Accessing Healthcare is Easy with iAmSick.ca

Looking for healthcare is not the simplest task, as information is not available in centralized location, until now. A new online tool – iAmSick.ca – has been created to address this, starting in Toronto. Early in the team’s journey, Daniel Design began a logo development process.

Why start a healthcare mapping resource? There are two problems that iAmSick.ca addresses. The first is a systematic problem that is burdening the Canadian healthcare system; and the second is a problem related to inconveniences experienced by Canadians who seek same-day primary care options. How has design helped them get started?

“Daniel brought artistic insight to our logo design, taking into account our vision and requirements. He worked with us through many iterations to refine the logo into one that best represents our brand.” – iAmSick.ca Team

This is destined to be a popular tool – helping both the healthcare industry and everyday citizens. The Canadian healthcare system is overburdened with unnecessary Emergency Room visits. Almost half of all ER visits are non-critical, and it costs the government more per patient for an ER visit compared to receiving similar treatment at an urgent care centre, walk-in clinic or family doctor. Patients are inconvenienced by the ineffective use of consumer technology when it comes to healthcare in Canada. What about just Googling instead? Searches for nearby same-day healthcare options in Canada often deliver results that are incomplete, noisy or out-of-date, and information is dispersed across various websites. For ERs, urgent care centres and walk-in clinics, patients register in person and spend unproductive hours in a waiting room.

Visual Identity Design Process

The design process included the overall visual identity – including colours, typography, supplementary imagery and even naming options. The colour combination is designed to be unique to the overall healthcare industry, to help this fresh new tool be identified. Various colour options are displayed in the boxes to the right.

The iAmSick.ca logo was designed to be easily applicable to a future mobile phone App (see square versions below). Various iterations were created for the iAmSick.ca Twitter account and Facebook page (along with header graphics and backgrounds).

“Ever visited another city, and needed healthcare services? This will help, as there is a lack of awareness of healthcare options for travellers,” the creators explain. “International students aren’t fully aware of all healthcare providers that accept UHIP health insurance plans, Canadians traveling out-of-province may be unaware of their healthcare options, and international visitors to Canada may have travel insurance but are unaware of their healthcare options. We are working towards providing users with all the information they need in a single place.”

Overall iAmSick.ca consolidates information about emergency rooms, urgent care centres, walk-in clinics and pharmacies onto a map that makes it easier for patients to learn about their surroundings and see relevant information.

Upon beta launch, the tool only shows information for Ontario, but the team is working towards showing all Canadians what’s nearby, what’s open at the time of search, wait-time information if its available, and more.