health resource app
A month prior to a life saving transplant, bone marrow patients are provided a 3 ring binder as a 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 binder is primarily 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 through the transplant process.
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 goal: A mobile application that benefits bone marrow transplant patients by managing their health and wellness.
Design Process
The binder
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.
“I used it a lot during transplant but it collected dust after.”
interviews
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.
I chose to do an empathy map to help me be an advocate for the caregiver. 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 caregiver.
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.
I created an interactive prototype and 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.
Solution
a mobile app for patients and caregivers, providing them access to information anytime.
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.