By TREVOR VAN MIERLO
Most of us know the story of the Mannequin T – however what’s typically missed is the way it applies to different industries, particularly digital well being. Let’s revisit:
Within the early 1900s automobiles had been {custom} constructed. You’d meet with a advisor, design the automotive, place your order, and anticipate months for supply. As soon as your automotive was delivered, it was tough to function. Many house owners employed chauffeurs as a result of on the time, automobiles required technical know-how, fixed upkeep, and a good bit of power (energy steering wouldn’t arrive for many years).
Then got here the Mannequin T in 1908, which led to Ford creating his meeting line in 1913. He acknowledged an issue within the trade and noticed a possibility. He noticed the chance for scale:
- Standardization: “Any colour, so long as it’s black“
- Mass manufacturing = affordability: Costs dropped from $850 in 1908 to $300 inside a decade
- Accessible possession: anybody might stroll right into a Ford dealership and drive away
On the suitable aspect of the above picture is a cutting-edge digital well being program from August 2000. I do know it nicely – as a result of I helped construct it. Since then, I’ve labored on nicely over 100 digital well being interventions. Most likely nearer to 200. Right here’s the factor: what’s inside hasn’t modified very a lot. Behavioral science doesn’t transfer that rapidly (although my recent work in AI is changing that).
And sure – digital interventions look higher, are simpler to navigate, and coding languages have advanced – however virtually, digital well being remains to be constructing {custom} automobiles – not Mannequin Ts. That’s why tens of thousands and thousands can’t open a browser and get the assistance they want.
What’s Blocking Digital Well being’s Mannequin T Second?
1. Enterprise Gross sales (Loss of life by Pipeline): Most digital well being instruments are offered via enterprise channels: RFPs, procurement departments, tenders, safety evaluations, and authorized groups. The typical gross sales cycle is 6-18 months. That’s fantastic for a $5M contract, but it surely’s deadly for a $50,000 contract. The issue isn’t the product – it’s the method.
2. The Vanishing Champion: I’ve skilled this dozens of instances, and I’ve taken deep breaths watching it unfold on webinars: a digital well being firm demos their answer alongside a shopper champion. Priorities shift. The champion leaves. The reference undertaking dies. Most contracts aren’t misplaced on benefit – they’re misplaced to turnover.
3. Healthcare Pricing ≠ Software program Pricing: Most patient-facing instruments are priced like companies, not merchandise. That’s a symptom of the enterprise gross sales lure. Distributors cost annual charges no matter utilization. Purchasers count on hand-holding for these {custom} merchandise. Pricing must replicate trendy SaaS fashions – freemium, tiered entry, per-user billing.
4. Static Merchandise in a Dynamic World: Shopper software program updates weekly – typically each day. Digital well being instruments? They launch, then stall. Suggestions loops are weak. There’s no tradition of iteration, and no expectation of steady enchancment.
5. No person Markets to the Consumer: The perfect-designed instruments fail if nobody makes use of them. Lack of engagement is a systemic issue, but many packages are launched with out onboarding plans, e mail campaigns, and even prewritten content material for TikTok or Instagram. Customers don’t know what the device is, why they obtained entry to it, how they entry it, or the way it matches into their care. That’s not a product problem – it’s a advertising failure.
We Have to Construct the Programs, Not Simply the Instrument
Henry Ford didn’t invent the auto, however he’s remembered as a result of he constructed a system. He appeared past the engine, the chassis, and the tires. He targeted on standardization, distribution, and entry.
Digital well being wants the identical. Proper now, too many options are trapped in a loop – custom-built for small populations, offered via enterprise channels, with no life like path to scale.
The Good Information? We’re Shut
Cloud infrastructure, AI, and behaviorally clever platforms are lastly catching up. We are able to now personalize at scale, launch immediately, monitor engagement in actual time, and iterate quick. However to get there, we have now to let go of the custom-built carriage mindset and embrace the meeting line. That’s not a compromise in high quality – it’s a dedication to achieve.
- We don’t want extra pilots – we want platforms.
- We don’t want extra bespoke builds – we want scale.
Digital well being doesn’t have a know-how drawback – it has a supply drawback.
Till we obtain that, we’re simply making nicer carriages – whereas the world waits for its Mannequin T.
Dr. Trevor van Mierlo has constructed psychological well being and affected person help merchandise for greater than twenty years and is the CEO of Evolution Health
