When I and my team were first presented with this design challenge, we first took a deep dive into the pain management and period tracking apps currently in the market. We conducted a competitive audit of those apps to understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Since we needed to gain some insights specifically from PCOS and pelvic pain sufferers, I found a PCOS reddit group and conducted an online survey there. The result of our discovery research revealed two main issues with current tracking apps:
I and my team developed a fictional persona based on data from the preliminary research phase (interviews, surveys, and competitive analysis) to help empathize with the users. Victoria Walker represents all user currently suffering from pelvic pain and seeking effective management and tracking tools to help them cope with their health condition.
The discovery research also revealed some basic operations that Victoria would like to complete using her pain-tracking app. These were incorporated into a journey map for a better visualization and appreciation of her needs and frustrations.
The results of the various discovery research was then narrowed to address the most pressing users' needs, which included
I facilitated an ideation workshop session with my team to come up with several solutions to the problem using the ‘Braindump’ and ‘Worst Possible Idea’ techniques. From our most popular idea we were then able to come up with a hypothesis statement, guiding us on our first low-fidelity wireframe.
In collaboration with the my team, I was able to put together a detailed site map, a visual representation of the LOOOP companion app workflow, detailing features and hierarchy.
First, I made some hand-drawn wireframes s to capture the ideas that addresses the users' concerns.
Low-fidelity wireframes were designed in order to keep the focus on usability and end-to-end workflow. The designs were based on the ideas and iterations gleaned from the ideation phase in accordance with the users' needs.
The high fidelity prototypes were then designed to incorporate color schemes and patterns, bringing the design closer to the end product.
I completed a number of moderated usability testing with participants representing various genders, race, and tech-savviness. Insights gleaned from the analysis of the initial testing was applied in the iteration of the design, which was retested again with a different representative sample.
Here's the summary of our usability testing setup and result.
Users were reluctant to interact with the "Connect" button because they felt it hinted at intimacy rather than support. Hence, the iteration as recommend changed the title from 'Connect' to 'Community'.
The initial workflow design required users to track pain separately from the pain location. The usability test revealed that users would prefer to track pain to specific body locations.
Using the semi-circular pain scale selector demanded a little more motor coordination, which might be affected for pain sufferers. The linear scale was a more welcomed interaction. Users also wanted to leave more description of their pain for their journaling preference.
The 'Sun' image on the home screen of the initial design was a static image. It was observed during testing that users kept tapping on it. When asked, most users said they thought it would link to the pain tracking record, since this app doubles as a pain tracker.
This project is an excellent example of the power of the design thinking approach and the necessity of usability testing. Looking back at some of the insights from the user testing, sometimes we don't know how we could have missed it (it is humbling). That is the whole essence of a user-centered design - listening to the users for insights and direction. This is the secret to a positive impact product that will actually be useful and usable to the users.
If you like what you see and want to work together, get in touch!
Let's connect
