WellNest
Summary
Project type: Mobile-first site design, SaaS product
Role: UX/UI design, branding, usability testing, UI
Industry: Healthcare/Medical
Team: Independent Independent project with feedback from mentor and peers
Tools: Figma, Google Forms, Optimal Sort, Photoshop
Background
In New York, many rely on MyChart for medical tasks, but users and hospitals alike face challenges. Users find the User ID and password login process frustrating, preferring a simpler PIN login option. They also seek a streamlined login with fewer steps and improvements in the messaging system, including more flexibility, customizability, and additional features like multiple profiles and priority flags. Furthermore, users express a need to include multiple doctors in messages, view specialties and scheduling numbers, and access a comprehensive list of departmental phone numbers for scheduling.
Problem
Upon analysis, a key issue surfaced where app users faced challenges in efficiently monitoring their referral appointments through digital means. This resulted in a reliance on manual intervention through phone calls to the office for updates. Furthermore, the cumbersome process of managing multiple family members under a single login heightened user frustration due to the excessive login information required.
Solution
I created WellNest, which is a healthcare app that has all of it one place and which lets you track your referral status and also have a dashboard that allows multiple family members to login and have all the data consolidated in one place.
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RESEARCH
Methods: Competitive Analysis, Survey, User Interviews
Research Goal: The research goal was to analyze user experiences and challenges with existing healthcare apps to inform strategies for enhancing usability, functionality, and accessibility, ultimately improving overall user satisfaction and health management outcomes.
Research Objective:
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How do you effectively monitor and organize your referrals when engaging with new medical professionals?
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How do you efficiently oversee chronic conditions and coordinate care during multiple doctor visits within a centralized system?
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How do you streamline the coordination of appointments and chronic health management for both yourself and your loved ones in a unified platform?
Competitive Analysis
I commenced by downloading and meticulously scrutinizing prevalent products presently available to address this pertinent challenge. Engaging in an in-depth assessment, I meticulously examined their diverse attributes in conjunction with feedback from end-users. This comprehensive analysis enabled me to gain insights into the inherent strengths and weaknesses of these applications, pinpointing prospective avenues for market expansion and enhancement.
Key Takeaways:
The analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the services, pricing models, and website designs of three prominent healthcare brands: MyChart, FollowMyHealth, and Sollis Health. Let's break down the key points:
Services:
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MyChart: Offers a patient portal within Epic Systems' EHR ecosystem, providing access to medical records, appointment scheduling, prescription refills, secure messaging, and lab results.
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FollowMyHealth: Developed by Allscripts, it offers similar features to MyChart, including access to medical records, appointment scheduling, secure messaging, prescription management, and telemedicine capabilities.
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Sollis Health: Provides concierge healthcare services with a focus on personalized care, including primary care, urgent care, telemedicine, wellness programs, and access to elite medical professionals.
Pricing Models:
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MyChart: Typically offered as part of a larger EHR system with varying pricing models depending on the implementing organization. It may involve upfront costs and ongoing maintenance fees.
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FollowMyHealth: Utilizes a subscription-based pricing model for healthcare organizations, including setup fees, subscription fees based on the number of users, and additional charges for customizations.
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Sollis Health: Operates on a membership-based pricing model for individuals or families, covering unlimited primary care visits, urgent care services, telemedicine consultations, and other benefits.
Website Comparison:
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MyChart: Features a professional design consistent with Epic Systems' branding, highlighting key portal features and integration with Epic's EHR system.
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FollowMyHealth: Reflects Allscripts' branding with modern visuals, emphasizing features and client testimonials while providing implementation and pricing details.
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Sollis Health: Convey’s luxury and exclusivity, showcasing personalized medical services, membership options, and lifestyle content to engage visitors.
Overall, each brand effectively communicates its unique value proposition through its website design and content, catering to the needs of patients, healthcare organizations, and individuals seeking personalized healthcare services.
Survey
I created a 16-question survey which I sent out remotely via Google Forms to gather basic information about potential users on a larger scale. This allowed me to start understanding potential user behavior and helped shape the script I would use for interviews.
Total Participants: 31 and who live in New York state.
Ages: Ranged from 20-50, 60% were between ages 25-34
Family Situation: 60% of the people are married.
The Significance of an Integrated Platform for Managing Health Information and Appointments Across Your Family
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The importance of possessing a cohesive platform that consolidates health information and appointments for every member of your family cannot be understated.
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Feedback gathered from an estimated seven out of 9 users has underlined a consistent need for a feature that enables efficient oversight of all healthcare responsibilities for both themselves and their loved ones, all within a singular, user-friendly space.
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This consolidated approach not only streamlines processes but also enhances the overall management and organization of health-related tasks, fostering convenience and peace of mind for all users involved
Additional Features for a Healthcare App
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When gathering feedback on desired functionalities for a healthcare app, an open-ended question allowed users to share their thoughts.
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Among the responses received, two out of three users expressed the desire for a feature enabling them to track referrals effectively. Furthermore, one of the participants highlighted the importance of receiving timely notifications for flu vaccination reminders.
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Integrating these suggestions could enhance the app's utility and user experience, catering to diverse needs within the healthcare landscape.
In-Person Interviews
Using a script of prepared questions, I spoke one-on-one with five potential users. I recorded all the interviews and made a Word file with the transcript to refer it later, gathering key findings and eventually determining recurring themes among potential users.
Throughout interviews, I consistently upheld a receptive and impartial demeanor in formulating my responses. It is imperative to recognize the sensitivity surrounding discussions about an individual's healthcare or medical history. Such topics often resonate as private matters, thereby fostering a sense of hesitancy among individuals. It is not uncommon for interviewees to exhibit reluctance in divulging challenges related to organizational skills or commitment towards meticulous detail management, primarily driven by apprehensions of potential negative perceptions.
Total Participants: 9
Ages: 20- 50
Family Situation: 7 were married with children and 2 were single
Learnings:
Upon diligently sorting through these valuable insights, it became remarkably evident that healthcare-related tasks were inherently personal to individuals, serving as a significant source of stress in their lives. The consensus among those interviewed was a persistent desire for order and structure; however, they found themselves grappling with disparate methods, intricate human interactions, and an overarching sense of feeling utterly overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of it all.
Unified Features, Slow Interface
Tracking Referrals, Progress Customization
Affinity Mapping Findings
1. Identified pain points through the Affinity Mapping technique:
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Unified Features
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Slow Interface Wait Time
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Repeat Process Manual Technology
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Simplified Interface for Elderly Users
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Referral Feature for Non-Medical Visits
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Browse Doctors for Convenience
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Separate Logins for Password Management
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Alternative Medicine for Older Users
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Tracking Referrals for Progress Customization
2. Implications:
These pain points highlight areas of improvement for the MyChart app:
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Enhancing user experience
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Streamlining healthcare management processes
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Meeting diverse user needs
3. Potential Outcomes:
Addressing these pain points could result in:
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Increased user satisfaction
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Improved usability of the app
Persona
From the themes that emerged, I then formed two personas to represent potential users for this product.
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User Personas Identification: Utilize interviews and affinity mapping techniques to discern various user personas. Analyze behavioral patterns, preferences, and requirements of users efficiently.
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User Personas Creation: Craft detailed user personas based on identified patterns. Each persona represents a distinct user type, highlighting their characteristic traits and behaviors.
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User Understanding: Acquire in-depth insights into user demographics through persona analysis. This facilitates a comprehensive comprehension of diverse user profiles within the healthcare app domain.
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Personalized Design and Development: Implement user personas as a foundation for designing and developing the app. This approach ensures the app's alignment with specific user needs and preferences.
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Targeted Product Enhancement: Concentrate on user personas to enhance the app's functionality for its intended users. By catering to these personas, the app becomes more adept at addressing various healthcare requirements effectively.
How might we create a seamless user experience in healthcare apps to facilitate easy management of doctor appointments and tracking of referrals, ensuring a hassle-free process for users?
Storyboard
From this point, I extracted the ideas that I believed would most effectively address the users' problems. I began creating detailed storyboards to visualize the user journey and the positive impact of the product. These storyboards allowed me to map out each step of the user's interaction with the app, from initial onboarding to engaging with key features. By illustrating these scenarios, I could anticipate potential challenges and opportunities for enhancing the user experience. This process not only helped in refining the app's functionality but also ensured that each design decision aligned with the overall vision of creating an organic, healing, and community-focused environment. Through these storyboards, I was able to clearly communicate the intended user experience to stakeholders and development teams, facilitating a shared understanding of the project's goals and expected outcomes.
Project Goals
To ensure well-informed decision-making for the website, I conducted a thorough reevaluation of the project’s objectives, carefully aligning them with insights derived from comprehensive research. This process was pivotal in harmonizing user needs with business goals, laying a solid groundwork before diving into the finer aspects of website design. By establishing this alignment, I was able to approach the design process with a clear sense of direction and purpose, ensuring that every element of the website contributed meaningfully to the overarching vision and strategic goals of the project.
Features Roadmap
As the robust foundation of my product goals stood firmly outlined, the juncture had arrived to embark on the meticulous journey of developing a distinguished array of features. This intricate process entailed the meticulous assignment of precise priorities to each feature, a task curated with utmost care and strategic foresight. Each priority level was intricately calibrated based on its paramount importance in aligning with the overarching business objectives and meeting the discerning needs of our esteemed user base.
Below are the MUST HAVE features in the app.
DESIGN AND PROTOTYPE
Card Sorting Findings
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Goal: The primary goal of card sorting is to enhance user experience and optimize information architecture by gaining insights into how users organize and categorize content. Through this process, we aim to improve navigation, usability, and findability within digital products or websites. By understanding users' mental models and preferences, we can create intuitive and user-friendly interfaces that better align with their needs and expectations.
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Participants: Number: 7 (4 of whom were part of my previous user interviews, and 3 were chosen randomly)
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Background: diverse cultural background Age: 25 - 70 years old
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Methodology
Type: Hybrid Card Sorting, online, unmoderated
Tool: Optimal Workshop
Cards Provided
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Lifestyle
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Routine
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Procedures
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Expenses
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Diet
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Support
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Immunizations
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Symptoms
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Tracking
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Integrate Logins
11. Reschedule/Schedule
12. Primary Care
13. Prescriptions
14. Patient
15. Travel
16. Preventive Care
17. Wait Times
18. Specialists
19. Reminder
20. Therapy
21. 24/7 Medical
Assistance
22. Appointment
23. Telehealth
24. Fitness
25. Check-Up
26. Emergency
Room
27. Calendar
28. Accidents
Categories
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Appointment Management
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Travel and Accessibility
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Support and Communication
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Procedure and Tests
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Preventive Care and Wellness
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Medication Management
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Healthcare Services
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Health Tracking
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Financial Management
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Customization and Preferences
Results:
I leveraged both the Similarity Matrix and Standard Matrix outcomes in my analysis. Opting for the Hybrid model, I aimed to strike a balance between providing guidance for the solution while preserving flexibility. Notably, users refrained from generating any categories, suggesting that employing an Open model approach might offer greater insights in future endeavors.
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Strong Associations: Categories such as lifestyle and diet demonstrate a robust association, with around 75% of users grouping them together. This suggests that users perceive these categories as closely related or intertwined in their minds, likely due to the significant impact of lifestyle choices on dietary habits and vice versa.
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Moderate Associations: Categories like patients and telehealth, tracking and telehealth, and treatments and specialists exhibit moderate associations, with approximately 50% to 37% of users grouping them. This indicates that while these categories share some commonalities, the associations may not be as strong or universally perceived as those in the first group.
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Varied Perceptions: Certain categories, such as accidents and 24/7 medical assistance, referrals and primary care, and expense and chronic diseases, show lower levels of association, with only 25% of users grouping them. This suggests that these categories may not be inherently linked in users' minds, or there may be diverse perceptions regarding their similarities.
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Areas for Improvement: Categories with lower levels of association, such as referrals and primary care or accidents and 24/7 medical assistance, may indicate areas where communication or education efforts could be enhanced to clarify connections or benefits between these concepts.
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Understanding User Needs: Analyzing user perceptions of similarity provides valuable insights into how users categorize and prioritize different aspects of healthcare or related services. This understanding can inform the design of products, services, or communication strategies to better align with user expectations and preferences.
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Opportunities for Integration: Identifying categories with strong associations, such as lifestyle and diet, suggests opportunities for integration or bundled offerings that address multiple user needs or preferences simultaneously, potentially enhancing user experience and engagement.
In conclusion, analyzing user perceptions of similarity between categories offers valuable insights for improving product/service design, communication strategies, and overall user experience in healthcare or related domains. These insights can guide efforts to better meet user needs, enhance perceived value, and drive engagement
Information Architecture - Sitemap
I will now endeavor to utilize the users' mental frameworks to create a sitemap, which proved to be a particularly intricate aspect of this project. Through this process, I discovered significant diversity in how users engage with healthcare information. Conducting a card sort facilitated shaping the website's structure. However, based on my research findings, I understood the necessity for seamless connections between different sections of the site. It became evident that guiding access to tutorials, recommended tasks, and blog articles would be essential along the user journey.
User Flow and Task Flow
I mapped out key flows for the site to start to visualize how users could move through the design. This process allowed me to identify complexities that I may not have thought of before.
I would suggest visiting the link by clicking on the image since the flowchart is very detailed, it is hard to put that on the case study.
Scenario 1: Sarah is a new user and wants to create a new account and add multiple profiles to her account and view their vitals.
Scenario 2: Raj is an International student in New York and has GERD and needs a referral with a gastroenterologist which his Primary has referred so he wants to track his status of that referral, also he is an existing use.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
After meticulously mapping out key flows, I conducted an extensive evaluation of various organizational apps to analyze diverse design patterns for inspiration. I then created a Lo-fi wireframe on Figma, iterating through multiple versions of pivotal screens to fully articulate and materialize my conceptualized ideas.
Branding
I thoroughly reviewed user and business goals to inform the development of the brand's core values and visual style. To visually capture these concepts, I created a comprehensive mood board that illustrated the desired aesthetic and emotional tone. This mood board served as a foundation for designing the brand logo, ensuring it aligned with the established values and visual style. Through this process, I aimed to create a cohesive and compelling brand identity.
UI - Style and Components:
My objective in defining the design visual style is to evoke a sense of simplicity and tranquility. Recognizing user apprehension regarding healthcare topics, I prioritize clarity and ease of use. Given the emotional weight inherent in medical tasks, I maintain UI elements that are simple and neutral, ensuring accessibility for users from diverse backgrounds. This approach facilitates seamless navigation of the app/website.
Typography
High-Fidelity Wireframes
Having meticulously crafted the visual style and principles to embody simplicity and tranquility, I proceeded to translate these into refined hi-fidelity wireframes. Iterating through multiple versions of crucial screens, I meticulously saved each iteration for future reference. Soliciting additional feedback, I honed the wireframes until achieving a level of satisfaction. Subsequently, I advanced to prototype development, intending to subject the design to rigorous usability testing.
Mobile Version
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Desktop Version
TESTING & ITERATION
Usability Testing
Utilizing the Figma prototype as a platform, I conducted comprehensive usability testing focusing on two pivotal functions of the site. This meticulous evaluation aimed to gauge user interaction, identify potential pain points, and iteratively refine the design to ensure optimal usability and user experience.
Number of Participants: 8
Tool: Figma
Key Insights on the Results:
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User feedback indicated a consensus that the website boasted intuitive navigation, instilling confidence in its resemblance to authentic medical platforms.
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Participants expressed satisfaction in their ability to effortlessly complete assigned tasks without requiring external assistance, affirming the usability of the design.
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Noteworthy was the absence of major red flags or significant usability concerns raised during the testing phase, underscoring the effectiveness of the current design iteration.
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The positive reception from users validated the effectiveness of the design's simplicity and neutrality, affirming its accessibility across diverse user backgrounds.
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This feedback provided valuable validation of the design direction, offering assurance that the visual style and values translated effectively into a user-friendly interface.
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However, there were few suggestions about the bulky ness of the design and the wanting of the interface to be universal and light.
FINAL DESIGN
Final High Fidelity Wireframe
After conducting usability tests and incorporating feedback through several iterations, I developed the final high-fidelity (Hi-Fi) prototype. This refined version integrates insights from real user interactions, ensuring an optimized user experience. The Hi-Fi prototype faithfully represents the intended design, with polished UI elements and enhanced functionality, ready for development and implementation.
Final Desktop Wireframe
Final Mobile Wireframe
Mobile Mockups
Desktop Mockups
Landing Page design
Dashboard design
Multiple Profile page design
Referral Page design
FUTURE ITERATIONS & RETROSPECTIVE
Future Iterations
Future iterations of the healthcare app could focus on several key areas to enhance user experience and functionality. Firstly, incorporating advanced personalization features, such as tailored health tips and reminders based on user data, can improve engagement and outcomes. Secondly, integrating telemedicine capabilities will provide users with direct access to healthcare professionals, increasing convenience and accessibility. Additionally, implementing AI-driven symptom checkers and health trackers can offer users more proactive and informed healthcare management.
Future Iterations:
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Personalization Features: Introduce tailored health tips and reminders based on user data to improve engagement and outcomes.
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Telemedicine Integration: Provide users with direct access to healthcare professionals for increased convenience and accessibility.
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AI-Driven Tools: Implement AI-driven symptom checkers and health trackers to offer users proactive and informed healthcare management.
These enhancements will not only elevate the app's functionality but also ensure it remains relevant and valuable to users in an evolving healthcare landscape.
Retrospective
Reflecting on the process of designing WellNest, I recognize the extensive journey from initial concept to final product. One of the main challenges was balancing the need for comprehensive functionality with maintaining a simple, user-friendly interface. Ensuring accessibility for diverse user backgrounds while addressing the emotional weight of healthcare tasks was also complex. Through iterative design, user testing, and continuous refinement, I navigated these challenges, ultimately creating an app that effectively meets user needs and fosters a sense of ease and confidence in managing healthcare.