A vision of the future for Service Pharmacy

Fabrique believes in knowledge-driven design. To this end, the agency has several design processes and methods in its repertoire. For each project, the team examines which methods and procedures are suitable and a custom-made approach is developed. Within the trajectory of the Service Pharmacy, various design methods from the following KEM categories were used: 

Vision & imagination
To arrive at a vision of the future, a variation on the ViP method (Vision in Design, Hekkert & van Dijk) was applied. On the one hand, the focus was on developing a vision of the future of the healthcare sector. On the other hand, the focus was on the assets of the pharmacist and the Service Pharmacy chain in particular, in order to better deploy unused valuable items in the future. 

Participation & co-creation
The vision for the future was developed in close collaboration with the franchise council. A multidisciplinary team then visual identity and interior concept developed.

Van Erp explains: 'We had to find support for the vision for the future, which is why we organised it from Fabrique a workshop with the franchise council, a delegation of pharmacists. This laid the foundation for a new strategy and new brand. If you want to implement changes, there is a good chance that you will encounter resistance, but the story about the top service during that change really appealed to the franchisees.' This is how the pharmacists were included in the journeys of their customers and became enthusiastic about the new ambition. 'The beckoning perspective of our vision for the future did wonders', according to van Erp.

In the development of the Service Pharmacy app the user's perspective was central. For this, there was collaboration with chronically ill patients (customers of Service Apotheek) according to the cultural probe research methodThis method is also known as the diary study, which helps to understand the daily challenges, goals and needs of users at the beginning of a design process. Participants document and reflect on certain aspects of their lives over a longer period. For example, there was daily app contact for a week in which patients kept track of how they take their medication, how often and how they use alarms (or other reminders) for the design team. Through messages and photos, Fabrique gained insight into the lives of medication users and their needs.

The app was also tested again with a group of medication users at a later stage of development. This showed, among other things, that customers did not like the tune in the app as a reminder for taking medication. This was adjusted in the next version.

In order to make the right choices in the new interior design, Fabrique itself has done a lot on-site research done. Van Erp: 'We visited several pharmacies and observed how people wait, whether they bought products from the shelves, how the interaction with the pharmacist went and whether people felt comfortable. For example, we asked ourselves: do they have privacy? This resulted in a new design for the pharmacy with various zones; for example, to wait or where you can have a private conversation with the pharmacist.'

Interior concept Service Pharmacy / Photographer: Aiste Rakauskaite

Behavior & Empowerment
The many human behaviors that were mapped with the cultural probe method made an important contribution to the vision and all the associated resources. In this way, the pharmacist became central in the entire communication and became more accessible, so that you as a customer dare to ask questions more easily.

Everything about your medicines together

Fabrique has designed the Service Apotheek app so that you as a customer know exactly which medicines you are taking, what they are intended for and what they look like. You always have an overview of your medicines at hand. Is the stock almost empty? No problem. You can easily order new medicines. Just with one push of a button or you take a photo of the prescription. How easy. A chronic medicine user has enough on his mind.

Another important feature is setting reminders. This way you will never forget a medication again. And by checking off the intake immediately, you always know what you have and have not taken. Have you forgotten how to take the medication best? You can easily look it up. With the app you have all the important information at hand.

Chronic patient in control
The Service Apotheek app helps patients to better understand their medicines. What it does, how it works and how to use them best. Because more knowledge about your medicines ultimately leads to better health. Is there something wrong with the medicine overview? Are patients using the medicines differently than prescribed? Then they can easily adjust that themselves. And all adjustments are then checked again by the pharmacist. In this way, they have an overview together and the patient has peace of mind.