AMBULANCE

COMPANY

Blinkit

PRODUCT TYPE

Consumer app feature

Blinkit’s 10-Minute Ambulance: A UX Case Study in Emergency Response

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INTRODUCTION

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Introduction

Blinkit has always been known for solving last-minute needs: from missing onions during dinner prep to forgotten gifts at the last hour.


But in January 2025, it redefined what "last-minute" could mean by launching an emergency ambulance service in Gurugram.


Designed to get Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances to a user's doorstep within 10 minutes, this initiative marked Blinkit’s most critical last minute use case yet, delivering not groceries, but life-saving help.


As a product designer, I was tasked with crafting a UX that delivered speed, confidence, and clarity under pressure.

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DISCOVERY

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The Emergency Gap

Calling for an ambulance in India is riddled with delays, ambiguity, and stress. Key problems identified through secondary research and early user feedback included:

  1. No visibility or tracking after booking

    Users had no idea where the ambulance was or when it would arrive.


  2. Long, uncertain wait times

    Dispatch times ranged from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the provider.


  3. Emotionally overwhelming call flows

    Booking an ambulance typically required stressful phone conversations, repeating symptoms and addresses during panic.


  4. Lack of transparency about crew or equipment

    Users didn’t know if the ambulance had oxygen, a defibrillator, or trained personnel; causing hesitation and mistrust.


  5. No clear pricing upfront

    Private ambulance fees varied wildly; from ₹2,500 to ₹15,000+; and often weren’t disclosed until after the trip.


  6. Unfamiliar or unreliable booking platforms

    Many services required separate apps, unfamiliar interfaces, or hospital call centers, creating friction when time was critical.

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DESIGN GOALS

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Design goals

  • Enable ambulance booking in few easy steps


  • Visually communicate urgency without creating panic


  • Build emotional assurance with transparency


  • Preserve Blinkit’s existing app identity and UX language


  • Minimize friction for first-time users in crisis

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

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Competitor analysis

Compared to services like Medulance, GoAid, Red Health, and Manipal’s emergency hotline:

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DATA INSIGHTS

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Current metrics

Orders with gifting intent

8%

Repeat purchases from gift senders

23%

Average Order Value (Gifting orders)

₹430

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BRAINSTORMING IDEAS

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Other ideas we considered before choosing gift bags

Before landing on Gift Bags, we considered other options:


  1. Pre-made Gift Bundles: Required too much inventory management.


  2. Handwritten Notes: Difficult to scale with Blinkit’s fast delivery model.


  3. Letting Riders Say a Custom Message: Unreliable, inconsistent & not in control.


  4. Letting Riders Play a Role: Bit of an effort in planning and aligning.


  5. Personalized Gift Bag & Message: Simple, scalable, and high-value.


💡 Why This Worked: No extra SKUs, low operational cost, and an easy user experience.

A Personalized Gift Bag that users could add at checkout!

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SCREENS

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IMPACT

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Impact

Orders with gifting intent

15%

+87%

Repeat purchases from gift senders

31%

+35%

Average Order Value (Gifting orders)

₹510

+18.6%

Connect to Content

Add layers or components to infinitely loop on your page.

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CONSIDERATIONS

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Deciding which products were eligible for gift packaging

Not every Blinkit product could be packaged as a gift. We ensured that:


  • Items fit inside the bag without damaging it.


  • They aligned with gifting behavior (luxury chocolates, dry fruits, premium beverages).


  • Excluded: Fresh fruits, onions, ice creams (could melt or damage packaging).


💡 Smart Product Selection = Better UX + Minimal Operational Complexity.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

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Key takeaways

Higher Conversion Rate: More people opted for gifting due to its convenience.


Increase in AOV: Users added extra items like chocolates & greeting cards.


Festival-Driven GMV Growth: The feature capitalized on seasonal spikes (Diwali, Christmas, Valentine’s Day)


A simple upsell feature increased both user engagement & revenue.

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FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS

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Future Enhancements

Occasion-Based Curation:

Auto-recommendation of gift-friendly combos (e.g., “Birthday Bundle” with chocolates + greeting card).


Theme based Personalized Greeting Cards:

Users can choose a theme of a greeting card & type message on it.


Gift Scheduling Feature:

Allowing users to pre-schedule a gift for a specific date & time.


AR-Based Virtual Gift Preview:

Users can see how their order will look before confirming.

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FINAL THOUGHT

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Blinkit is now a go-to platform for last-minute gifting.

With gifting now part of Blinkit's core offering, we’ve unlocked a new category, new users, and new moments, all built on the same Blinkit promise: delivered in minutes.

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GO BACK TO THE SELECTED WORKS

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