The Nigerian economy has endured relentless inflation over the past few years, with prices tripling and the cost of living skyrocketing.
For many, healthcare — particularly access to affordable medication — is increasingly out of reach. It’s a problem that demands urgent, innovative solutions.
At a health tech startup Nkeiruka leads design in called OneHealthNG, she took on this challenge by designing a Pharmacy Fulfillment System — a comprehensive platform connecting pharmacies, HMOs, and customers to streamline order management and ensure real-time medication delivery.
Leading the design of this system, Nkeiruka focused on creating a solution that has successfully onboarded over 2,000 partner pharmacies in just one month, with plans to also design the HMO client dashboard enabling better access to affordable medications for thousands of Nigerians.
Techeconomy peeps into Nkeiruka Ifeonu’s journey, trying to find out her approach towards this complex but impactful design:
Understanding the Product Requirements
Her mission was clear: reduce operational inefficiencies and create a seamless experience for all stakeholders — pharmacies, customers, HMOs, and the team.
To achieve this, Nkeiruka prioritized key objectives such as track and fulfill orders efficiently: Pharmacies needed visibility into requests to improve fulfilment rates.
Implement a sub-wallet system – This feature was critical for payment reconciliation between parties. Also, she looked at enabling negotiation capabilities – customers needed a way to negotiate fair pricing for medications amidst rising costs.
The solution had to complement existing communication channels without eliminating the operational team’s role in facilitating complex negotiations.
Research: Listening to Stakeholders
Great design starts with empathy. She engaged directly with partner pharmacies to uncover their pain points and objectives.
These conversations revealed a need for clear visibility into order volumes and statuses; secure wallet systems for payment reconciliation, and negotiation tools to facilitate fair pricing.
This feedback shaped the system’s design, which prioritized an intuitive dashboard, an order tracker, wallet integration, and enhanced security through Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
Designing with Purpose
Armed with insights, Nkeiruka moved into sketching and wireframing, ensuring collaboration by sharing initial concepts with the team. Brainstorming sessions aligned stakeholders and sparked innovative thinking.
She designed key sections, including: Home Dashboard – a snapshot of pharmacy operations; Orders Section used to track and manage medication requests; Wallet System for real-time payment tracking and reconciliation; Partner Management used to streamline pharmacy onboarding and engagement, and Payouts and Settings that enables the management of financial transactions and configurations.
Collaborative Stakeholder Feedback
Nkeiruka led detailed review sessions to keep stakeholders aligned and engaged throughout the design process. These sessions provided invaluable feedback that helped refine the platform to meet operational and user needs.
Prototyping and Testing with Users
Once she developed a prototype, she tested it extensively with internal teams, stakeholders, pharmacies, and customers.
One standout feature was the negotiation function, allowing customers to secure fair pricing for medications. This was especially important given the financial constraints faced by many Nigerians.
Continuous Testing and Iteration
Nkeiruka Ifeonu took her time to test and retest the system with all parties involved — pharmacies, HMOs, customers, and the team.
This rigorous approach ensured a robust, user-friendly fulfilment system that simplifies medication ordering and provides transparency for all stakeholders.
Therefore, in a country where nearly 40% of the population struggles to afford essential medications, innovative solutions are a necessity.
The OneHealth Pharmacy Fulfilment System Nkeiruka Ifeonu designed is a testament to the power of thoughtful design and collaborative problem-solving.
Beyond streamlining the medication order process, this platform has the potential to reduce Nigeria’s healthcare costs, improve medication access, and create employment opportunities.
As a product designer, her role goes beyond aesthetics. She is a problem-solver advocating for users, and also a champion of innovation. This project reinforced the importance of empathy-driven design in tackling real-world problems and creating impactful solutions.
Nkeiruka Ifeonu’s journey into product design is nothing short of inspiring. With a background in marketing, PR, customer service, and social media management, she brings a rich blend of communication and problem-solving skills to her work as a product designer. Her ability to connect with users and understand their needs is rooted in her experience across these diverse fields.
Nkeiruka Ifeonu
Living in Lagos, Nigeria has played a crucial role in shaping her design philosophy. The city’s unique challenges have fueled her growth as a designer, pushing her to identify and address issues in underserved communities.
Her work focuses on creating meaningful solutions that improve lives, showing how design can be a powerful tool for change.
But Nkeiruka’s impact goes beyond just design. Her dream of helping 1,000 women transition into tech speaks volumes about her commitment to inclusivity and empowerment. Through mentorship, one-on-one sessions, and sharing resources on social media, she’s dedicated to making tech accessible to more women, leaving the ladder behind for others to climb.
Her career trajectory is equally remarkable. From starting as a product design intern to becoming a full-time product designer.
Nkeiruka has demonstrated exceptional growth and potential. Her journey is a testament to her hard work, adaptability, and leadership qualities, positioning her as a future global leader in the world of product design.
Joel Nwankwo is a tech journalist. He is passionate about telling stories as it relates to Africa's social and financial tech advancements. You can reach him at joel.nwankwo@techeconomy.ng
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