1. Briefly describe your project in relation to the design prompt (max 200 words)

Bailey is an empathetic healthcare companion designed to help people navigate uncertainty about their health and find the right next step in care. Through an approachable, animal-like avatar, guided symptom questions, and clear recommendations, Bailey transforms an overwhelming search for health information into a more supportive and actionable experience.

Our solution addresses the Baylor Scott & White Health challenge by reimagining the Help Me Decide experience within MyBSWHealth. Users can describe their concerns, answer simple questions about their symptoms, review relevant health history, and receive guidance on appropriate care options, including scheduling appointments, finding urgent care, or seeking emergency help. Bailey also provides transparent privacy controls and clear disclaimers that its guidance is not a medical diagnosis.

Our secondary research identified how unreliable information, low empathy, and lengthy chatbot interactions can increase anxiety, distrust, and cognitive load, particularly for older adults. Bailey responds with plain language, a supportive conversational tone, and a structured path toward action.

By helping people make informed decisions during uncertain or stressful moments, Bailey also supports the general challenge of navigating significant life transitions with greater confidence, guidance, and access to appropriate resources.

Describe your main design decisions and how they contribute to your product (max 300 words)

Our design decisions focused on making digital healthcare more approachable, trustworthy, and actionable.

An empathetic, animal-like avatar

We chose Bailey as a friendly animal-like companion to make healthcare navigation feel less intimidating. Secondary research found that animal-like virtual doctor avatars received significantly higher user experience ratings than human-like and object-like alternatives. Bailey’s approachable personality and supportive language help users feel acknowledged when discussing health concerns.

Guided questions and simplified interactions

Instead of overwhelming users with lengthy explanations, Bailey guides them through short, structured questions about symptom location, duration, and severity. Clear response options reduce the effort required to communicate concerns and help users progress through the experience one step at a time.

Actionable, safety-focused recommendations

Bailey translates users’ responses into organized guidance and clear next steps, including booking an appointment, finding urgent care, or seeking emergency assistance, reducing cognitive load. We also incorporated relevant health history to demonstrate how personal context can inform care navigation. Disclaimers clarify that recommendations are not diagnoses, and emergency guidance directs users to call 911 when appropriate.

Transparency and user control

We included explicit privacy messaging and optional consent before sharing conversations with healthcare providers or adding them to a health profile. Users can also choose to call instead of continuing the chat, preserving alternatives for those who prefer human assistance.

A consistent, accessible design system

We followed Baylor Scott & White’s established design standards to create a cohesive experience that feels aligned with the existing healthcare platform. Clear visual hierarchy, straightforward navigation, and recognizable actions help users understand where to go and what to do next.

Provider-informed usability improvements

We tested our concept with Edward, a primary care provider, to evaluate whether its guidance was clear, safe, and actionable. His feedback led us to emphasize the non-diagnostic disclaimer and strengthen appointment recommendations, reinforcing Bailey’s role as a care-navigation tool rather than a replacement for professional medical advice.