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Digital engagement is transforming how pharmaceutical companies connect with patients and HCPs. With the rise of digital solutions, businesses have the opportunity to enhance relationships, improve outcomes, and stand out in the competitive digital space. 

From patient symptom tracker apps to innovative digital device interfaces, the integration of digital tools into the pharmaceutical landscape has the potential to improve the experiences of patients and HCPs alike. But how can pharmaceutical companies ensure that they get their digital interactions right, and truly offer something new and valuable across audiences? How can we ensure that a product does not end up in the digital wasteland, sitting unused, unvisited or undownloaded within the app-store? 

The knowledge that only 4% of new digital products are successful in the long-term, highlights how vital it is for those investing in digital interactions to be asking themselves some tough questions. Below, HRW’s digital team explore the top 5 factors to consider, whether you are exploring a digital solution, or you already have a product on the market.

Accessing Reality: Addressing Real-World Needs

It sounds simple, but is there a need for a digital solution? Ultimately, the slickest, shiniest digital product could be developed, but our research has told us time and again that if the product does not offer a tangible solution to a real problem, it will not be used.  

Seth Godin famously said “Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” This highlights the importance of a deep customer understanding and holds true in the digital landscape.  

But it takes time and effort for anyone to adopt something new, and keep using it. As our behavioural science team explain: 

“Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation are the ingredients required for the recipe of behaviour change. Even if patients are knowledgeable and able to easily access the digital solution, if they do not feel that the solution adds any value to their lives, they will not be motivated to adopt it” 

 Therefore, identifying a real unmet need and defining that for the audience should be the vital first step in developing a product for digital interaction.    


Assess User Openness to Digital Solutions

Identifying a gap is only the first step. It’s equally important to determine whether a digital solution is the right way forward for your end user. Factors like demographic profiles, tech affinity, and cultural values can significantly influence digital engagement.  

It may be the case that you have identified a group of patients needing support with remembering to take their treatment each day but identifying who these patients are and if there are any significant barriers to engagement is key before investing heavily in product development.  

We have found that different therapeutic areas, from HIV to RA and PsO have different needs and contexts.  Stigma, perceptions of disease severity amongst other factors can mean that the implementation and uptake of a digital solution can really vary.  So, tailoring to the disease area, as well as layers of technical affinity and personalisation are important to get right. 

Behavioural science can help us design digital solutions to maximise adoption and engagement and meet patient goals. For instance, the user interface of an app can be designed in a way that makes it easy and motivating for patients to log their medication on time each day. 

HCP using digital technology

Define a Unique Value Proposition

 With a crowded digital marketplace, standing out is critical. It’s sobering to know that 68% of developed apps never even reach one thousand downloads, let alone secure long-term users. This highlights the importance of offering a unique value proposition: What makes your digital solution different, better, or more effective than others?
 

Therefore, within the design and development of your digital solution you need to find the ‘edge’ – what can we design that extends what is being offered? Or what can be designed that is different or better to what is currently being offered? 

Conducting a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape helps identify gaps and opportunities. Aligning this understanding with user needs allows for the creation of this distinctive edge, whether through innovative features, better usability, or addressing overlooked pain points.
 

Test in Real-World Conditions

 In a general sense, reflecting reality within market research is a challenge. How can any research put respondents in a ‘real-world’ setting, so their feedback will translate into the reality of daily life? 

When considering research for digital solutions, this challenge is even more acute, considering interaction with digital products within a research setting can be a snapshot, meaning the respondent may not be interacting in the way they would in reality and also don’t have time for the ‘dazzle’ of the product to wear off, as it inevitably can in reality. Therefore, feedback can be over-inflated as positive and give an over-optimistic view of how it may perform in reality. 

Any market research you conduct should therefore to mimic real-world scenarios as much as possible. Consider approaches like unmoderated product testing or longitudinal studies where users provide additional rounds of feedback at various intervals after initial exposure. These methods can uncover long-term usability issues and ensure the final product aligns with real-world behaviours. 

 

Minimise Logistical Friction

A digital product has many practical and logistical factors that may not be relevant in other areas. Uptake is likely to involve the need for a daily adjustment of behaviours, and even the best-designed digital solutions can fail if they’re challenging to use or integrate into daily routines. Reducing logistical friction—such as simplifying onboarding processes or ensuring seamless integration with existing systems—is key to maximising digital engagement. 

 For example, training materials for HCPs and intuitive app interfaces can significantly enhance user experiences. Guided discussions and task-based exploration during testing can also identify potential pain points and provide actionable insights for improvement. 

 

Best Practices for Digital Engagement Success 

To maximise the impact of your digital engagement strategy, keep these principles in mind: 

– Identify real-world needs: Ensure your solution addresses tangible problems.
– Gauge openness to digital solutions: Understand your audience’s preferences and barriers.
– Clarify your unique value proposition: Stand out in a crowded marketplace.
– Ground research in reality: Test products under real-world conditions.
– Reduce logistical friction: Make adoption seamless and user-friendly.
 

By focusing on these five factors, pharmaceutical companies can create digital solutions that resonate with users, drive engagement, and deliver meaningful outcomes.
 

Further reading 

Digital from Start to Finish Part 2: Making the most of digital research tools 

Patient Engagement in 2024: Reflecting on Fierce Pharma’s Must Haves and Predictions 

 

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