Feeling sick? Just type the corresponding emoji!
Zocdoc, an online service that helps you find doctors and book appointments, has revamped its search to be more user-friendly.
It calls this initiative a "patient-driven search" and is about finding ways to help those in need speak in a normal way, according to a post on the company's blog.
The service's reorganization aims to address "the difficulty in communicating between doctors and patients, who have their own colloquial language – for example, using abbreviations like gynecologist rather than 'obstetrician-gynecologist.'" This also means you can search for doctors with emojis.
You can use ?? for allergies, ❤️? for heartburn, and ✈️? for travel sickness. You can even use the ? emoji to find and book an appointment with a gastroenterologist.
“We see this more as a fun addition to the overall experience rather than a core feature of the product,” a spokesperson from Zocdoc said via email.
But is this really necessary? The emojification of apps of all kinds has been around for a while now, and it's starting to get a little ridiculous. While it's important, especially in areas like healthcare, to make the experience as user-friendly and fun as possible, there's no need for Zocdoc to behave like our friends would.
Adding emoji to any kind of app leads to combinations like ?☀️ for dermatologist and ? for primary care doctors, which definitely won't be very useful! Would you agree with such an app?
