Overview
+Saúde was a Proof of Concept (PoC) developed at Aurum Sistemas, aiming to address major challenges within Brazil’s public healthcare system (SUS). The project sought to enhance patient access to accurate information about hospitals, medical specialties, and physicians, reducing frustration and improving decision-making.
Awards
In March 2017, this work was featured on Behance in the Experience Design category.
This project was showcased on Behance in the Interaction Design category in April 2017.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Date
2017
Areas
User Research, Ideation, Branding, Interaction & UI Design
Problem
Brazil’s public health system (SUS) serves over 200 million people but faces significant challenges, including long wait times, lack of information, and physician shortages. Patients often struggle to find accurate information about hospitals, medical specialties, and available services, leading to frustration and inefficiency.
Key Question
Research & Discovery
To understand user pain points I conducted interviews with SUS patients, visited health centers, and gathered qualitative feedback.
Communication was a major bottleneck, patients had no reliable way to get hospital information remotely
80% of users relied on phone calls to check hospital availability and often they did not receive an answer, leading to frustration.
Many patients traveled long distances only to find their appointments had been canceled.
Users wanted a way to check hospital capacity online before heading out.
A feedback system could help improve hospital accountability and patient experience.
Goals
I was focusing to create a platform that could help users easily find available healthcare services in their city or at specific public health facilities. Additionally, we wanted to provide a way for users to review hospitals anonymously based on factors such as customer service, infrastructure, speed, and treatment quality. These reviews would not only benefit other users but also be used by administrators, state workers, and doctors to evaluate policies and make improvements such as increasing the number of healthcare professionals and expanding the range of treatments and procedures offered.
Improve access to hospital and physician information.
Reduce unnecessary hospital visits through real-time updates.
Enable users to review facilities based on service, wait times, and infrastructure.
Lay the foundation for future scheduling and appointment systems.
Solution & Design
We designed a mobile-first platform aligned with Google’s Material Design principles, ensuring accessibility for the 80% of Brazilians using Android devices.
Key Features:
- Smart Search & Filters – Find hospitals by specialty, location, or availability
- Emergency Assistance – Direct SAMU ambulance call feature for emergencies.
- Hospital Reviews & Ratings – Anonymous feedback system to improve transparency.
- Onboarding Experience – Clear value proposition before account creation.
- Optional Registration – Users could access critical information without mandatory sign-ups.
Emergency Card
Filters
My Account
UI Components
To maintain consistency between both versions we kept using the Google Material Design system, which provided us with a consistent interface across different platforms and devices. By leveraging this system, we adapted the same components from the mobile app to the web version while retaining the flexibility to adjust to any changes in features or design. This approach helped us save time and resources during development and ensured a cohesive and visually appealing design throughout our platform.
Search components
Visual Identity
As part of my work for +Saúde, I was responsible for creating the brand’s visual identity, which included designing a logo. My primary goal when designing the logo was to communicate that our service adds value to the public health system while remaining simple yet highly beneficial.
To achieve this, I chose red and white as the color scheme for the logo’s typography and design. These colors are commonly used in hospitals and other healthcare institutions to create a sense of urgency and cleanliness. I wanted to utilize this association to grab the attention of our users and establish a connection with the healthcare sector.
Landing Page
The purpose of this landing page is to serve as a portal to our application, providing users with an easy-to-use gateway to our web and mobile apps. It also serves as a valuable tool for explaining our solution, highlighting the benefits and features of our product.
Through this landing page, we aim to keep our users informed about company updates, media coverage, and new features that we may introduce in the future. In addition, users can interact with us directly through this page, providing us with valuable feedback that we can use to improve our product.
Rethinking the Approach
If revisiting this project today, I would explore a chatbot-based solution leveraging WhatsApp or Messenger. These apps dominate communication in Brazil and could:
Provide real-time hospital availability via chat.
Offer appointment scheduling without requiring app downloads.
Reduce development barriers by utilizing existing platforms.
Challenges: Talent availability for chatbot development, NLP training, and government cooperation.
Challenges & Takeaways
Working with public institutions requires not only design expertise but also persistence and adaptability. While +Saúde didn’t progress due to funding cuts during Brazil’s economic crisis (2015-2016), the experience provided key takeaways:
User Research is Crucial: Direct engagement with end-users revealed the true pain points.
Simplicity Drives Adoption: Avoiding mandatory registrations improved usability.
Government & Tech Alignment is Key: Public sector innovations require strong institutional support.
Though the project didn’t materialize, the insights gained remain valuable for future healthcare innovations.
