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ROLE
UX Designer
UX Researcher
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TIMELINE
March 2025 (48 hours)
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SKILLS
User Research
UI/UX Design
Wireframing
Design Documentation
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TOOLS
Figma
Google Forms
APP PREVIEW
Dashboard
Wellness Check-in
Circle
Inbox
❶ Problem & Research
What's the problem?
Cancer patients often require holistic care beyond chemotherapy, including nutrition, physical therapy, mental health support, and alternative treatments. However, these services are typically fragmented and difficult to navigate.
What's the solution?
A platform that integrates holistic treatments into a personalized, accessible care plan for cancer patients by improving coordination between loved ones, caregivers, and existing health providers in managing the cancer patient’s health.
How did I approach this?
I conducted a survey and reached out to family and friends for data-driven insights. Health is a delicate subject matter that requires careful examination on as many fronts as possible, so it was important to hear directly from cancer patients and caregivers.
Research Objectives
①
Gauge cancer patients' and caregivers' knowledge and understanding of the importance of accessing holistic care treatment and resources.
②
Determine how cancer patients and caregivers currently coordinate medical treatments, holistic therapies, and other support services.
③
Identify the most significant barriers patients and caregivers face when integrating holistic approaches into cancer care.
Survey Response Summary
I had 7 respondents (1 cancer patient in remission and 6 caregivers—professional and/or family members). Based on these answers, two main insights stood out to me:
①
Caring for a cancer patient is a team effort.
See quote from child of cancer patient, less than 1 year of cancer care experience
“My mom pretty much is a full-time caregiver for my dad, and she schedules all his appointments. I take care of handling all insurance things. It’s mostly a team effort between us, as well as the staff point of contact we have at the hospital that runs a lot of the paperwork for us.”
②
There is a need for more information and resources on holistic care.
See quote from professional caregiver (doctor), 3+ years of cancer care experience
"We came a long way with medical management and treatment of cancer with technological innovation and early detection. Caring for cancer patients undergoing treatment involves multimodal approach to address not only the physical aspect of it but also the psychosocial dimension."
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis of existing platforms for cancer care and any other apps used for health and task management.
It was clear that while these platforms provided methods to handle logistics, most did not offer direct modes of communication to and between providers. There is also a lack of focus on accessing resources and information on holistic care.
How Might We...?
I synthesized my findings and created 3 statements to guide me in my design process:
①
How might we better identify and address the supportive care needs of cancer patients throughout their treatment and survivorship?
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How might we enhance communication and coordination among cancer patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers?
③
How might we improve access to personalized holistic care resources and services that support cancer patients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being?
❷ Design & Iteration
Sketching
I sketched out potential screens and a possible flow to address all my "How Might We" statements.
User Persona & Flow
To further refine my ideas, I created a user persona and a user flow to see how a cancer patient might engage with the app's features given a specific situation.
USER PERSONA
In this scenario, Walter wakes up feeling more fatigued than usual after his latest chemo session. He opens the app to complete a wellness check-in and let his family and providers know about his situation, hoping to receive an appropriate care plan along with additional resources.
USER FLOW
Visual Design & Brand Identity
I crafted a simple brand identity, choosing green as the predominant color. Green is widely recognized as a color of safety and often associated with healing, growth, and renewal.
❸ Final Product
DASHBOARD & WELLNESS CHECK-IN
SUPPORT CIRCLE
❹ Next Steps
①
UI/UX for Support Circle Members
The roles of caregivers, loved ones, and providers should be expanded upon, especially in terms of communication and responsibility delegation.
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Address Other Issues
Based on my survey responses, one of the biggest concerns in accessing holistic care is cost/finances, so I’d like to explore ways to address that and navigate insurance options.
③
If I Had More Time...
This whole project was done within 48 hours. Given more time, I would have built out a working prototype of my current flow with micro-interactions for better visualization.
