CASE STUDY
From MVP to Pilot: Big Pharma’s AI Health App
Shaping product-market fit and customer experience for an AI health app, enabling Big Pharma to test viability before committing to global scale.
Speed to impact: 90 days
The challenge
A leading global pharmaceutical company had developed an MVP of a medical health app focused solely on training and validating its underlying AI algorithm. The next step was to pilot the product in a real-world scenario with customers — not only to test the technology, but to evaluate the offering as a complete product.
The stakes were high. The pilot would determine whether to move forward with a global rollout or not. Yet the app had no front-end UX, no clear value proposition, and no defined business strategy or product-market fit. While extensive quantitative research had been conducted, it had not been translated into a cohesive product strategy or an end-to-end customer experience.
The client was deeply skilled in medical science and AI but not in bringing digital products to market. They needed a partner who could bring that expertise, embed closely with their team, push back where needed, and ensure decisions were made with clarity and speed.
The approach
Sugra&Co. worked hand-in-hand with the client to bring structure, customer insight, and commercial focus to the pilot. We began by synthesizing the extensive quantitative research the client had already conducted, then filled in the gaps with qualitative research through global customer interviews across the US, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. This uncovered the “why” behind the numbers and highlighted the nuances of each market.
From these insights, we developed personas to capture the needs of different user groups and guide customer experience and functionality design. Building on this foundation, we crafted an overarching value proposition for the product as well as tailored propositions for key personas. This fed into our assessment of product-market fit, positioning, opportunities, and barriers to adoption, which in turn shaped the problem statement, feature priorities, and roadmap.
To ensure the strategy was practical and aligned, we developed a set of strategic pillars that connected business goals with customer needs. Throughout each of these stages, we designed and facilitated workshops with senior stakeholders, product owners, engineers, and UX leaders. These workshops created ongoing alignment, built ownership, and enabled high-quality decision-making as the strategy evolved.
Finally, we partnered with the client’s in-house UX and build teams to translate the strategy into tangible outputs, including app flows, user stories, prioritized features, wireframes, and prototypes that made the customer experience real. With these assets in place, we designed a pilot program complete with KPIs to test viability in-market before making decisions on a global rollout.
The impact
“Sometimes the smartest decision is not to launch.”
By connecting research, strategy, and customer insights, Sugra&Co. helped the client avoid costly missteps and focus future innovation where it matters most.
A research-backed value proposition and persona set that unified global insights into a clear strategic direction
A comprehensive product-market fit assessment, surfacing both opportunities and barriers across markets
Strategic pillars that created a framework for feature prioritization and alignment between business goals and customer needs
Prototypes and app flows that brought the customer experience to life for stakeholders and ensured value propositions were carried through into prioritized product features
Alignment across global, cross-functional teams through facilitated workshops and shared tools
A pilot program with measurable KPIs that enabled evidence-based decision-making
A confident decision not to proceed with global rollout, saving significant resources and avoiding costly missteps while capturing learnings to inform future digital innovation initiatives
We needed a partner who could move quickly, push our thinking, and bring digital product expertise we didn’t have in-house. Sugra&Co. delivered all of that, enabling us to test, learn, and make the right decision with confidence."
— VP Innovation, Global Pharmaceutical Company
Consulting Engagements Behind This Work
Product-market Fit
Validating opportunities and barriers across global markets before scaling.
Value Threading
Distilling research and insights into clear value propositions that directly informed product features and stakeholder alignment.
Experience Audit
Working with the UX team to translate strategy into flows, features, and prototypes.
Custom-built
Designing a tailored engagement that combined research synthesis, strategy, and pilot design for a complex, high-stakes innovation.