RESEARCH

In the research phase of the Bloom Meds project, I conducted both secondary and primary research to ensure the final product effectively addresses user needs while adhering to industry standards. My secondary research involved analyzing trade journals, competitor information, and market trends, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the medication adherence landscape. I explored literature from government and industry sources, focusing on potential user demographics and the challenges they face with current medication reminder products.

MARKET RESEARCH AND USER DEMOGRAPHICS

Market research revealed that 70% of Americans take at least one prescription drug, with compliance rates alarmingly low; the CDC estimates that only 25-30% of people correctly follow their medication regimens. Notably, 88% of seniors aged 65 and older rely on prescription medications. Insights from the journal Care Clinic highlighted the costly repercussions of non adherence, leading to more severe health interventions. Additionally, Grandview Research projected the mHealth app market to grow significantly, further emphasizing the demand for innovative solutions like Bloom Meds.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

To identify gaps in the market, I performed a competitive analysis that examined the strengths and weaknesses of both direct and indirect competitors. This analysis involved user reviews and personal testing of existing apps, which informed my design approach. By leveraging competitors' strengths and addressing their weaknesses, I aimed to create a high functioning app that exceeds user expectations, ensuring Bloom Meds stands out in the medication adherence space.

PROVISIONAL PERSONAS

Provisional personas were created for three potential users of this app. These personas help direct the development of survey instruments for users. I created these by trying to represent typical users who have different problems in remembering to take their medications, as identified in my literature research.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

I collected data by interviewing potential users of a medication reminder app. Primary research data gives insight into the potential user’s goals, motivations, needs, and pain points, providing insight from real people that is directly applicable to my project. I prepared a test plan that included targeted demographics and number of users, and a script for questions that contacted potential users, interviewed them, and recorded these interviews, transcribing the interviews into notes.

USER INTERVIEWS

PARTICIPANTS: 5 participants

PARTICIPANT AGES: 19-60 years old.

• Most participants had used navigation products before.

EMPATHY MAP

This arrangement of post-it notes shows areas where multiple interviewees had similar thoughts about medication reminders. These areas of agreement provide insights that can be used to form the basis of understanding the needs of users. I took the transcripts of user interviews, and wrote individual comments on post-it notes, then grouped these comments by the similarity of their impact and found insights, and the needs that these users were expressing.

USER PERSONA

The final persona is a depiction of a single user, Lisa Oliver, whose characteristics are those of the users who were interviewed. The user persona is a powerful tool to ask how we might answer Lisa’s needs. The persona was made using demographic information from the potential users who were interviewed, and the persona’s goals, frustrations, and needs were the goals frustrations and needs identified by interviews and the empathy map.

DEFINE

The Define is crucial for establishing the app's features and functions, ensuring they align with user needs. By creating a point of view (POV) statement for our primary persona, Lisa, we can focus on her specific challenges and aspirations. This process involves articulating her goals and identifying how the app can effectively address them, which sets the foundation for a user centered design approach.

POV & HMW STATEMENTS

To effectively address Lisa's needs, I developed a table of insights and needs framed from her perspective. This transformation into a POV statement allows us to empathize with her situation and craft “How Might We” (HMW) questions that guide our brainstorming sessions. By centering our design process around Lisa’s experience, we ensure that our solutions are relevant and targeted, facilitating a more impactful design process.

USER AND BUSINESS GOALS

Understanding the intersection between user and business goals is essential for the app's success. I created a Venn diagram that visually represents these goals, highlighting areas of overlap that indicate high priority features. The user goals were derived from insights gathered during interviews, while the business goals were informed by industry research and competitor analysis. This approach ensures that we develop features that satisfy both user needs and business objectives.

PRODUCT ROADMAP

This roadmap outlines the prioritized features of the app, along with supporting research for each. By brainstorming features that address Lisa's needs and arranging them based on their ability to meet the shared goals identified in the Venn diagram, we create a clear path forward. This roadmap serves as a strategic guide for development, ensuring that essential features are prioritized and included in the final product.

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

focused on organizing and displaying information intuitively, which significantly enhances the user experience. The development of an application map serves as a critical tool to illustrate the relationships between screens and features, ensuring that users can navigate the app seamlessly. I leveraged industry best practices and insights from competitor apps to inform this structure, laying the groundwork for a user friendly experience in Bloom Med.

IDEATE

I focused on assembling and organizing design concepts to meet user needs effectively. This phase involved outlining essential tasks users must accomplish, such as scheduling medications, notifying pharmacies for refills, and setting caregiver notifications. I created a task flow chart to visualize these processes, ensuring a logical arrangement of features that minimizes user inputs and enhances usability.

To map out user interactions, I developed a task flow chart that illustrates how users navigate through the app to complete various tasks. This flowchart guided the design of application pages, highlighting necessary information for each step.

TASK FLOW

USER FLOW

By analyzing user tasks and referencing the application map, I was able to create a chart of the user's journey through the app seamlessly.

INTERACTION DESIGN

Interaction design played a crucial role in shaping the app's layout, influencing its intuitiveness and overall user experience. I began with low-fidelity wireframes, sketching essential features and functions by hand to explore layout options rapidly. This initial stage allowed me to test ideas and ensure that the app’s overall design was both appealing and functional. I then refined these wireframes into high fidelity versions, incorporating design elements such as mood and style to demonstrate how user interactions would occur within the app.

LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

PROTOTYPE

In the prototype phase of the Bloom Meds project, I developed mid-fidelity wireframes that linked various screens, allowing users to interact with the app's core functionalities. By creating clickable prototypes, I aimed to identify potential pain points early in the design process, ensuring that any issues could be addressed before finalizing the design. These mid fidelity wireframes featured labeled functions and placeholder content, focusing user attention on the app's functionality rather than distractions from specific text or colors.

MID-FIDELITY WIRE FRAMES AND PROTOTYPE

Usability Testing

I conducted usability testing with a group of six potential users who regularly use medications. This moderated testing involved guiding users through three designated tasks while observing their interactions with the prototype via Zoom and Skype. I recorded their actions and comments, transcribing their feedback to gather insights into any errors or difficulties encountered during the testing process.

Affinity Map

To organize the results from usability testing, I created an affinity map that clustered user pain points and needs. This mapping allowed for the identification of common issues experienced by users, highlighting areas that required improvement in future iterations of wireframes and prototypes. Key insights included the need for editorial corrections, clearer navigation elements, and more intuitive icons. Based on user feedback, I outlined specific actions to enhance the app's usability, such as refining call to action prompts, improving menu clarity, and adding flexible alarm options. This iterative approach exemplifies my commitment to user-centered design, ensuring that the final product effectively addresses user needs.

MOOD BOARD

The Bloom Med mood board serves as a visual representation of the app's intended atmosphere, reflecting the brand identity. Through consultations with caregivers and a focus on gamification, I defined the brand mood as fun, healthy, and calming. The mood board was crafted using carefully selected colors, typography, and interface elements, adhering to industry standards to ensure a cohesive aesthetic that resonates with users.

Style Tile and UI Kit

The style tile and user interface (UI) kit are essential components for developing high fidelity wireframes, providing a consistent guide for app developers. I created these elements by researching industry standards for font choices, color palettes, and icons, ensuring they aligned with the Bloom Med brand identity and mood. This structured approach guarantees that the final product will maintain a unified and appealing design.

REVISION RECOMMENDATIONS:

User testing of the prototype led to several key recommendations for improving app features:

1. Addition of accept or cancel options for the screen dimmer time menu.

2. Adjustments to pop-up menus that temporarily shrink the navigation screen. 

3. Renaming of the "Quick Navigation" feature for clarity

4. Inclusion of on/off indicators for icons within the quick navigation menu

FINAL WIREFRAMES

The final high fidelity wireframes represent the polished look of the Bloom Med application. These wireframes were developed from the mid-fidelity prototypes, integrating insights gained from user testing and feedback gathered through the affinity map. By applying the established mood, style, and UI elements, I ensured that the design was both functional and visually engaging.

Updated Prototype

I updated the prototype to reflect the recommendations made during user testing, as well as to address minor issues identified in earlier iterations. This prototype serves as a partially clickable demonstration of the app’s functionality and appearance when it goes live. Created using InVision, it showcases the refined design based on the final wireframes, providing users with an intuitive glimpse of the Bloom Med experience.

Conclusion

In the Bloom Meds project, I addressed a common public health issue: medication adherence. Drawing from personal experiences and family challenges with remembering to take medications, I conducted extensive research on existing medication reminder apps and user needs. I developed provisional personas and conducted user interviews to identify pain points, ultimately creating a final persona that guided my design decisions. I mapped out user flows, crafted low to mid-fidelity wireframes, and prototyped a user-friendly app experience. Through iterative testing and feedback, I refined the design, creating a cohesive brand identity with logos, a style tile, and a UI kit. The next steps involve collaborating with a developer and seeking partnerships with healthcare providers to enhance medication adherence in a fun and engaging way.

Next Steps

The next steps involve collaborating with a developer and seeking partnerships with healthcare providers to enhance medication adherence in a fun and engaging way.