Imagine a doctors' lounge that fits in your pocket.A place where colleagues swap life-saving tips, share complex cases, and stay on top of the latest medical advancements. That's the vision we had for our social networking platform for doctors, and guess what? We turned it into reality! In just 1.5 years, our user base exploded by 500%, making it one of the hottest healthcare apps in India, climbing to #8 on both the iOS App Store and Android Play Store. Here's the story of how we built a thriving medical community, one doctor at a time.
The PlexusMD Story
Bootstrapping a business is no walk in the park – it's a thrilling, challenging adventure. That's exactly the story of PlexusMD, India's leading career networking and medical news app, founded by three passionate co-founders. Launched back in 2014, PlexusMD began its journey on a rooftop, brimming with potential but needing a nudge in the right direction. That's where we came in.
We partnered with PlexusMD to rebuild their community hiring platform, focusing on creating a more engaging and effective user experience. The results? We saw a phenomenal increase in user base, jumping from under 10,000 to over 50,000 doctors and medical professionals. But that's just the beginning of the PlexusMD success story. Stay tuned to learn how we transformed this app into a thriving online hub for India's medical community.
Services Offered
Building a best-in-class app takes more than just a great idea. It requires a comprehensive toolbox, and that's exactly what we brought to the table for PlexusMD. Here's a peek under the hood at the services that fueled their meteoric rise:
Native Android and iOS Apps: We ensured a seamless user experience across both major mobile platforms, creating dedicated apps for Android and iOS devices. This allowed doctors to connect and access the latest medical news no matter what phone they used.
Re-engineering and Optimization: We didn't just build new, we made better. Our re-engineering and optimization efforts streamlined PlexusMD's platform, making it faster, more intuitive, and ultimately, more engaging for users.
Product Strategy: We collaborated closely with the PlexusMD team to craft a winning product strategy. This roadmap ensured the app's features and functionalities catered directly to the needs of doctors and the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Custom UX/UI Work: We believe that form follows function. Our custom UX/UI design ensured PlexusMD's app was not only feature-rich but also incredibly user-friendly. A clean, intuitive interface kept doctors engaged and coming back for more.
Backend Dev & Web App Dev: The magic doesn't stop at the screen. We provided comprehensive backend development to power the app's functionality and ensure smooth data management. Additionally, web app development offered doctors a flexible way to access the platform from any device.
This combination of services provided PlexusMD with a robust, user-centric platform that became an indispensable tool for India's medical community.
Key Features
PlexusMD isn't just another social media app. It's a comprehensive toolbox designed to empower doctors and elevate the Indian healthcare industry. Here's a glimpse into the key features that make PlexusMD the go-to platform for medical professionals:
Stay Informed, Stay Ahead: Get instant access to news from over 500+ medical publications, keeping you at the forefront of the latest medical advancements.
Deep Dives & Discussions: Dive into complex cases shared by your peers, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange within the medical community.
Continuing Medical Education (CME): Watch premium medical content from conferences and courses, ensuring you have access to the latest best practices and stay up-to-date on CME requirements.
Dream Job, Perfect Fit: Leverage the power of India's #1 job portal for medical professionals. Search for jobs in your specific specialty or super-specialty, and find the perfect opportunity to take your career to the next level.
Clinical Trial Tracker: Stay on top of the latest developments in clinical trials and research. Get alerts about new trials, outcomes, and crucial healthcare guidelines.
Drug Launch Updates: Receive timely updates on new drug launches, ensuring you have access to the most cutting-edge treatments for your patients.
Follow the Leaders: Connect with and learn from the top minds in Indian medicine by following thought leaders in your specific field.
Build Your Network: Find and connect with doctors across various specialties, fostering collaboration and expanding your professional network.
Conference Connection: Register for medical conferences directly through the app, streamlining your professional development journey.
These features, combined with our commitment to a user-friendly experience, have made PlexusMD an essential resource for doctors across India.
Why Another Networking App? A Doctor's Dream
While established platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook offer general networking, the PlexusMD founders, two doctors who transitioned to healthcare management, saw a gap. They envisioned a space that specifically catered to the needs of medical professionals. This meant creating a platform for doctors to:
Connect with Colleagues: Foster collaboration by allowing doctors to discuss complex cases, share best practices, and build a strong professional network.
Stay Informed: Provide access to the latest medical news, trends, and advancements within the industry, keeping doctors at the forefront of their field.
Fuel Career Growth: Offer a robust job portal specifically designed for healthcare professionals, allowing doctors to find the perfect career opportunities and organizations to find top talent.
By focusing on these core needs, PlexusMD aimed to build a well-knit community dedicated to Indian healthcare professionals. This vision ultimately led them to develop India's #1 job portal for doctors and medical personnel.
Inside PlexusMD: A Community of Knowledge Sharing
Imagine a virtual doctors' lounge where you can connect with colleagues, discuss challenging cases, and access the latest medical breakthroughs. That's the essence of PlexusMD. Here's how it works:
Thriving Forums: Just like online forums empower professionals in other fields, PlexusMD fosters a community environment. Doctors can connect, share knowledge, and discuss everything from career moves to the newest medical advancements.
Focus on Cutting-Edge Content: PlexusMD understands the importance of staying informed. The platform provides access to high-quality medical content, ensuring doctors have the latest information at their fingertips. This focus on valuable content has undoubtedly contributed to PlexusMD's position as a top-ranking app in the healthcare category.
Connecting the Healthcare Ecosystem: Whether you're a medical student, a seasoned doctor, or a healthcare organization, PlexusMD offers a platform to connect. With a simple click, users can create profiles and start building their network within the Indian healthcare community.
By fostering knowledge sharing, career growth opportunities, and a strong sense of community, PlexusMD has become an indispensable tool for India's medical professionals.
Overcoming Hurdles: The Challenges We Faced
Building a best-in-class app isn't without its challenges. Here's a look at the key hurdles we tackled in our partnership with PlexusMD:
Balancing Quality and Budget: PlexusMD, a bootstrapped startup, needed a high-quality solution that fit within their budget. We met this challenge by employing a strategic approach, prioritizing features, and utilizing efficient development practices.
Expanding Reach: While the core product was validated, PlexusMD wanted to reach a wider audience by launching on mobile platforms. We addressed this by developing native Android and iOS apps, ensuring seamless access for doctors on the go.
Scaling the Peak: The existing platform, built for a smaller user base, was struggling to keep pace with PlexusMD's rapid growth. Once user numbers soared past 8,000-9,000, scalability became a critical concern. To address this, we completely redesigned and rebuilt the platform using cutting-edge technologies, ensuring it could handle the ever-growing user base.
By working collaboratively with PlexusMD and implementing innovative solutions, we were able to overcome these challenges and pave the way for the app's remarkable success.
How We Helped PlexusMD Reach New Heights
Remember the rickety ladder struggling to support a growing number of climbers? That's what PlexusMD's initial platform resembled when user numbers ballooned past 8,000. To help them scale this challenge and reach the summit of 50,000 users, we took a strategic approach focused on leveraging existing resources:
Optimizing the Familiar: We didn't throw away the baby with the bathwater. Since PlexusMD was already comfortable with CodeIgniter, a PHP framework, we stuck with it. Our team meticulously examined the existing codebase and implemented optimizations for both the frontend and backend. This ensured a smoother user experience and improved scalability without needing to completely rewrite everything from scratch.
Design by Determination: PlexusMD's budget constraints meant hiring professional UI/UX designers wasn't an option. However, we weren't deterred. Employing the traditional pen-and-paper method, our team meticulously sketched out wireframes and user flows. This low-tech approach allowed us to communicate our design ideas effectively, ensuring a user-friendly interface for the iOS and Android apps.
By focusing on optimizing existing tools and employing creative design solutions, we empowered PlexusMD's platform to handle a fivefold increase in users. This efficient approach not only saved PlexusMD resources but also ensured a smooth transition to a robust and scalable platform.
Building on a Solid Foundation: The Tech Stack
The success of any application hinges on the technology powering it. Here's a look at the key tools that helped us build a scalable and user-friendly platform for PlexusMD:
CodeIgniter: As the underlying framework, CodeIgniter provided a robust and efficient foundation for developing both the front-end and back-end of PlexusMD's web application.
Bootstrap: Leveraging Bootstrap's pre-built components and styles allowed us to design a clean and responsive user interface for the web app, ensuring a seamless experience across different devices.
AWS Cloud: To ensure scalability and optimal performance, we deployed PlexusMD's application on the robust and reliable Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. This provided the infrastructure to handle PlexusMD's growing user base and deliver content efficiently.
This combination of technologies provided the perfect blend of flexibility, scalability, and user-friendliness – the cornerstones of PlexusMD's remarkable success story.
PlexusMD: A Thriving Community Takes Flight
PlexusMD's journey isn't just a story about building an app; it's a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration. Here's a final look at the key milestones that mark PlexusMD's success:
From Bootstrap to Boom: Founded in 2014, PlexusMD began as a bootstrapped startup with a vision to connect India's medical community. Their initial success attracted investment from leading Indian angel investors in 2015.
Building the Dream Team: As part of the funding requirements, PlexusMD needed to establish an in-house product design and development team. We at SoluteLabs played a pivotal role in this transition by providing technical expertise and facilitating smooth collaboration between our teams.
Scaling New Heights: Through our collaborative efforts, PlexusMD's user base skyrocketed, growing from under 10,000 to a staggering 50,000+ doctors. This impressive growth is a testament to the value PlexusMD offers to the Indian healthcare ecosystem.
A Network of Expertise: Today, PlexusMD boasts a thriving community of over 500+ institutions and facilitates access to over 3,000+ job opportunities, making it a one-stop shop for doctors seeking career advancement and professional development.
PlexusMD's success story is far from over. With a robust platform, a passionate user base, and a commitment to innovation, PlexusMD is poised to continue its journey as a leading force in connecting and empowering India's medical community.
