Filled a gap members were already looking for with a proof of concept experience that felt familiar and convenient from the start.
"I signed into my account. I got to view my scripts, however I wanted to check what was available for OTC items through your company. I can't see where I go from here."
Medication searches surfaced over-the-counter (OTC) results through the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) service, but members had no way to order them digitally. No catalog, no home delivery option. Members were left to compare prices across pharmacies in their network and figure out how to get their OTC products on their own.
Why it mattered. The need was already proven. Members were already searching for OTC products. They just couldn't order them digitally. Building this experience was a direct response to a gap members were already hitting, and a real opportunity to create a new line of revenue for the business.
As lead designer I already owned the prescription management and checkout flows. There were no prior explorations for this project. I was starting from zero.
Members logged in to refill or manage their prescriptions. Shopping for OTC products was secondary. That informed where the feature needed to live and how visible it needed to be without interrupting what they came to do.
Rather than building a separate checkout experience for an MVP, I reused the existing prescription checkout flow. That decision shaped how I approached placement, the catalog structure, and the overall shopping experience.
I set three design goals to guide every decision: 1) discoverability, 2) familiarity and predictability, and 3) scalability.
Members primarily logged in to manage or refill a prescription before considering OTC products. I introduced two entry points to help members discover them. The first was on the dashboard upon login. The second was in the cart, where members were already reviewing their prescriptions. Both were placed where members naturally were without disrupting their primary reason for logging in.
OTC shopping conventions were already well established across competitors like Amazon, CVS, and Walgreens. Rather than building a new checkout experience for an MVP, I reused the existing prescription checkout flow and designed around familiar ecommerce patterns: a product catalog, product detail pages, and a straightforward path to checkout.
Showing prices, which varied by benefit plan and pharmacy logic, on the catalog landing page wasn't feasible. Rather than leaving members without the information they needed, I designed the catalog to funnel members into a product detail page, a configurable, reusable touchpoint built to serve any flow. In this context it gave members comprehensive product information and pricing before taking action.
40 products across 5 categories was the starting point. I designed the product details page as a configurable, reusable component that could serve any flow. I reused the existing checkout flow rather than rebuilding it. After launch, I documented opportunities for growth, which included expanded categories, search, competitive pricing, and further optimization for mobile.
The immediate goal wasn't scale. It was to validate that members wanted a way to order OTC products, that the experience worked, and that the business had something worth investing in.
Before any marketing, the entry point received 13,500 clicks from members who discovered it on their own. No promotion, no prior digital presence.
Two weeks after launch, a single email campaign went out to eligible members. When more members knew the opportunity existed, engagement nearly tripled from 13,500 to 35,000 clicks, leading to a 76% lift in order completion.
The proof of concept held. I documented and shared what the next phase of growth could include: a broader catalog, search capabilities, competitive pricing, and continued optimization for mobile.
Building an MVP means prioritizing what to solve for now and park for later. That clarity is necessary, but with this project, it definitely came with tradeoffs.
I launched a product experience that was new but not fully connected to the broader digital ecosystem. I flagged gaps early, identifying communication outreach and pre-login pages as part of the journey worth investing in. Those were parked for fast follow and future iterations.
Unsurprising to me, a single email campaign two weeks after launch nearly tripled engagement. A standalone product is not nearly as effective as one connected to the whole member journey.