From Great to Good Enough

Shifting from perfection-focused product development to "good enough" solutions can dramatically improve healthcare technology outcomes. heva's experience moving from Apple's polished culture to pragmatic healthcare solutions demonstrates how addressing real provider pain points quickly often delivers better results than pursuing perfect features.

This founder story explores how embracing "good enough" technology that solves immediate problems can transform healthcare operations and patient experiences more effectively than pursuing perfection.

Why did perfection culture limit healthcare solutions?

Coming from cultures at Apple and Google where a single misaligned pixel could stall a launch, perfection wasn't a milestone—it was table stakes. When we started prototyping heva, our instinct was to chase the same immaculate standards.

However, this approach created barriers in healthcare where:

• Urgent Needs: Providers needed immediate relief from administrative burdens
• Time Sensitivity: Patient scheduling delays had real health and business impacts
• Practical Solutions: Functional tools mattered more than beautiful interfaces
• Iterative Improvement: Working solutions could be refined based on real usage

What reality check changed heva's development approach?

Meeting Dr. Abreu in Santo Domingo provided the crucial reality check. His team spent entire evenings exchanging WhatsApp messages just to schedule one appointment with a patient. They didn't ask for beautiful UI design—they desperately needed relief from this scheduling burden.

This experience revealed that healthcare providers prioritize:

• Functional Solutions: Tools that immediately solve real problems
• Time Savings: Reduction in administrative workload
• Patient Impact: Improved patient experience and satisfaction
• Operational Relief: Less stress and more efficient workflows

How did the "good enough" solution transform operations?

We shipped a basic chat interface—bilingual, functional, but rough around the edges. The results were immediate and dramatic: within six minutes, a patient answered her questions and booked an appointment, replacing a process that previously took two weeks of back-and-forth communication.

This single data point proved more valuable than months of polishing features. The lesson was clear: in healthcare, working solutions that address real pain points deliver immediate value, while perfect solutions that take months to develop may miss critical timing windows.

What philosophy now guides healthcare technology development?

This shift from perfection to pragmatism has fundamentally changed how we approach healthcare technology development. We've learned that the best solutions often come from understanding the real constraints and challenges that patients and providers face every day.

Our new development philosophy includes:

• Problem-First Design: Start with real provider pain points, not feature wishlist
• Rapid Deployment: Ship working solutions quickly and iterate based on usage
• Impact Measurement: Time saved and problems solved matter more than visual polish
• User-Centered Priorities: Balance quality with speed based on user urgency

Perfection still guides our long-term vision, but urgency sets the order of operations. Great features come after "good enough" solutions first prove their value in real healthcare settings.

What lessons apply to healthcare technology development teams?

Key lessons that healthcare technology teams can apply from this experience:

• Listen to Real Problems: Focus on what providers actually need, not what looks perfect
• Ship Early and Iterate: A working solution beats a perfect one that never ships
• Measure Real Impact: Time saved and problems solved matter more than pixel-perfect design
• Balance Quality with Speed: Good enough that works is better than perfect that doesn't exist
• Provider-Centric Development: Build for healthcare workflows, not consumer app standards

This approach has transformed how we think about healthcare technology and patient care solutions. Sometimes the best innovation isn't the most polished—it's the one that solves the real problem immediately. This philosophy continues to guide our development at heva as we build solutions for cross-border care.

How does the "good enough" approach impact healthcare outcomes?

The "good enough" approach in healthcare technology development delivers measurable improvements in patient and provider experiences. By focusing on immediate problem-solving rather than perfect features, healthcare technology can address urgent operational needs while building toward long-term excellence.

Measurable outcomes from this approach include:

• Faster Patient Service: Reduced appointment scheduling time from weeks to minutes
• Improved Provider Efficiency: Less administrative burden, more patient focus time
• Enhanced Patient Satisfaction: Quicker responses and smoother booking processes
• Reduced Operational Stress: Streamlined workflows for healthcare staff
• Iterative Improvement: Real usage data guides meaningful feature development

This philosophy continues to guide development at heva as we build solutions that make cross-border healthcare more accessible and efficient for both patients and providers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Healthcare Technology Development

References

• Trust Is The Hardest Product To Build
• Selling in a Foreign Language: Founder Lessons from Building heva
• Doing the Work That Does Not Scale: A Week of Face‑Time in Mexico City

Disclaimers

Business Experience: This article shares personal founder experiences and business lessons. It is not professional business or technical advice. Individual results may vary based on market conditions, team capabilities, and execution strategies.

Platform Information: heva is a healthcare coordination platform connecting patients with providers—we do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Technology development strategies should be evaluated based on individual circumstances and regulatory requirements.