Get to know Abdul, Product Manager
We spoke to Product Manager Abdul Kodiyil about why it is vital to design technology using feedback from clinicians, and what the future might hold for digital healthcare.
Where did you work before joining Medbelle?
Before joining Medbelle, I worked in the ed-tech and retail-tech sector, focusing on the South East Asian and African markets. My product management experience has mostly been in the software as a service and e-commerce domains. I also have past experience building non-tech businesses from the ground up.
And what inspired you to join the Medbelle team? What was it about the role that attracted you?
It was the company's vision to improve healthcare using technology. I am a true believer in technology and its capability to enhance our daily lives and experiences. As a Product Manager, I am passionate about leveraging technology to enable advancements in all possible ways. Healthcare in particular is an area where humans face significant challenges and complexities. Medbelle's mission to improve the experience of everyone involved in healthcare services, with a focus on putting patients at the forefront, truly attracted me.
"Many products aim to increase the time users spend on their platforms, at Medbelle, we strive to reduce the time surgeons spend on our app."
What do you see as the real opportunities for product development to improve the experience of clinicians and patients?
From my experience over the past year and a half, I have observed that clinicians often spend more time than necessary navigating technology, which prevents them from focusing on their core expertise, medicine. Similarly, patients often lack transparency and support in understanding their healthcare journey, including pricing and aftercare. They often lack the resources to access information, clarify doubts, or receive attentive care.
At Medbelle, we are addressing these challenges by combining technology with a human touch. From a product development perspective, we aim to automate processes transparently, with a user-centric approach, while ensuring that certain aspects that require human expertise or interaction are preserved.
By doing so, we can provide clinicians with more time for patient care and empower patients with comprehensive support throughout their healthcare journey.
In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of good product design?
In my opinion, the most important aspect of good product design is usability. Regardless of the complexity or scale of the problem being solved, it is crucial to ensure that the solution is easily usable for the end user. As a product manager, understanding the user thoroughly is key to building effective solutions that do not create new problems while resolving existing ones.
Moreover, knowing the user allows us to come up with counter-intuitive ways to improve their experience. For instance, while many products aim to increase the time users spend on their platforms, at Medbelle, we strive to reduce the time surgeons spend on our app. We believe that less time spent on the app translates to more time spent with patients, while technology handles the background tasks for them.
"Gathering feedback from consultants has been a vital aspect of our development process."
You are involved in the development of Medbelle OS, used by consultants in their practices. Have you received much feedback from consultants about Medbelle OS, and how important is this sort of feedback?
Gathering feedback from consultants has been a vital aspect of our development process. In healthcare, where professionals and the industry have a rich history, it is not about introducing completely new solutions but rather finding ways to improve existing practices or streamline processes. Therefore, it is essential to be in constant touch with healthcare professionals, industry experts, and researchers to understand their day-to-day challenges and pain points.
The Product team at Medbelle have set up dedicated advisory panels consisting of renowned names in the industry who help and guide us on our next step and share constant feedback. This continuous feedback loop allows us to prioritise what is truly important and navigate through the noise, ensuring that our solutions align with the needs of our users.
How does the team decide which new features to develop for Medbelle OS? Is it based on consultant feedback, ideas from the team, or a bit of both?
It is a combination of factors. We actively collect feedback from consultants through regular interactions and discussions to understand their pain points and needs. Additionally, we keep a close eye on market trends and changes in the healthcare sector, both locally and globally. Through this combination we ensure that the new features we develop for Medbelle OS meet the needs of the end-users and stay aligned with industry advancements.
What do you think digital healthcare will look like in the future?
The way I see it, the future of digital healthcare lies in empowering patients and optimising the efficiency of healthcare providers through seamless technology integration.
I envisage digital healthcare offering every patient worldwide access to relevant information at their fingertips, even surpassing the ease of buying a book from a digital store. Patients will have the necessary tools and resources to compare options and make informed decisions about their healthcare. Furthermore, I foresee healthcare providers spending the majority of their time on their core expertise, leaving technology to automate tasks in the background in a secure and transparent manner.
