaviours, make better informed decisions, and manage their own health, or that of their family more effectively.
The Better Health Channel app is available as a free download from Apple’s App Store at http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhapp
