Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Edge Computing has become one of the more actively explored innovations in the design of modern hospital appointment scheduling systems, promising gains in efficiency and reliability that legacy, largely manual approaches have struggled to deliver.

In practice, however, adoption of edge computing within hospital appointment scheduling systems has been uneven, and its actual impact on user experience is not yet well understood in a rigorous, evaluable way — a gap this study is positioned to address.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Existing approaches to user experience within hospital appointment scheduling systems remain largely reactive and fragmented, with little systematic use of edge computing despite its demonstrated value elsewhere. This study addresses the resulting gap by designing and evaluating a solution built specifically around edge computing.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To design and implement a edge computing-based approach to improving user experience in hospital appointment scheduling systems.
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of Edge Computing in enhancing user experience within hospital appointment scheduling systems.
3. To identify the key requirements and constraints relevant to deploying edge computing in this context.
4. To assess user and stakeholder perception of the resulting system.

1.4 Research Questions

1. How can edge computing be applied to improve user experience in hospital appointment scheduling systems?
2. How effective is Edge Computing at enhancing user experience within hospital appointment scheduling systems?
3. What requirements and constraints are relevant to deploying edge computing in this context?
4. How do users and stakeholders perceive the resulting system?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its immediate technical contribution, this study offers value to organizations evaluating whether to invest in edge computing for their own hospital appointment scheduling systems, and contributes to the broader literature on applied software technology / IT by documenting a concrete implementation and evaluation case.

1.6 Scope of the Study

As a MSc-level study, its scope is confined to designing and evaluating a edge computing-based solution for hospital appointment scheduling systems, focused specifically on user experience; broader deployment considerations fall outside this scope.