A Bhargavi

QueuePulse — Real-Time Queue Manager

76% of India's 1.5 million clinics use paper tokens and shouting. Patients wait 2-3 hours with zero visibility. Miss turns because they didn't hear their number. Can't leave waiting area. Constantly anxious. Receptionists manage from memory causing errors. Paper slips get lost. Manual numbering creates duplicates. Repeatedly answer "What's my number?" Doctors have no queue dashboard or patient details. Can't track consultation duration or optimize workflow. Business need: Real-time digital queue visible to all stakeholders without complex logins or expensive hardware. Process Asked: What do users actually need? Patients just want "Am I next?" without creating accounts. Receptionists need speed. Doctors need to see the queue. Key decision: Make all screens update instantly when someone clicks "Call Next"—like WhatsApp notifications, not like refreshing a webpage. Wait times: Instead of guessing "8 minutes," the system learns from real consultation times and calculates based on how many people are ahead. Mistake: First version stored the queue in memory. Server restart = queue gone. Fixed by saving to a database. Registration form: Just name + phone. Paper systems ask 6-8 questions—too slow. For First Sprint. Results Built real-time queue system with instant cross-screen updates. Results: - 2-field registration form (vs 6-8 paper fields) - Wait time from real consultation averages (not guesses) - Zero login—patients enter token number only - 3 synced dashboards: reception, waiting screen, analytics Validation: Reception adds patient → all screens update instantly without refresh. Patients check status anytime without creating accounts. Next time: Implement auto-skip for no-show patients instead of manual action and improve the patients information for additional details for any contacts. Reflection Test with an actual clinic before building. I designed based on assumptions about workflow—would've been better to spend a day observing how receptionists actually handle the queue. Might have discovered features I missed. Add SMS notifications for patients. Right now they have to manually check the app. A text saying "2 patients ahead, ~20 min" would let them step out for tea without worry. Build offline mode for the reception desk. Current version needs constant internet. If WiFi drops, registration stops. Would add local storage to queue patients offline and sync when connection returns.