Case 05 / 07 · Healthcare · Concept
Dental practice
A specialist prosthodontics practice in Amsterdam, with one long page on a website builder. A concept with two clear entrances: one for patients, one for referring dentists.
Patients and referring dentists shared one long page, and referrals went to a misspelled email address.
Audited the live site, split it into seven pages with a route per audience, and built a clickable prototype with a referral checklist.
A concept where each visitor finds their route in one click. Everything the practice hasn't confirmed is marked yellow. Not yet tested.
Context
The challenge
One page for two very different visitors
Patients look for trust: who is the dentist, is the practice taking new patients, how do I book. Referring dentists want to know what they can refer and how. The current site gave neither a clear path, and referrals went to an email address with a typo.
Plan first. Then treat.
The audit
Ten areas, every finding rated
I checked the live site for both audiences, on desktop and on a phone. Each finding got a severity, an effort estimate and the audience it hurts, so the practice can start with what matters most.
The only instruction for referrers gave an address with a missing letter. Fix: correct it today, and ask whether referrals went missing.
“Name of reviewer” and “testimonial” were visible on the homepage. Fix: remove, or replace with real reviews.
The first questions a new patient has were nowhere on the site. Fix: a short first visit page.
No steps, no secure route, no response time. Fix: a dedicated referral page.
It stays while scrolling. Fix: a compact banner that can be dismissed.
No notice not to send medical details. Fix: a short notice and a link to the privacy policy.
Process
Information architecture
From one page to two routes
Two audiences with different questions each get their own route straight after the opening, instead of one long page for everyone.
Before · one long page
- Hero photo with "Maak een afspraak"
- Four specialisms
- Testimonial with "Name of reviewer"
- Publications
- One sentence for referrers
- Contact form, no privacy notice
- about 6,000px tall on a phone
After · two doors, seven pages
- Treatments
- First visit and costs
- Booking
- About the practice
- What you can refer
- How to refer, with a checklist
- Research
Contact, privacy and terms move to the footer.
Design decisions
What changed, and why
A dedicated place for referrers
What can be referred, three steps and a checklist to make the referral complete.
WhyA specialist practice runs on referrals. Comparable practices had no route for referrers at all.
The method as a timeline
“Plan first. Then treat.” becomes a timeline that fills as you scroll.
WhyIt shows the specialist's care and sets the practice apart from a general dentist.
A brand from its own building
The brick colour of the facade and the arch of the front door as a recurring motif, with real photos instead of stock.
WhyRecognisable and its own. The photos were already in the old site's media library but never shown.
No patient data in forms
Appointments go through the practice's own agenda; the referral checklist sends nothing itself.
WhyMedical data doesn't belong in a simple contact form.
Outcome
The concept
Calm for patients, clarity for referrers
A clickable concept with homepage, patients, referrers, first visit, a treatment page, research and about. Everything still to be confirmed is marked in yellow.
Where it stands
Delivered
- An audit with ten priorities and platform advice
- A clickable seven-page concept on desktop and phone
- A dedicated route for referring dentists
- A logo proposal based on the building's doorway arch
AI in my process
Careful, as healthcare should be
AI helped audit the site and build the concept. I don't invent medical content: the dentist reviews it.
- Step 1
Audit
The live site checked, with evidence per finding and what's still assumed.
- Step 2
Concept
A clickable prototype with the real opening hours and structure.
- Step 3
Mark the unknown
Everything not yet confirmed is marked, so nothing invented passes as fact.
- Step 4
Logo
Three directions based on the doorway arch, that also work on a light background.
Photos, cases and reviews need consent before this concept could be used publicly. The practice wasn't involved in this concept, so it isn't named here.
Reflection
What I'd do differently
- Talk to both audiences early
The two routes are built on desk research. I'd test them with three patients and two referring dentists before writing the final copy, because the referrer route especially rests on assumptions about how dentists refer today.
- Ask about the agenda system first
The booking flow depends entirely on which agenda software the practice uses. I designed the flow before knowing that; next time it's the first question.
- Plan for consent from the start
Photos, cases and reviews all need consent before a concept like this can go live. In a real project I'd start that conversation in week one, not at the end.
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