1. Study Framing - The team needs participants for interviews about appointment scheduling friction in busy clinic workflows. - The product is in prototype stage, so the goal is workflow learning rather than satisfaction measurement. - The strongest fit is people who actively schedule or reschedule patients as part of their normal job. - The screener should avoid recruiting people who only make strategic decisions but do not handle the workflow directly. 2. Must-Have Participant Criteria - Currently works in a clinic, medical practice, or outpatient setting - Personally handles patient scheduling, rescheduling, or no-show follow-up - Uses a digital calendar, booking system, or practice management tool - Has recent hands-on experience with appointment changes 3. Exclude / Disqualify Criteria - No direct involvement in appointment scheduling - Works only in hospital administration at a distance from daily scheduling - Has not handled scheduling tasks recently - Vendor, consultant, or software seller in this category 4. Nice-to-Have Criteria - Experience with last-minute cancellations - Experience coordinating across multiple providers or rooms - Familiarity with reminder workflows or waitlists - Mix of small practice and multi-location clinic environments 5. Screener Questions 1. What best describes your current role? Preferred answer signal: Front-desk lead, receptionist, office manager, scheduler, practice coordinator Disqualifying or caution signal: Executive, consultant, or role with no direct scheduling work 2. Which setting do you work in? Preferred answer signal: Clinic, outpatient practice, specialty practice, dental office, therapy office Disqualifying or caution signal: Setting unrelated to patient appointment scheduling 3. How often do you personally schedule or reschedule appointments? Preferred answer signal: Daily or several times per week Disqualifying or caution signal: Rarely or never 4. Which tools do you currently use for scheduling? Preferred answer signal: Practice software, booking system, shared calendar, scheduling dashboard Disqualifying or caution signal: No tool use and no clear workflow 5. In the last month, how often did you deal with cancellations or no-shows? Preferred answer signal: At least occasionally, ideally weekly Disqualifying or caution signal: No exposure to this workflow 6. Do you contact patients about appointment changes? Preferred answer signal: Yes, directly or through the main workflow Disqualifying or caution signal: No involvement 7. How many providers or calendars do you typically coordinate? Preferred answer signal: One or more with real coordination responsibility Disqualifying or caution signal: No coordination responsibility 8. Have you used any waitlist, reminder, or follow-up process? Preferred answer signal: Yes, even if informal Disqualifying or caution signal: No awareness of these steps 9. Are you comfortable speaking about your scheduling workflow in a research session? Preferred answer signal: Yes Disqualifying or caution signal: No or uncertain 10. Are you involved as a software vendor or consultant for scheduling tools? Preferred answer signal: No Disqualifying or caution signal: Yes 6. Borderline Follow-Up Questions 1. How hands-on are you versus only overseeing the workflow? 2. Can you describe the last time you had to move several appointments? 3. Do you personally use the system, or only review reports from others? 4. Are no-shows and reschedules a meaningful part of your week? 7. Recommended Quotas - Majority: front-desk or scheduling-heavy staff - Include a mix of single-location and multi-location practices - Include both lower-volume and high-volume scheduling environments - Favor participants with active weekly rescheduling exposure 8. Outreach Message Hi, we’re speaking with clinic staff who regularly handle appointment scheduling and rescheduling. We’re looking to learn about real scheduling workflows, including cancellations, no-shows, and day-to-day coordination challenges. This is a research conversation about how work gets done today, not a sales call. If this sounds relevant to your role, we’d love to see if you’re a fit. 9. Scheduling / Ops Notes - Confirm direct workflow involvement before booking - Favor recent hands-on experience over seniority - Avoid over-recruiting only managers - Capture clinic type and scheduling volume during screening 10. Risks / Bias Warnings - Recruiting only office managers may miss front-line workflow details - Over-weighting one clinic type could distort the findings - People with very little cancellation exposure may look like a fit but add limited value - Prototype-stage learning can be weakened by participants who only discuss procurement or strategy 11. Missing Info / Needs Confirmation 1. Whether the study is remote or in person 2. Whether specific clinic sizes are preferred 3. Whether the team wants existing users, non-users, or a mix 4. Whether incentive details should be included in outreach 5. Whether the product focuses on a specific medical specialty