Thanks Rose
Mobile application
Project Lead: Jess West
UI Lead: Olivia Moua
Research Lead: Wesley Jordan
Design Process
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Toolkit
The Challenge
Thanks Rose came to us because the system of support for physical, mental and emotional health is lacking for mothers. Additionally, BIPOC people face discrimination within the health care system. They feel health professionals don’t listen to their needs because of their race in many instances. As a father of three beautiful young children, I personally have witnessed just how difficult motherhood can be even without facing those difficulties. Though my partner and I are there to support each other, as research lead to this project my focus was on placing the team into an environment in which we were unfamiliar to gain a true empathetic approach to what our solution may end up being.
User Research
User-Centric Approach
The strategy guides the understanding of experiences, challenges, and needs of mothers and BIPOC individuals within the healthcare system. By conducting user interviews and surveys, the research gathers qualitative and quantitative data directly from the target audience, ensuring their voices and perspectives remain central throughout the research process.
Affinity Mapping
The strategy employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods to ensure a robust and reliable analysis. Qualitative data from user interviews provides rich, in-depth insights into individual experiences, while quantitative data from surveys allows for broader statistical analysis.
Inclusive Perspective
Prioritize understanding the experiences, challenges, and needs of mothers and BIPOC individuals within the healthcare system. By conducting user interviews and surveys, the research gathers data directly from the target audience, ensuring their voices and perspectives remain central throughout the research process.
Actionable Recommendations
Generate specific design recommendations to address the identified challenges. By prioritizing recommendations based on their impact and feasibility (MVP), the strategy offers actionable insights that can guide the development of improved support systems and practices within the healthcare system.
Holistic Understanding
The research strategy employs multiple research methods, such as user interviews, surveys, and competitive analysis. This multifaceted approach enables a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare system.
Stakeholder Engagement
The research findings are communicated and presented to various stakeholders, including the client and development team, and any other relevant organizations. This engagement raises awareness, promotes collaboration, and advocates for positive change within the healthcare system, leading to the implementation of user-centered improvements.
First Steps
To begin, we initially researched our client’s pre-existing product named Carit.care. The product was essentially a desktop website equipped with a waiting list. Users were able to sign up to receive text messages from a “Mom Pal” which would check in on them. The CEO of the company was sending out these texts by hand, all by herself! As a team, we had an ocean full of opportunities here to help build this project. Also, over the course of our project, our client decided on changing the name of the company to Thanks Rose. This provided an interesting challenge in terms of branding as well.
Examining the Industry
Incorporating competitive and comparative analysis at ground zero is highly beneficial when designing mobile applications. By thoroughly examining and analyzing existing healthcare apps, we gain crucial insights into industry standards, best practices, and innovative features that directly inform our design decisions.
Moreover, this research approach ensures we stay informed about emerging trends, technological advancements, and user preferences within the healthcare sector. By closely monitoring the competition, we can continuously iterate and enhance our mobile applications, maintaining relevance and staying ahead of the curve.
Through competitive analysis, we delve into the strengths and weaknesses of competing healthcare apps. We meticulously scrutinize their user interfaces, functionality, navigation, onboarding processes, and overall user experience. This process enables us to discern successful elements and areas for improvement within healthcare UX design.
In addition, comparative analysis empowers us to draw inspiration from non-healthcare mobile applications that excel in user experience. By studying these top-performing apps, we can identify design patterns, interactions, and visual elements that can be adapted and seamlessly integrated into our own healthcare applications. This cross-pollination of ideas fosters innovative and user-friendly solutions.
Competitive and Comparative Analysis
Finding the Value
Through user interviews, we can establish connections with individuals who bring their unique backgrounds, preferences, and behaviors to the forefront. By actively listening and employing open-ended questions, invaluable insights are gained towards their motivations, challenges, and aspirations. This rich firsthand knowledge allows us to genuinely empathize with their distinct perspectives, empowering the team to design solutions that authentically resonate with their specific needs.
As research lead, I divided our focus groups into two main categories; pre-natal mothers and those who were post-natal. This would help us later further define the data we recieve and better translate into usable source information later since the target audience is so vast.
Pre-natal Interview Guide
1.Can you tell me about yourself and what led you to consider starting a family?
2.What steps have you taken to prepare for parenthood, both physically and mentally?
3.Do you have any concerns about giving birth and where would you go to learn more about them?
4.How do you feel about the idea of seeking health help as an expecting parent, and what resources (birthing classes, pregnancy health) do you think you would rely on to support your wellbeing?
5.If you could design the perfect team to support your mental and physical health during the prenatal process, what would that look like and why? (classes)
6.If you could wave a magic wand and have access to the best care for your mental and physical health during the prenatal process, what would that look like and why?
7.If you have experienced a loss of pregnancy, can you tell me how that has affected you and how you have addressed it?
8.How do you think having a child will impact your life, both positively and negatively, and how are you preparing for those changes?
Post-natal Interview Guide
1.Can you tell me about yourself and what led you to consider starting a family?
2.What steps have you taken to prepare for parenthood, both physically and mentally?
3.Do you have any concerns about giving birth and where would you go to learn more about them?
4.How do you feel about the idea of seeking health help as an expecting parent, and what resources (birthing classes, pregnancy health) do you think you would rely on to support your wellbeing?
5.If you could design the perfect team to support your mental and physical health during the prenatal process, what would that look like and why? (classes)
6.If you could wave a magic wand and have access to the best care for your mental and physical health during the prenatal process, what would that look like and why?
7.If you have experienced a loss of pregnancy, can you tell me how that has affected you and how you have addressed it?
8.How do you think having a child will impact your life, both positively and negatively, and how are you preparing for those changes?
Interview Findings
Pre-Natal
Interview 1: The married couple had an unplanned pregnancy and expressed nervousness about delivery. They attended prenatal and parenting classes and were open to seeking help from family and friends. They preferred a supportive team with someone who had gone through the prenatal process and expressed a desire for an anonymous group to vent to.
Interview 2: The single mother wanted children and felt ready for motherhood. She conducted research, took prenatal vitamins, and had a positive but nervous outlook on delivery. She planned to attend birthing classes and regular doctor appointments, and she emphasized the importance of having a team of knowledgeable and supportive healthcare professionals available 24/7.
Interview 3: The mother of two started a family and relied on YouTube videos and advice from others for guidance. She expressed nervousness about drugs and the possibility of a cesarean section. She relied on social media for pregnancy health information and preferred family and partner support. She emphasized the importance of fast communication, such as texting.
Common Themes: None of the interviewees experienced a loss of pregnancy. All participants acknowledged the impact of having a child, both positively and negatively. They demonstrated proactive preparation for the changes by maintaining a positive mindset, scheduling time with family and friends, and taking care of their financial and physical well-being.
Post-Natal
Interview 1: The participant's favorite thing about motherhood was watching her baby grow and having cute interactions with her baby. She prepared for having a child by attending regular prenatal visits, taking recommended vitamins, and finding child care. She had postpartum visits with the doctor but did not seek additional care. Her perspective on physical and mental health postpartum was not a major concern as she had family support available.
Interview 2: The participant's favorite thing about motherhood was taking care of the baby's needs, including sleep, health, and hydration. She did not prepare much for having a child as they were not planned, but she wished she had checked her health with a doctor beforehand. She took care of herself and received support from older kids and her spouse for day-to-day care. She had a comfortable perspective on asking for help, knowing it was available.
Interview 3: The participant's favorite thing about motherhood was watching her baby grow up and develop. She prepared for having a child by working out before the baby's arrival and purchasing essential items like diapers, bottles, formula, clothing, and a crib in advance. Access to day-to-day care was not mentioned. The participant did not explicitly discuss her perspective on physical and mental health postpartum.
Common Themes: All participants valued taking care of their child's needs, although their levels of preparation varied. Some sought additional care postpartum, while others relied on family support. It is important for healthcare providers to understand each mother's unique needs and provide personalized care tailored to those needs.
Survey Data
User surveys are valuable in empathetic design as they provide quantitative data, capture user preferences, and facilitate informed decision-making. They offer a wide-reaching platform to gather feedback, measure satisfaction, and validate design choices. By utilizing user surveys, we can create user-centered designs that cater to the needs and preferences of their target audience, resulting in enhanced user experiences.
Make it make sense!
Through Affinity Mapping, we are able to collect and organize all of our research findings to identity trends
Building and Defining the Ideal User
Once we had all of our data, the best way to keep our selves centered and unbiased is creating personas. Personas allow us to ask questions from the perspective of “What Chandler do? Why would Abby need that? ”
First Persona
Adding Depth (Second Persona)
Cultivating Focus
Problem statements and "How might we" statements are powerful tools that help frame design challenges and guide the design process.
"How might we" statements, on the other hand, are questions that reframe the problem as an opportunity for creative ideation and exploration. They encourage a solution-oriented mindset and foster brainstorming and innovation. "How might we" statements help shift the focus from the problem itself to potential solutions, opening up possibilities and generating diverse ideas.
The purpose of a problem statement is to clearly define the problem or challenge that the design team aims to address. It provides a concise and focused description of the issue at hand, setting the stage for problem-solving and solution development. A well-crafted problem statement captures the essence of the problem, identifies the stakeholders involved, and highlights the impact of the problem on the user experience.
Problem Statements
How Might We’s
Workshop
Through interactive activities and discussions, the workshop enables us to directly engage with the client and other stakeholders, gaining a deeper understanding of their needs, expectations, and challenges.
Our Solutions…
The Path to Success: User Flows
Developing a user flow is a crucial aspect of UX design because it provides a visual representation of the user's journey within a product or service. By mapping out the step-by-step process a user takes to accomplish their goals, a user flow helps designers understand the user's perspective, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for improvement. It allows designers to anticipate user behavior, optimize the sequence of actions, and streamline the overall user experience.
User flows also aid in identifying potential bottlenecks, gaps, or inconsistencies in the user journey, enabling designers to address them early on and create a more intuitive and seamless experience. Additionally, user flows serve as a valuable communication tool, facilitating effective collaboration between designers, developers, and stakeholders, ensuring a shared understanding of the product's functionality and user interactions.
Ideation: Bring it to Life
Idea Generation and Exploration: Sketching and wireframing allow designers to brainstorm and explore a variety of design concepts and ideas quickly. These low-fidelity techniques help in visualizing different layout options, interface elements, and content arrangements, enabling designers to think creatively and consider various design possibilities.
Sketches
Ideation and Exploration: Sketching allows designers to generate a wide range of ideas quickly and explore different design possibilities. It is a low-fidelity medium that encourages creativity and freedom, helping designers think beyond constraints and find innovative solutions.
Rapid Iteration and Refinement: Sketching provides a fast and iterative approach to design. Designers can quickly sketch and iterate on various concepts, refining and evolving their ideas based on feedback and user needs. This agile process allows for efficient exploration of multiple design directions before committing to a more detailed and time-consuming digital design.
Communication and Collaboration: Sketches serve as a universal language that facilitates effective communication and collaboration. They enable designers to share their ideas with team members, stakeholders, and clients in a visual and accessible format, fostering a common understanding and gathering valuable feedback early in the design process.
User-Centered Design: Sketching helps UX designers focus on the user experience. By sketching user interfaces, interactions, and flows, designers can visualize and evaluate the user journey, identifying potential usability issues, and refining the design to prioritize user needs and goals.
Wireframes
Wire framing is essential in UX design as it establishes the structure, supports user-centered design, visualizes concepts, facilitates collaboration, enables iteration and testing, and provides cost and time efficiency. It serves as a vital foundation for creating intuitive, user-friendly, and successful digital experiences.
Prototyping
User Validation: Prototyping allows designers to gather feedback and validate design ideas directly from users. By creating interactive prototypes, designers can observe how users interact with the product, identify usability issues, and make informed design decisions based on real user experiences. This iterative process helps ensure that the final product meets user needs and expectations.
Stakeholder Buy-In: Prototypes provide stakeholders with a tangible representation of the design, making it easier for them to visualize and understand the intended user experience. By experiencing the prototype firsthand, stakeholders can provide feedback and make informed decisions, resulting in better buy-in and support for the design direction.
Iteration and Refinement: Prototyping enables designers to iterate quickly and make design improvements based on user feedback and testing. By visualizing and testing different design options, designers can identify and address potential problems early in the design process, leading to more refined and effective solutions. Prototyping supports an iterative approach, allowing designers to refine and optimize the user experience.
Risk Mitigation: Prototyping helps mitigate risks by allowing designers to identify and address potential usability, functionality, or technical issues early on. By uncovering and resolving these issues during the prototyping stage, designers can save time, effort, and resources that would otherwise be spent on rework or redesign in later stages of the project.
Testing the Product
User testing helps uncover usability problems and areas for improvement. By observing users navigating through the product, designers can identify bottlenecks, confusion, and points of frustration. This feedback enables designers to refine the design, optimize the user experience, and enhance usability, ultimately resulting in a more intuitive and user-friendly product.
