DESIGNER ROLE:
Researcher | UX/UI Designer
TOOLS:
Figma | Adobe Photoshop
PROBLEM DEFINITION:
Among the myriad health problems that afflict many of us, chronic illnesses are some of the most complex and damaging. Prevention itself is a huge medical method that too often gets ignored or left to fall by the wayside. For many of these illnesses, the onset is sudden and people are caught off guard by the diagnosis itself and the resulting responsibilities. Staying on top of medicine administration, doctor's appointments, and managing symptoms and side effects, can quickly become overwhelming and often unmanageable.
HIGH LEVEL GOALS:
• Present users with a streamlined experience of organization and management of their medical needs.
• Provide the user with access to additional knowledge and resources.
• Foster peace of mind and sense of control.
• Provide the user with access to additional knowledge and resources.
• Foster peace of mind and sense of control.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER:
In order to design a streamlined experience that would offer users a more intuitive and helpful digital journey, it was necessary to understand what the user pain points and frustrations were, as well as what each individual user was looking to achieve through this app. I conducted user interviews to have a more concrete idea of the different user scenarios and needs I was designing for.
Based on research interviews, users:
• Had issues keeping up with the various aspects of their medical cares.
• Wanted a more straight-forward experience of organizing their daily schedules and medical needs.
• Had issues keeping up with the various aspects of their medical cares.
• Wanted a more straight-forward experience of organizing their daily schedules and medical needs.
• Sought to reduce the stress associated with managing their health.
lo-fi wireframes & prototyping :
By combining lo-fi wireframes with rapid prototyping, and informing the flow with the user insights learned from preliminary research, I was able to:
• Get a feel for what the user journey and experience would look/feel like.
• Ensure that the features of the application made sense and addressed the pain points raised by users.
• Have a basic foundation to conduct further testing with users.
• Ensure that the features of the application made sense and addressed the pain points raised by users.
• Have a basic foundation to conduct further testing with users.
HEALTH PROFILE:
After the onboarding process, users can start customizing their personal medical experience by first editing their profile with their name and date of birth, as well as their chronic condition(s).
Once the main information has been added, there are additional panels to enter important medical information regarding allergies the user might have, and the medication(s) they are currently taking.
Finally, the user can also enter their blood type and emergency contacts, information that could be very helpful in case of an emergency.
MEDICAL CALENDAR:
The next feature of the app is an incorporated calendar that allows users to add any important medical events they need to keep track of. This can range form medical appointments, to therapy sessions, to even adding reminders to take medication.
No matter where in the calendar the user has navigated to, the app allows the user to quickly and easily return to the current date by clicking on the "Today" button.
Take Control health profile
Customized learning experience
PERSONAL MEDICAL LOG:
TakeControl includes a personal log that allows a user to jot down any symptoms or new developments all within the same app.
This feature not only helps a user better familiarize themselves with important patterns, but also helps them easily re-visit and access this information when talking to their specialist.
LEARN:
Better understanding a chronic condition can decrease the stress of uncertainty and fear.
The learn tab creates a place users can visit to learn more about the latest medical news regarding their chornic illnesses, as well as any other health issues they are interested in.
Using the upper right gear, they can customize their news feed to specific health topics of their choice.
NEXT STEPS:
One of the best ways to address the different needs of the users was to design an app that unified all of the different elements necessary to staying up to date with personal appointments, current medicines, and news about the individual chronic conditions.
However, an additional feature that seems to have garnered additional interest in recent testing is the option of accessing emotional support through the app as well.
In the next steps, I am looking to conduct further user interviews as well as user testing to determine the best way to incorporate a mental health section that provides the user with added emotional and mental support, without compromising the usability or simplicity of the app.
