Clinical answers at the point of care: rebuilding the BMJ Best Practice app
Clinicians use BMJ Best Practice at the point of care, but the old app made them download over 1,000 topics before they could look anything up. Box UK rebuilt it so topics open instantly online.
70%
faster full download
60%
less storage
4.8
star rating on the App Store and Google Play
100k
medical professionals using the app
In short
BMJ Best Practice gives medical professionals and students evidence-based guidance on diagnosis and treatment at the point of care. The old app made users download more than 1,000 topics before they could use it, and BMJ wanted to take the app, a core revenue stream, to new markets.
- Box UK ran discovery to agree the product vision, user profiles and stories.
- A technical proof of concept tested the most complex parts, including replacing navigation with search.
- We rebuilt the app and its data management, so topics open instantly online.
- The full download is 70% faster and takes 60% less storage.
- The app works better offline, on older devices and in multiple languages.
Customer background
BMJ is a global healthcare knowledge provider. Its Best Practice app gives more than 100,000 medical professionals and students evidence-based information on diagnosis and treatment, at the moment they need it. With patients’ health at stake, the information has to be accurate, presented safely, and fast.
The challenge
The app had to deliver information instantly, anywhere, while supporting the flow of a consultation and meeting strict clinical safety requirements.
The existing app made users wait for a full download of more than 1,000 topics before they could use it. Many clinicians work in buildings with lots of different Wi-Fi hotspots, so the app also had to work well offline. And as a core revenue stream for BMJ, it needed to support launches in new regions.
Our approach
Our developers and UX consultants worked together from the start, beginning with a discovery phase that defined the product vision and objectives, with user profiles and stories that agreed priorities.
We then built a technical proof of concept for the most complex parts. The biggest decision was to replace the old navigation with a search that takes users straight to what they need, using overlays, accordions and swipes to present content in a logical order. Our UX consultants checked that information always appeared in the right order and combinations to stay clinically safe.
Box UK are a pleasure to work with and the team are always enthusiastic about developing new features and improving existing ones. We work in partnership with them to achieve this and they feel like part of our own team rather than an external supplier.
Jane Clapton, Associate Product Manager, BMJ
What we built
- Search-led access to 1,000+ topics, replacing layered navigation.
- Instant topic access online, with no need to wait for a full download.
- A 70% faster full download and 60% less storage, through a rebuilt data management process.
- Better offline use for clinicians moving between Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Performance on older devices as well as the latest ones.
- Multi-language support for launches in new regions.
Delivery
Once the proof of concept had shown the complex parts would work, our developers rebuilt the whole system, including the data management processes behind it. The app then went through extensive usability testing before launching on both iOS and Android.
The outcome
Clinicians and students can now open the topic they need straight away, instead of waiting for the whole app to download, and the app works better offline and on older phones. For BMJ, the rebuild gave a core revenue product a platform for launching in new regions.
- 4.8 stars on the App Store and Google Play.
- Silver awards in two categories at the 2018 W3 Awards.
“Good tool for medical students on the ward, particularly as it’s all available offline.”
App store review
Frequently asked questions
Let users open individual topics instantly instead of downloading everything first, and rebuild the data management behind it. The BMJ Best Practice app’s full download became 70% faster.
Because it gets users to the information they need in fewer steps. For BMJ Best Practice, replacing layered navigation with search made it much easier for clinicians to go straight to the topic they wanted
Make sure information is always shown in the right order and combination, and test with real users. BMJ’s app was reviewed by UX consultants for clinical safety and tested before launch.
Yes. Clinicians move around buildings with different Wi-Fi hotspots and can’t rely on staying connected. The rebuilt BMJ app’s improved offline capability was designed for that.
What this means
for your organisation
If your users need your information at a critical moment, whether that’s a clinician mid-consultation or an engineer on site, every second of delay matters, and so does working without a signal.
If you publish essential information to people on the move, send us a few lines about how they use it. We’ll tell you where we’d look first.
Talk to one of our digital experts
Pete Withers-Jones
Head of Development
Do you have an idea or a project you need support with?
Pete Withers-Jones leads Box UK’s Development Practice, and has over 20 years of experience in software development, working across various industries and technologies.
Or call us on 020 7439 1900
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