Hannah Cusworth — One Medical App: 3D Illustrations

Associate Creative Director, Art & Interactivity: Hannah Cusworth
Creative Director: Jessica Lacombe
Sr. Project Manager: Marlene Barahona
Creative studio partner: Black Math

The challenge: Since its existence, the One Medical app (designed for scheduling doctor appointments, chatting with healthcare providers for urgent needs, and renewing prescriptions) has been using stock photography of people in order to represent each medical service offering. Users either see or (likely more often) do not see themselves as the characters within the photography, stigmatizing some groups and leaving out others.

For example, "UTI and yeast infections" originally showed a femme, woman-presenting person. However, a cis or transgender man might still need UTI or yeast infection treatment too, but certainly wouldn't be able to see themselves in that photo and could furthermore reduce their likelihood of seeking care. How might we solve for some users unable to see themselves receiving this type of care, which may result in them not addressing a preventative health issue?

The solution: We knew that specific medical tools, materials, and other more holistic items can serve as a quick point of reference to a specific medical service or subject matter. If we take the gender-/race-/body-type/age-specific imagery out, we can leverage service-specific materials to communicate what One Medical offers in a more inclusive way.

Working closely with Black Math Studio’s creative team, I leveraged the power and flexibility of 3D illustrations. The beauty of 3D is the total control one has over colors, lighting, materials, composition, etc. And with limited creative budget, we were able to design warm and welcoming at-home and in-office environments, meeting our subject matter needs with precision. Without alienating or stigmatizing any single group of users, we were able to create supporting visuals that allow users to quickly understand the healthcare service offerings available to them and inspire them to seek care by setting up an appointment.