Overview

In my part-time job as a UX/UI designer at Unikk.me, I worked on the development of a new app for Aalborg University Hospital that collects and communicates patients’ digital health data to their doctor. Today, there’s a risk that a knee or hip operation might not benefit the patient. In fact, 15-20% of operated knee patients experience no improvement. To change that statistic, it’s necessary for doctors to have access to patients’ own health data. The goal is to provide doctors with insights into patients’ dietary habits, exercise routines, and overall activity levels. This creates the best opportunities for patients and doctors to assess whether the right treatment is exercise, dietary guidance, or surgery.

I contributed to the entire design process, from user research to solution testing. Over the course of ten months, I delivered a hi-fi prototype for the patient-used app, a lo-fi prototype for the website used by doctors, and worked closely with front-end developers to bring the solution to life.

User research

There were two user groups: the patients and the healthcare professionals. The primary focus of the earlier stages of the project was the patients, more specifically patients within the target audience for a knee or hip operation, who would be users of the app. These users are between 60-85 years old. I contributed to the user research, which consisted of a workshop with 8 individuals representing the user group.

Based on the user research, we found that:

• The users have a low level of digital maturity.
• The users have high trust in the Danish healthcare system, however;
• The users are not convinced about why doctors need access to their dietary and exercise data.
• The users have low trust in technology and the use of their personal data.

Personas

Based on the user research and Unikk.me’s previous research, I developed three personas to make the user group more tangible. One of these personas was Kurt:

Kurt

• Age: 81 years
• Location: Southern Jutland
• Profession: Former farmer
• About Kurt: Kurt is a man in his early eighties who struggles with his knees and is considering a knee surgery. He enjoys using analog media and subscribes to all newspapers and magazines.
  “I’m afraid my health information will be used incorrectly.“

Wants

• Wants to improve his quality of life without disclosing too much health information.
• Wants to have control over his own data.

Concerns

• Feels comfortable providing health information through a physical questionnaire at the hospital but is hesitant to share health data digitally. He doesn’t fully understand what the doctor would use it for, who would have access to it, and where and how it’s stored.
• Doubts that a digital data-sharing solution would be beneficial for him.

Level of trust in the Danish health care system

Level of digitalization

• Owns a smartphone that his grandchildren have tried to teach him how to use.
• Primarily uses his smartphone to take pictures.
• Prefers using his old Nokia phone as it is simple to use and serves his essential needs.
• Reads newspapers to be able to participate in discussions at the local pub and calls his grandchildren to stay in touch with them.

User flow

I contributed to the development of wireframes and the user flow that the user needs to go through when using the app for the first time, second time, and in daily use. The process below starts with initial ideas and wireframes, then proceeds to mockups, and finally to the detailed prototype.

Wireframes

Mockups

Prototype

View prototype

UX writing

My approach to UX writing is characterized by adaptability to shifting priorities and evolving user needs. I leveraged the insights from the user research phase and iterated on content based on user feedback, which allowed me to understand user behaviors, preferences, and how different texts are perceived by users. This research-driven approach significantly enhanced my ability to create user-friendly and informative texts for the app. In this capacity, it was imperative that I wrote with clarity and conciseness to minimize user friction when interacting with the product, ensuring users were seamlessly guided through the onboarding process.

To address the persona, Kurt’s, hesitation about sharing digital health data, I crafted texts that prioritized transparency and trustworthiness.

Testing

To evaluate and refine the user experience, I implemented a multifaceted UX testing approach. Initially, I conducted tests of the mock-ups to identify potential areas of concern. These tests, facilitated through Preely, an online usability testing tool, provided valuable insights into user interactions with the early design concepts.

To validate the final prototype’s usability and effectiveness, I orchestrated qualitative usability tests employing a “think aloud” format. These tests were conducted at Aalborg University Hospital, where I engaged four hip/knee patients in the evaluation process. This method allowed participants to vocalize their thoughts and experiences while interacting with the prototype, offering profound insights into their expectations and pain points.

This testing strategy ensured an iterative process throughout the design journey. It not only allowed me to pinpoint areas of improvement but also allowed me to challenge and refine the proposed solution continually. The collective input from both mock-up and prototype testing played a pivotal role in shaping the final user experience, ensuring it met the users’ needs and standards of usability and user satisfaction.

What I learned 🌱

I learned to work with a user group that can be challenging to design for due to their low level of digital maturity, lack of trust in technology, and concerns about the use of their personal data. Therefore, it was particularly important to emphasize that the user is in control of their own data and create a design that exudes a sense of security and credibility. I learned that the design needed to reflect the idea that as a patient, one could benefit from their digital footprint in dialogues with healthcare professionals. Additionally, the app had a lengthy onboarding process, meaning it had to be especially easy and intuitive to navigate through, considering the user group, and it also had to be user-friendly for everyday use.

Furthermore, I learned that good design cannot be achieved without effective communication with developers. Therefore, I learned to use Acceptance Criteria and the Gherkin language in my communication with developers.