Modernizing healthcare discovery for the Irish market
Designing and engineering a lightning-fast, privacy-centric platform to help patients find and connect with medical clinics across Ireland with zero friction.
The Strategic Brief
Cúram Connect is an independent product initiative addressing the systemic friction in Ireland's GP discovery process. By shifting the focus from 'search' to 'evaluation,' the platform reduces the cognitive load on patients during high-stakes discovery moments.
The Problem
The Fragmented Discovery Crisis
The current healthcare journey in Ireland is a 'messy middle.' Patients bounce between outdated HSE spreadsheets, Google Maps, and individual clinic sites—only to find that 'Accepting Patients' status is rarely accurate.
Information Decay
Publicly available clinic lists are often 12-24 months out of date, leading to high bounce rates.
The Manual Burden
Patients are forced to manually verify eligibility via phone calls, creating a bottleneck for both users and clinic staff.
Zero Confidence
High intent is met with low-trust signals, causing users to abandon the search or revert to over-burdened emergency services.
The fundamental problem is not a lack of data—it is a lack of decision-grade information. Users don't need a better search algorithm; they need a confidence layer.
Product Strategy
Intentional Constraints & MVP Logic
To validate the core hypothesis—that reducing discovery friction alone increases intent-driven action—I implemented a strict 'Call-to-Action' constraint for the MVP.
No-Account Architecture
Removing the login barrier ensures immediate utility. In healthcare, speed-to-information is the primary conversion metric.
Call-First Interaction
Recognizing existing behavioral patterns where clinics still require voice-based eligibility checks for new patients.
Geospatial Prioritization
Sorting by proximity and availability signals rather than alphabetical order to reflect real-world user needs.
Design System
Quiet Confidence
The visual system is rooted in 'Medical Utility.' It avoids the tech-disruptor aesthetic in favor of a calm, slate-and-teal palette that feels established and trustworthy.
- →Inter Variable Typeface for maximum legibility in high-stress contexts.
- →High-contrast UI components following WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
- →A 4pt grid system for consistent spatial rhythm across all device sizes.
Typography / Inter Variable
Aa
Optimized for UI clarity and varying optical sizes across healthcare data.
Color Palette
Primary
#0284C7
Surface
#0F172A
Muted
#F1F5F9
Systemic Weighting
Deep Dive
The Anatomy of a Decision
The Clinic Card is the core engine of the platform. Every element is weighted based on its importance to a user in a high-stress discovery moment.
Status Signaling
Real-time 'Accepting Patients' badge using high-contrast semantic colors to provide immediate go/no-go signals.
Geospatial Context
Prioritizing distance and travel time over name, reflecting the primary constraint for patients seeking care.
Action Primary
The 'Call Clinic' button is optimized for thumb-reach and clear intent completion.
Engineering
Architecture & Performance
Privacy-First Geospatial Logic
To protect user anonymity, GPS data is never sent to the server. Sorting is handled via client-side hydration, keeping sensitive location data strictly on the user's device.
Dynamic Route Optimization
Leveraging Next.js dynamic segments to handle 2,000+ clinic endpoints with a single template, resulting in a 90% reduction in redundant code.
Optimistic UI States
Implementing pre-fetching for clinic details so that transitions feel instantaneous, mimicking the speed of a native mobile application.
Future Roadmap
The Evolution of Cúram
Cúram Connect is designed to scale from a discovery tool into a coordinated healthcare layer, bridging the gap between patient intent and clinical registration.
Phase 1: Discovery (Current)
- Geospatial clinic search
- Direct-intent calling
- Verified status badges
Phase 2: Verification
- Real-time availability API
- Clinic-side dashboard
- Automated status updates
Phase 3: Transaction
- In-app new patient registration
- Digital record transfer
- Secure appointment requests