Minder
Medication reminder app for the ones seeking to improve their health.
Project Overview
Medication reminder app
Role
UX Research, Visual Design, Prototyping, Product Design, Usability Testing
Tools
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Miro
Timeline
Overal: 5+ weeks
Team
Victoria Demetrio (me)
Project Deliverables
UX Research report, Style guide, High fidelity Prototype
Problem
Many people find it difficult to effectively manage their medications, leading to missed doses and potential health complications.
Existing solutions lack integration with daily routines and often fail to provide complete prescription tracking system.
Project Goals
To improve medication adherence through seamless calendar integration, easy-to-use prescription tracking and personalized schedules. The application offers a tailored experience with an emphasis on accessibility and inclusion of users with varying abilities.
Solution
MINDER is a user-friendly, and efficient medication management app.
With personalized reminders and simple tracking features, MINDER is designed to substantially enhance medication adherence, simplify prescription tracking, and elevate the overall user experience for individuals managing their health.
User Impact
MINDER has a positive impact on medication adherence by making it easier for users to stay on track with their medication schedules.
Research suggests that medication adherence rates can improve by up to 20-30% with the use of reminder apps like MINDER.
Before
After
The Process
We adopted a human-centered approach throughout the design process to create a genuine solution for our users. By following this non-linear design methodology, we were able to effectively address specific needs with empathy and innovation.
Problem Space
Leading a busy life can make it difficult to stick to a medication routine, which can lead to skipping doses or even interrupting treatment. Busy people face challenges such as tight schedules, forgetfulness, complex medications, side effects, financial problems and limited access to healthcare.
Quantitative Research
Objective: To gather numerical data to quantify the frequency and types of challenges users face in organizing their schedules, planning reminders, and managing prescriptions.
Our quantitative research showed the challenges of sticking to prescribed routines in demanding situations.
It's important to note that these statistics are general trends, and individual adherence rates can vary based on factors such as age, health condition, and socioeconomic status.
PLOS ONE reported that technology-based interventions were associated with a significant improvement in medication adherence across various health conditions.
For chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and mental health disorders, adherence rates may range from 30% to 50%.
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2022, found that approximately 1 in 5 older adults reported cost-related nonadherence.
A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that 69% of participants reported forgetting to take their medications at least once in the previous month.
Qualitative Research
In order to better understand the problem, we conducted 5 semi-structured user interviews.
Our Hypothesis
User interviews will allow us to better understand how they plan reminders, organize their daily habits, and manage their medication needs. We expect to find that users, who use both digital and analog methods, face challenges related to medication adherence and show interest in a habit tracking system.
Understanding the User
Based on the results of our research, crafted a persona to embody my target user. This was essential for us to foster a human-centered design approach.
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Impact Statement: Sarah needs a digital tool to track of her prescription usage and receive alerts when it’s time for her next dose.
Paint Point: Sarah constantly forgets to take her medications. Without a digital reminder tool she loses track of when she has taken important medicine. She’s concerned about how this impacts her health.
Potential Constraints
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Finding the time in the day to log their medication intake.
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Remembering to take prescribed medication at certain times of the day.
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May leave medication at home
Interview Findings
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Users consistently rely on phone alarms as a primary method for setting reminders.
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Participants reported forgetting to take prescribed medications or administer them to loved ones.
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Most users have had the necessity to take at least one type of prescription drug in the past year.
"I don’t use any tools right now but I am looking for a solution”
-Jeanette, 48
“I need a visual reminder to take my medication”
-Richard, 29
Key Insights
After synthesizing the interviews with the Affinity Diagram, we have identified four recurring themes and corresponding insights.
Design Challenge
"How might we help forgetful patients better manage their medication intake?"
Competitor Analysis
Conducting a competitive analysis helped us to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our competitors' products.
Based on the information obtained from the competitive analysis, we created a feature prioritization matrix that allowed us to strategically focus on the features that have the greatest impact for our product.
User Journey
Our team focused on the user persona and developed a user journey, highlighting a specific scenario and objectives for a streamlined and focused design process.
User Scenario
Sarah just got engaged and is trying to balance wedding planning with her stressful job as a consultant. She takes prescriptions daily and needs a digital tool to track her activity and receive medication reminders.
Goals
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To find a system that helps her manage her prescriptions, ensuring she takes it consistently and on time.
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To relieve the stress caused by her demanding job and wedding planning responsibilities, aspiring to a more balanced and peaceful lifestyle.
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To gain control over her healthcare by tracking her health and mood, promoting overall wellness.
Ideation
The ideation phase was a true team effort, full of collaboration and creativity.
Our goal was clear: to address the obstacles users face with medication tracking and improve their well-being.
First we sorted the ideas into categories, and then ranked them using a feature prioritization matrix, to focus on what would have the most impact without being too complicated to implement.
Next, we put together a user flow diagram to show how users engage with the app, making sure it's simple and easy to understand.
Low Fidelity Prototype
Our preliminary sketches evolved into Mid Fi wireframes.
The creation of the grayscale prototype allowed us to test and iterate the functionality and usability of the application.
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Usability Testing
With the initial prototype, we conducted the first round of usability testing with ten different individuals on the main tasks of the app. This allowed us to obtain real feedback on the functionality and intended use.
I then prioritized the feedback and finding utilizing the Design Prioritization Matrix. This enables me to focus on the high user values with low efforts first and move down the matrix for time constraints.
Task Example
Task: Add your first medication when you log into Minder.
Goal/Output: User will schedule one of their prescribed medications.
Assumptions: Person has prescribed medication to take on a schedule.
Scenario/Steps:
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Log in
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Go through coach screens
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Select user
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Log 1st medication
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Schedule days and times.
Success Criteria: Reminders for the medication is successfully scheduled in the app.
Testing Result
Refine
After usability testing, we addressed the issues identified in the application and began refining the overall design.
Brand Development | First Discovery
To start with the brand development, we crafted a mood board to set the tone and atmosphere of the app. As a team, we defined the brand identity and looked for a palette.
Exploring color psychology led us to choose a tone that transmits balance, complemented by curved lines to infuse a feeling of softness. We also looked at different fonts to start thinking about the brand's logo.
High Fidelity Prototypes | First Discovery
After more testing, iterations, adding colors, and developing the brand, the first high-fidelity version of Minder came to life.
Branding | Second Discovery
I went deeper into the psychology of color and defined a new brand. Using pink and blue together, I created a balanced feel that communicates a sense of care and reliability.
Considering the accesibility aspect of color, pink and blue are complementary colors. The contrast between them helped the different elements stand out effectively ensuring accessibility standards.
Color performance tested using in the Adobe Color Accessibility Tool:
The Solution
After this last effort, the final result achieved provides users with an app that offers a seamless experience for those with a busy schedule who want to improve their well-being.
By prioritizing user-centric design principles and combining them with visually appealing aesthetics, MINDER came to life as a
user-friendly, and efficient medication management app.
Goals
Returning to the main goal of the project, MINDER aims to make users' lives easier with a straightforward and user-friendly interface.
This ensures a personalized journey, offering users a tool to improve medication adherence through seamless calendar integration, easy-to-use prescription tracking, along with personalized schedules.
High Fidelity Prototypes | Second Discovery
One month before finishing the bootcamp, I revisited the MINDER app project with fresh knowledge and determination. Despite my busy schedule, I focused on revamping the entire UX/UI to prioritize user experience. My goal was to enhance the app's user experience by making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
With the primary objective in optimize the medication scheduling process and enhance overall medication intake organization in users' lives, I revamped the overall UI design to improve usability and aesthetics.
Smartwatch Integration
I've designed a seamless experience for users who link their smartwatch to the app. With this integration, users receive medication reminders directly on their smartwatch.
This feature enhances convenience and ensures users can stay on top of their medication schedule effortlessly, even when on the go and eliminating the need to reach for their phone.
A/B Testing
In order to evaluate the impact of the MINDER redesign we conducted A/B testing focusing on the two design variants:
Version A (First Discovery Prototype) and Version B (Second Discovery Protorype).
I worked with two groups to test how effectively users accomplish tasks such as scheduling new medication, setting reminders, and viewing their medication history.
I analyzed the data collected from both versions to compare task completion rates. This analysis showed great improvement from Version A where to Version B, as users were able to complete the tasks in half the amount of time.
Home Screen
Before After
Daily Schedule Screen
Before After
Log Medication Screen
Before After
Project Reflections
Reflecting on the redesign of my mobile app after months of learning, I have taken significant steps.
Key takeaways
Knowledge Boost: With the new skills and knowledge gained, I approached the redesign with a deeper understanding of design principles.
Continuous improvement: Always test myself to do better this time
User focus: I kept the user at the center of the redesign process.
Time management: I learned to prioritize and move forward efficiently while balancing with other projects.
Feedback loop: Seeking and incorporating feedback helped refine the usability and functionality of the app.
Personal growth: The experience increased my confidence with my design skills.
All in all, this particular redesign journey highlighted the power of learning, iteration and user-centered design.
Next Steps
Next steps include continuing to evolve the prototype of the MINDER.
Here's the plan:
Feature Expansion: Integrate additional functionalities such as mood tracking, water intake monitoring, and food tracking.
Community Engagement: Foster a community around the MINDER app adding features that enable users to share their progress, tips, and success stories.
Marketing and Promotion: Develop a marketing strategy to promote the app and position it as the go-to solution for individuals seeking to improve their health and well-being.
Continuous Improvement: Maintain a mindset of continuous improvement by regularly gathering feedback, monitoring app performance, and staying updated on new trends and user needs in the health and wellness space.