Day 100

Content Inventory & Audit
Survey
Directed Storytelling
Comparative Analysis
Empathy Map
Prototype
Concept Testing
Remote Testing
Presentation

Day 100 is a mobile app for patients and caregivers. It allows the user track and access to information as they recover from a bone marrow transplant.

The healthcare team provides a routine of medications, exercise and nutrition. Patients are encouraged to follow this plan to ensure a healthy recovery. The 100th day is an examination day with their doctor. This landmark day reassess the outcomes of the transplant.

The Challenge

Before the transplant, patients and caregivers are provided a 3 ring binder as an educational tool and resource. The binder is 188+ pages, difficult to carry and hard to search for information. The binder has the overview of the procedure and necessary steps for the patient to follow.

The current binder has focused primarily as a reference manual. When it is out of sight, it is out of mind. The binder fails to help the patients and caregivers with an overwhelmed mental state as they experience the transplant process. The Day 100 app will address this gap by incorporating access to information when and where they need it via a mobile device.

My challenge was to design a mobile app as a supplement to the binder. Some of the functions of the binder exist in mobile apps (fitness & nutrition trackers and medication reminders) that are on the market but are not targeted for the needs of the transplant patient. The patient would also need to access multiples apps. This could be a discouraging process for the patient.

The Journey

The start of the project required me understand the users. I interviewed patients, caregivers and the oncology team. I was able to learn about the tools, resources and information the users interacted with. I gained empathy for the entire team - patients, caregivers and oncology team. Interviews with the oncology team (doctor, nurse coordinator, social worker and chaplain) provided insight on what the medical team valued prioritized the needs for the patient to recover. I was able to engage with 35 patients and caregivers with an online survey. 

My initial assumptions were the patients and caregivers actively referenced the binder.I assumed referencing the binder also included the patient and caregiver following the prescribed recommendations in the binder.

The Binder

Content Inventory

I did a thorough inventory of the 3 ring binder. The 3 ring binder is a primary resource provided to the patient and caregiver. I completed a content inventory and audit to discover the key messages within the binder. The content provided the user 3 purposes - informative, tracking or notifications. The content also is only relevant at various days/stages to day 100.

Prototyping

Low fidelity prototypes provided me the tools to quickly prioritize the intent of the binder. I used the paper prototypes with the oncology team during the interviews. The team explained to me the most common issues that impact patients healing is missing their medications and nutrition/fluid intake. They are often concerned about their patients searching the internet for references and would prefer the information comes from their own sources. Physical activity is encouraged but the oncology team struggles when the patient is not in their care. 

Directed Storytelling

Meeting with patients provided me insight about how they feel emotionally, physically and mentally. I was able to understand from their perspective what the journey to Day 100 is like. I quickly learned how overwhelmed they are with information and when they are not feeling well it is hard to remember what they need to do.

Empathy Map

I chose to do an empathy map to help me be an advocate for the user. I completed an empathy map for the patient, caregiver and the oncology team. This process was extremely helpful as it allowed me to illustrate the users behaviors and attitudes. I was able to align the goals and pain points for the stake holders.

Interactive Prototype

I created the interactive prototype beginning with a notification screen and following with tracking capabilities and information resources. I tested with remote uses that participated in the initial survey, also one on one testing. 85% of the testers would use the app. The patients also prioritized the same tracking criteria as the oncology team - medications, physical activity and nutrition. It was recommended for future iterations to include an emotional assessment and physical assessment (examples strong, weak, tired, sore).

In incorporated the feedback on content, font size and interaction to create the current interactive prototype.

Conclusion

The minimum viable product proposed for the product includes 3 tracking features: medications, physical activity and nutrition. The information resources provided in the binder are all included in the mobile application. Consultation with developers helped evaluate what capabilities could be executed within the initial proposed launch. The prioritization of the tracking features was based upon the oncology teams recommendations. The patient and caregiver would input their specific details within the app based upon the oncologies teams plan.

My next steps proposed is for the oncology team to integrate with the app. The oncology team would have the rights to set up the patients specific plan and post the plan to the patients app. The connectivity would allow the oncology team and patient to digitally sync their plans, status and assessments for a cohesive wellbeing journey. 

This process comes with its complexities. Integrating into hospital systems, HIPAA regulations, and creating a new process and procedures can be timely and expensive. Though these challenges may exist, a verbal confirmation from a doctor provided interest in pursuing grant money to develop the Day 100 app.