The question What is the first-line treatment for heart failure? became the 8,000th clinical question AskTrip has answered. It’s a milestone that highlights both the scale and the value of what we’re building. And it comes at the perfect moment, as we step back to reflect on how AskTrip can evolve – and how we can make it even better for the clinicians who rely on it.

We realised we were flying blind

Shortly after hitting that milestone, Phil, our main AskTrip techie, and I were talking about what we should improve next. Should we focus on better recall? Provide more detailed answers? Make the system even faster?
We tossed around ideas, but it slowly dawned on us: we were making assumptions. For all the analytics and backend tinkering, we were still flying blind. The obvious question was the one we hadn’t asked: what do our users actually want us to improve?
It was a slightly humbling moment, but a helpful one. If AskTrip exists to serve our users, then users should help shape where it goes next.

Launching the AskTrip User Group

So we’re changing how we work.

We’re going to start an AskTrip User Group — a simple, open way for us to connect with the people who use AskTrip every day. This might mean occasional emails from us sharing ideas or updates, but just as importantly, we hope it creates an easy avenue for users to talk to us.

We’d love you to be part of it. If you use AskTrip and are willing to share your thoughts — big or small — please get in touch.
Email me at jon.brassey@tripdatabase.com if you’d like to participate.

Ask us questions. Tell us what works. Tell us what doesn’t. Point out what’s confusing, what’s missing, or what’s brilliant. If AskTrip is going to get better, it should get better with its users, not just for them.

A built-in feedback mechanism

Alongside the user group, we’re also adding a lightweight, easy-to-use feedback mechanism to every answer AskTrip generates. A quick tap or comment will help us understand what landed well and what needs attention.
This kind of direct, contextual feedback – at the point where a user is actually reading the answer – will be invaluable. It means we can spot patterns, fix blind spots, and continuously refine how AskTrip responds.

Looking ahead

Crossing 8,000 clinical questions is a milestone, but it’s just one marker on a much longer journey. What matters now is making AskTrip sharper, faster, clearer, and more aligned with the needs of the people who trust it.
By opening up new ways for users to talk to us, and by building feedback directly into the product, we’re hoping to create a virtuous cycle: better communication leading to better answers, leading to a better AskTrip.
We’re excited for the next 8,000 questions – and this time, we won’t be flying blind.