The Stars Orthodontics app, designed and developed by Pillar, is an AI-powered progressive web application (PWA) that enhances appointment scheduling for patients while streamlining workflows for the clinic’s reception staff. As a one-stop digital solution, the app allows patients to stay connected with Stars Ortho anytime, anywhere, and on virtually any modern device.
[ THE PROBLEM ] — Many of Stars Ortho’s patients still rely on phone calls to book appointments or inquire about clinic services, which places a heavy workload on receptionists and diverts their attention from other critical administrative tasks. The challenge was to improve communication between patients and staff without adding unnecessary complexity to the clinic’s workflow. By reducing phone call dependency, we aimed to give patients a more convenient way to access the information they need while allowing staff to focus on higher-priority responsibilities.
[ RESEARCH METHODS ] — To better understand the needs of both patients and clinic staff, we first collaborated with the clinic to conduct a patient survey, gathering insights into booking preferences and common pain points. We then interviewed clinic staff to identify workflow inefficiencies and appointment management challenges. Later in the project, usability testing played a key role in refining the app, ensuring a smooth and intuitive user experience. Lastly, regular communications with the client helped align our solution with their operational goals, ensuring it remained both practical and valuable.
[ OUR SOLUTION ] — The Stars Orthodontics app delivers a modern, responsive, and user-friendly experience that seamlessly adapts across devices and screen sizes. Built with Next.js and leveraging PWA technology, it functions like a website but can also be installed on devices for a native app-like experience, allowing patients to access the clinic’s services anytime with just a tap.
For patients, the app introduces a seamless appointment booking system, allowing them to schedule visits from anywhere, even beyond business hours—minimizing their reliance on phone calls. A built-in resource center provides essential clinic information and expert oral care guidance, helping patients find answers without needing to contact reception.
For clinic staff, we developed a streamlined booking request system that standardizes appointment request emails, making it easier to understand patient needs at a glance. By integrating these requests into their existing email workflow, the app enhances efficiency without introducing unnecessary complexity.
[ AI-POWERED ASSISTANCE ] — At the core of the Stars app is a custom-built AI assistant developed to provide patients with instant, accurate, and context-aware support. Unlike generic chatbots, this AI is exclusively trained on the clinic’s services, staff, operations, and a carefully curated resource center with orthodontist-approved oral care guidance. This ensures every response is precise, relevant, and free from misinformation.
This assistant leverages agentic AI technology, making it far more dynamic than traditional rule-based chatbots. As an adaptive and proactive system, it doesn’t just react to questions but actively interprets user intent, follows context, and refines its responses to provide more relevant guidance throughout the conversation. It understands natural language, allowing it to engage patients in a way that feels intuitive and conversational. Whether booking an appointment, learning about treatments, or accessing post-procedure care instructions, patients can interact with it just like they would with a human receptionist, receiving responses that are accurate, helpful, and personalized.
One of the biggest concerns with AI is its tendency to “hallucinate”—producing incorrect or made-up responses. To eliminate this risk, the AI is built using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology. Instead of generating responses from generic pre-trained knowledge, RAG ensures that the AI only provides answers based on verified information from the clinic’s database. When a patient asks a question, the AI first analyzes the input, searches the clinic’s knowledge base for a relevant answer, and retrieves only the most accurate and up-to-date information before responding. If the answer is outside its scope, it will simply inform the user instead of making assumptions. This approach guarantees that responses remain trustworthy, reliable, and easy to update whenever the clinic’s information changes.
Despite its advanced automation, the AI follows a “human-in-the-loop” approach, ensuring that users always maintain final control over key actions. Rather than acting independently, the AI prompts users to confirm suggested actions—such as sending an appointment request email—before executing them. This guarantees that patients remain in charge while still benefiting from highly efficient, accurate, and reliable AI support. By combining AI-driven intelligence with human oversight, the system enhances convenience without compromising user agency.
The AI is powered by FloWise AI, an open-source framework designed for creating customizable, workflow-driven AI experiences. By leveraging FloWise’s visual flow builder, the AI can be easily adjusted to match the clinic’s evolving needs while integrating seamlessly with popular language models. To ensure reliability, security, and scalability, the AI is deployed using Docker on DigitalOcean, allowing for continuous improvements and optimizations as clinic operations grow.
By instantly handling routine patient inquiries, this AI assistant not only enhances the patient experience but also significantly reduces the clinic’s phone call workload. With fewer interruptions, staff can focus on critical tasks, while patients receive fast, reliable, and personalized support whenever they need it.
[ CHALLENGES FACED ] — One of the main challenges we encountered was the inability to directly integrate the app with the clinic’s existing scheduling system, a closed-source software containing highly sensitive patient information. To work around this limitation, we designed a system where appointment requests are submitted through the app and then manually managed by clinic staff. This approach preserves the expertise of the staff, who have a deep understanding of patients and their treatment progress—something an app alone cannot replicate.
Another challenge was streamlining the reception team’s workflow without introducing unnecessary steps. Since clinic staff preferred to receive patient communications in a familiar format, we structured the app to send all appointment requests via email instead of introducing an entirely separate interface. By consolidating requests into their existing email workflow, we ensured that no messages would be overlooked while maintaining a seamless integration with their current systems.
[ EXPERIENCES GAINED ] — A simple app may look effortless, but achieving that level of ease requires extensive planning, testing, reworking, and attention to detail. From designing AI conversational flows to testing prototypes across multiple devices, every decision had to strike a balance between functionality and user experience. Continuous testing, technological exploration, and iterative design were essential in shaping the final product.
One key takeaway from this project was how intentional, user-driven design can lead to a more effective solution than adding unnecessary complexity. By staying focused on the core problem and user needs, rather than personal preferences or excessive features, we were able to craft a more meaningful experience.
Interestingly, the app’s simplicity also allowed for deeper exploration of novel features. By keeping the core experience streamlined and polished, we had the flexibility to experiment with AI-powered assistance and refine its role within the product.
[ LESSONS LEARNED ] — This project reinforced the importance of genuine collaboration. A major lesson learned was the need to bridge the gap between design, development, and the client’s operational needs. Even with the best intentions, differences in approach can create friction—whether internally or with the client. Open, adaptable communication across disciplines was key to resolving challenges and ensuring alignment at every step.
Constant client collaboration was just as essential as internal teamwork. Because the app was deeply tied to the clinic’s daily operations, maintaining a close feedback loop ensured the solution remained both practical and impactful. Frequent discussions helped merge our technical expertise with the clinic’s deep understanding of patient care, leading to informed decisions, refined features, and a product that truly served its users.
More than anything, this project reinforced that great digital products aren’t just built—they are co-created. The Stars Orthodontics app is a testament to the power of collaboration, intentionality, and a user-first mindset. Open communication wasn’t just a best practice—it was the pillar that kept the project aligned, ensuring that design, development, and real-world needs came together to create a truly meaningful product. This project highlights how technology can enhance human experiences rather than complicate them, delivering a solution that is as practical as it is innovative.