HerHealth
UX Design Case Study
UX Design Case Study
A tool to help women get the most out of their medical care.
Challenges
There are many barriers to care experienced by women.
•Primary care physicians may not be as familiar with health conditions unique to women.
•Women can experience difficultly advocating for appropriate medical care, and having their concerns taken seriously.
•It can be hard for women to keep track of all the unique health screenings & concerns relevant to their personal health and well-being.
•Women can experience difficultly advocating for appropriate medical care, and having their concerns taken seriously.
•It can be hard for women to keep track of all the unique health screenings & concerns relevant to their personal health and well-being.
Goal
Create an app that will enable women to effectively track and assess their health.
Arming users with the tools and knowledge needed to better advocate for themselves and their health.
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Responsible for design process from concept, research, & ideation; through to prototyping, testing, and developing a clear visual language.
Tools
Adobe: XD, Illustrator, Photoshop
Usability Hub
Optimal Sort
Usability Hub
Optimal Sort
Understanding The Problem
Competitive Analysis
There are no apps in the Canadian marketplace that focus on the overall health of women. Women’s health apps typically focus on a single aspect of women’s health like menstruation, fitness training, or weight loss. This is a gap that HerHealth aims to fill.
I identified two apps that focused on overall health in the general population as the basis of my competitive research.
Babylon by TELUS Health
Now TELUS Health MyCare
Now TELUS Health MyCare
Babylon offers video consultations with licensed doctors (covered by the user’s provincial
health plan in BC, AB, ON, & SK), as well as a symptom checker, health assessment & monitoring tools.
health plan in BC, AB, ON, & SK), as well as a symptom checker, health assessment & monitoring tools.
Google Fit
Google Fit is an activity tracking app that focuses on improving user health
by promoting activity and general physical fitness.
by promoting activity and general physical fitness.
User Research
Identifying the obstacles and needs of women when navigating their personal health
•What are the challenges women face when seeking medical care?
•What aspects of their health are most important to them?
•What features do women want in a health app?
•What aspects of their health are most important to them?
•What features do women want in a health app?
Unmoderated Remote Survey
Female participants between the ages of 19 & 60
Female participants between the ages of 19 & 60
Sample Question: Have you ever experienced difficulty receiving adequate medical care because of your gender?
27% YES : It was difficult to get the care I needed
5% YES : I was unable to get the care I needed
38% NO : I have experienced difficulty receiving adequate medical care, but not because of my gender
30% NO : I have never experienced difficulty receiving adequate medical care
70% of respondents had difficulty accessing adequate medical care, and nearly half of those who experienced difficulty believe it is due to their gender.
User Interviews
Female participants ranging in age from 34-74
Female participants ranging in age from 34-74
Interview participants were quite open and eager to share their personal experiences. The process got somewhat emotional given the sensitive subject matter. Setting my participants at ease during this process was paramount.
Insights
• Women often feel that they aren’t listened to by doctors, that their pain is dismissed, and their concerns aren’t taken seriously.
• Users would like to combine their various medical tools into one app.
• People dislike waiting; for appointments, test results, & diagnosis.
• Some participants struggle to be consistent with their routines.
• Participants care about their physical activity & balancing their diets to stay healthy.
• Users want to monitor different aspects of their health.
• Women want to have their feelings considered when seeking medical care.
• Users would like to combine their various medical tools into one app.
• People dislike waiting; for appointments, test results, & diagnosis.
• Some participants struggle to be consistent with their routines.
• Participants care about their physical activity & balancing their diets to stay healthy.
• Users want to monitor different aspects of their health.
• Women want to have their feelings considered when seeking medical care.
“I’m educated about the stuff that I deal with because I have to be”
Defining The Problem
Problem Statement
“HerHealth users need a way to monitor & organize their health because they are often overlooked by medical professionals.
We will know this to be true when we see how many women are using our app to track & assess their health so they can better advocate for themselves in medical settings.”
Determined by the research findings, HerHealth will give users the tools & knowledge needed to better advocate for themselves in healthcare settings by providing them with:
Health Trackers
Accurate tracking of important health indicators
Accurate tracking of important health indicators
Symptom Checkup
Information about potential health concerns so they can be prepared for medical appointments
Health Reminders
Help users stay consistent with their routines and goals
Help users stay consistent with their routines and goals
User Profile
A way to better organize their important health information and documentation
Personas
Based on the research results, I developed three core personas for HerHealth.
Amy - "The Hopeful Mom"
34/f
Married: 3 years
Trying to conceive
Married: 3 years
Trying to conceive
Notable Quotes:
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom,
I just didn’t think it would take this long.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom,
I just didn’t think it would take this long.”
“Just because I’m fat, doesn’t mean that I’m not fit.”
Patricia - "The Independent Woman"
45/f
Common-law: 10 years
Doesn’t want kids
Common-law: 10 years
Doesn’t want kids
Notable Quotes:
“I hate that doctors care more about my fertility
than they care about me.”
“I hate that doctors care more about my fertility
than they care about me.”
“I don’t have time to be in pain.”
Louise - The Matriarch
68/f
Married: 40 years
Mother of three
Married: 40 years
Mother of three
Notable Quotes:
“I like an app that’s simple, otherwise I won’t use it.”
“I like an app that’s simple, otherwise I won’t use it.”
“I love my grandkids, but they can really be exhausting!”
User Flow
Flow developed for our persona Louise.
Flow developed for our persona Louise.
Louise is a forgetful person, and wants to be reminded to take her medications, so that she can effectively treat her high blood pressure. Here we follow her process to set & use a reminder for her blood pressure medication.
User Journey
Journey developed for our persona Amy.
Scenario: Trying to Conceive
Amy is trying to get pregnant. She wants to appropriately plan & track her pregnancy, monitor her health, and keep track of her various pre-natal appointments & screenings.
Amy is trying to get pregnant. She wants to appropriately plan & track her pregnancy, monitor her health, and keep track of her various pre-natal appointments & screenings.
Iteration & Testing
Wireframes to Prototype
HerHealth went through many iterations from wireframe mockups through to a high fidelity prototype.
User testing, A/B testing, peer review, design standards, & accessibility guidelines informed my design decisions throughout this process.
User testing, A/B testing, peer review, design standards, & accessibility guidelines informed my design decisions throughout this process.
Cycle Tracker Iterations
Changes During Iteration
Initially this screen consisted of top level information, but at Mid Fidelity that info was moved to the main trackers tab.
The Cycle Tracker was then changed to show more information, and have immediate access to deeper functionality.
After testing, adjustments were made to the functionality & layout of this screen based on user expectations. Namely moving the log buttons to the individual date screen & making the legend for the calendar immediately visible.
Within the calendar itself at high fidelity, changes were made to simplify the visual interface, and adjust for a higher level of accessibility.
User Testing
All testing was conducted using remote moderation over the course of four days using Google Meet.
The goal of the study was to assess the intuitiveness, efficiency, & error rate for users interacting with HerHealth for the first time on mobile.
I wanted to observe and measure if users understand the app, its value, and how to utilize it’s basic functionality. This was assessed by completing tasks like logging in, understanding the health tracker, scheduling a reminders, & finding information about potential health concerns.
Test participants were all assigned female at birth (with one participant identifying as non-binary) and ranged in age from their early 30s to early 40s.
Objectives
• Determine if participants understand the app and the value it provides. (i.e., how it might help them advocate for themselves in medical settings, leading to better health outcomes)
• Observe how users navigate the app: Can they successfully find the tools they need?
• Observe how users interact with various functions of the app: Is the process intuitive? Do they want to make use of the tools provided? Do they see them as useful?
Takeaways
• Participants were confused by the colour coding in the cycle tracker.
• Participants did not find the log period buttons to be intuitive.
• Participants struggled to locate where their medication information was stored.
• Most participants would use HerHealth’s reminder features if they had the app.
• Participants all like to research health conditions they deal with, however there was an even split between those who like to research before or research after speaking to a doctor.
• Participants have concerns about thier personal medical information being online.
Changes Made Based on Testing
• Adjustments were made to create greater visual clarity and understanding of processes in the Cycle Tracker & Medication Reminders.
• Created multiple paths for user to access their medication library.
• App walkthrough adjusted to better inform user of the app's full functionality.
Accessibility & Visual Design
The Importance of Accessibility
As an app focused on making health care more accessible to women, accessibility is at the core of HerHealth’s identity as a product.
It is of primary importance that HerHealth be accessible to as many women as possible, and this includes the differently abled.
Current level of Accessibility
Taking accessibility into account throughout my entire design process, HerHealth meets AA standards. I have avoided complex imagery, video, & audio elements etc.
Keeping the app visually streamlined, and the written language of the app simple has all helped to make compliance easier.
Aiming for AAA?
My long term goals for HerHealth would be for it to meet as many AAA standards as possible. Either through how the code of the app is structured, or through customizable app settings that are easily adjusted so any potential user’s needs can be met.
Design Language
HerHealth is designed to convey a sense of reliability and comfort.
The goal is that the user should feel that they can trust the information the app presents as accurate. Additionally HerHealth should set the user at ease, creating a friendly atmosphere through both it’s visual design and use of language.
The goal is that the user should feel that they can trust the information the app presents as accurate. Additionally HerHealth should set the user at ease, creating a friendly atmosphere through both it’s visual design and use of language.
App Colours
Branding is a pallet of a bold dark purple with complimentary muted pastels.
Purple, while leaning feminine, lends an air of power and seriousness.
Pink is used primarily as an accent so that the app does not feel condescendingly feminine or frivolous.
Peach adds a softness without being sickly sweet.
Language
Language in HerHealth is conversational and friendly, while still maintaining a professional and reliable tone.
The goal is to make the user feel comfortable, like the app is listening and taking their concerns & health goals seriously.
The goal is to make the user feel comfortable, like the app is listening and taking their concerns & health goals seriously.
The language of HerHealth aims to be accessible to a grade 5 reading level so it can reach as many menstruating people as possible.
High Fidelity Screens & Interactive Prototype
Splash Screen
Onboarding
Login
Overview/Home
Health Trackers
Cycle Tracker
Symptom Checkup
Checkup Results
Results Details
Reminders
Reminder Settings
User Profile
Summary
Goal of HerHealth
Create an app that will enable women to effectively track and assess their health.
Arming them with the tools & knowledge needed to better advocate for themselves and their health.
Arming them with the tools & knowledge needed to better advocate for themselves and their health.
Did We Succeed?
Further user testing and a formal release would be required to truly assess the app’s success.
However our final prototype fulfills the brief in providing users with:
• Accurate Tracking of their primary health concerns.
• Information about potential health concerns.
• A system of reminders to book important health screenings, take their medications, and create custom reminders related to their health.
• An optional way to store their important health information.
• Accurate Tracking of their primary health concerns.
• Information about potential health concerns.
• A system of reminders to book important health screenings, take their medications, and create custom reminders related to their health.
• An optional way to store their important health information.
Future Opportunities for Iteration
Additional Features
An obvious iteration to the app would be to add a virtual appointment feature, this however would require a pretty substantial update post launch. Setting up payment and localization would be a large endeavour.
More tracking widgets could be added to HerHealth’s existing roster of trackers. During our research survey many participants expressed interest in a calorie/macro-nutrient tracker or food diary.
Ultimately it is essential that the app not loose it’s scope. All additional features should be focused on making it easier for women to access the appropriate care for their health.
General Improvements
As a health focused app aimed at improving the accessibility to healthcare for women, continued iteration around accessibility for HerHealth itself will always be a priority.
Further accessibility for users with physical/mental impairments; or for further marginalized groups like people of colour and the trans community.
Gamification could also be built into HerHealth to encourage users to make consistent use of it’s tracking features.
General usability, and efforts to streamline the design will also always be expected and welcome.
Thanks for viewing
HerHealth
