MyWoundHealing app
Duration: June-August 2021
Role: UX Design intern
Department: Medical Solutions Divisions
Company: 3M
Result: Proceeded to Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
OVERVIEW
MyWoundHealing app
is an existing digital service that supports patients with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (VAC device image below). Most patients start negative pressure in the hospital and go home with the therapy for approximately 6 weeks. This therapy is used to treat patients with chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers and acute like surgical or trauma.
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An image of the Negative Pressure Wound Therapy device attached to a wound
3M™ ActiVAC device
MyWoundHealing app
MY ROLE
UX Designer
I was responsible for the entire design process, including information architecture, concept generation, prototypes, and finalizing conceptual designs, all to achieve user and business objectives.
People that I worked closely with
I collaborated with an amazing team of UX researchers and UX designers, the design director, the global marketing leader, and the project manager to bring this mobile app design to life.
PROBLEM
Only 2% of patients downloaded the current app due to usability issues and unmet needs, resulting in poor quality of life.
USABILITY ISSUES
I was responsible for the entire design process, including information architecture, concept generation, prototypes, and finalizing conceptual designs, all to achieve user and business objectives. I also collaborated with an amazing team of UX researchers and designers to bring this redesigned mobile app design to life.
UNMET NEEDS
I was responsible for the entire design process, including information architecture, concept generation, prototypes, and finalizing conceptual designs, all to achieve user and business objectives. I also collaborated with an amazing team of UX researchers and designers to bring this redesigned mobile app design to life.
HOW MIGHT WE
How might we help patients feel confident with their wound care journey with an intuitive and engaging approach?
USER RESEARCH BY THE RESEARCH TEAM
KEY INSIGHT 1
Simple and intuitive layout
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USER RESEARCH BY THE RESEARCH TEAM
KEY INSIGHT 2
Educational content
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ANALYZE EXISTING MOBILE APP
What didn't work
The current mobile app had several issues. To uncover that, I create a user flow on Miro board with screenshots of the mobile app. Notes were added to address usability, navigation, and design issues. The comments were rationale based on user-cetnered design principles. Below are a few examples of the screen and comments.
Due to confidentiality purposes, this image is intended to be blurred
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Information architecture: Regrouping the features
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The information architecture was grouped based on a card-sorting activity conducted by the UX research team.
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Each feature was organized based on the user's needs, such as tracking wound progress, personalization, educational content, order supplies, and device help. The secondary features were grouped as the "wants," and those were healthcare visit reminders, profiles, and settingsThe findings align with the features of the current mobile app. The content and navigations were restructured to create a better user workflow.
Different information architecture ideations on Figma
Market research and benchmarking
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Due to time limitations, I focused on the home screen content, personalized education content, and wound progress. I looked for mobile app designs on the market with similar features to get inspiration.
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This process helped me think about ways to make it different from other mobile apps and be able to serve our target users better. Here are four of many examples shown below:
From sketches to wireframes
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Since our targeted users are mostly the senior population, I strived for a simple and intuitive layout.
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To ensure adherence to their wound journey, the wireframes focused on simpler user flow, gamification for enhanced motivations, and status updates about the wound therapy device.
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To make patients feel confident with their wound care, the educational content will guide patients with the precautions and care required before, during, and after the wound therapy.
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The sketches are developed into low-fidelity wireframes on Figma. I presented the wireframes to a team of stakeholders, including the UX Principal, UX researchers, marketing team, project managers, and design manager for review and feedback.
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The iterations took around two weeks to ensure the features and content met user needs and business goals.
Notification Alerts for reminders and incentives from learning more about wound care
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I explored different ways to convey the message effectively, provide a sense of urgency, and a clear call to action, so users are more likely to engage with it promptly.
Due to confidentiality purposes, I am unable to share the final screens and prototype. Please reach out if you would like to discuss further.
Final outcome
How might we help patients feel confident with their wound care and adhere to their wound therapy using the MyWoundHealing app?
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The redesign of this mobile app consisted of features including, but not limited to, personalized content, educational content based on the stages of their wound, mental health check-ins, and wound progress.
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A mid-fidelity prototype with different user scenarios was created and presented to the stakeholders. The team was pleased with the result and stated that this app could make a positive impact on patients using the wound therapy device because they will be more knowledgeable in the wound care space and feel more motivated to adhere to their wound therapy journey.
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The concept app resulted in the advancement of the conceptual design to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage. More details will be updated.
A few highlights from my internship experience (both virtual and in-person)
What the Healthcare Business Group team said about me
Reflection
What was the most challenging part?
What was the most enjoyable part?
What did I learned?
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Understanding the complexity of the product's ecosystem and the end-to-end patient journey
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Due to time limitations, I was unable to conduct user testings with patients to validate my wireframes
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Making design decisions based on user needs instead of my own preferences
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Worked on the process from the beginning till the end
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Present using compelling storytelling and communicate effectively across cross-functional team
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Understand the importance of short and long-term project goals and structure of the organization
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The impact of product value on business revenues
SOLUTIONS
Home screen design:
Wound care learning progress, reminders, real-time updates of the VAC device status
Based on the research findings, users would like to see the progress of the videos about wound care, get reminders of their upcoming visits with their healthcare provider, and see real-time updates on the status of the Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (VAC) device. I developed my wireframes, aligning with user expectations and needs.
This layout has a mental health prompt to ensure they have a positive quality of life. The rectangle boxes creates a consistent layout, which makes it easier to interact.
This layout has large clickable shapes for users with bigger finger sizes to click easily. Since the app requires user to do certain prompts, the information will appear on the top biggest grey box to catch their attention.
This rounded icons create a more approachable and user-friendly aesthetic. This can be especially. It also provides a good touch targets.
