MediGo Sleep (copy) | Annelieze C Williams

CLIENT: MediGo Sleep

INDUSTRY: Healthcare & Medical, Start-up

PROJECT DURATION: 6 week design sprint

MY ROLE: I was co-facilitator of a team of 13 UX/UI designers, and was responsible for deliverables in each design phase, from research to prototype development.

The Brief

Academy Xi was approached to provide a digital solution for a start-up company looking to improve patient access to affordable healthcare products and services, with a particular emphasis on sleep apnea. It was envisioned that the solution would serve as a hub of information, support and connection for anyone affected by sleep disturbances.

Being a newcomer to the market, the client was also interested in creating brand awareness, establishing credibility and instilling a sense of trust.

The Solution

Our group of UX/UI designers employed the user-centred Double-Diamond design methodology to deliver a desktop prototype that was presented to the client at the conclusion of the design sprint.

By utilising a soft colour palette, minimising text-heavy copy and incorporating imagery to illustrate and reinforce messaging, we hoped to reduce cognitive overload often reported by users frequenting healthcare websites. User flows were designed and enhanced to ensure intuitive navigation, and a patient portal created to help ease the administrative burden of managing user healthcare.

The Result

Using the Double-Diamond design methodology, we were able to provide the client with a platform and portal that could be utilised by anyone affected by sleep disturbances. We (a) unpacked patient treatment journeys to identify key user needs and goals; (b) prioritised solutions that support a positive patient experience and facilitate the work of healthcare professionals; (c) validated our design decisions through usability testing; and (d) delivered a high-fidelity desktop prototype.

Problem Statement

People who experience, or have been diagnosed with, sleep apnea feel worried, overwhelmed and confused about how to manage their condition. Patients want a trusted, reliable, and supportive service that provides researched advice and guidance on managing their healthcare in a holistic manner.

Phase 1: Discovery and Investigation

1.1. Research Objectives

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES (Patient-centric)

To learn why and how patients with suspected or diagnosed Sleep Apnea seek assistance/treatment
To understand the problems patients encounter when seeking assistance/treatment
To determine patient needs and expectations in relation to their treatment journey

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES (Doctor-centric)

To understand the Sleep Apnea treatment journey from a General Practitioner’s (GPs) perspective
To determine what GPs require to better assist patients during their treatment journey

1.2. Research Approach

The group split into smaller teams, each responsible for one of the following research methods:

1.3. My Role

As a member of the Interview and Survey teams, I:

drafted communications for research participants,
wrote the interview guide for the GP participant group,
drafted the survey questions with 4 other team members,
designed the on-line survey, and
conducted user interviews.

1.4. Research Findings

Market Snapshot

SWOT Analysis

* derived from Competitor Analysis

Survey Snapshot

Market Snapshot

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Phase 2: Insights and Opportunities

2.1. Key Insights

We used an Affinity Map (pictured above) to organise the data we collected. In doing so, we were able to identify patterns, themes and key insights.

Here’s what we found:

PIVOT

The initial brief was to develop a customer-facing online platform to enable 3 user groups i.e. patients, GPs and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) to easily interface with MediGo Clinics with a specific focus on Sleep Apnea.

Due to the lack of research participants, the AHP user group fell away. Our research also revealed that they are not as involved with a patient’s sleep apnea journey. Rather, once recommendations have been made by AHPs, the responsibility lies with the patient to follow through.

While GPs were found to play a significant role in diagnosing and treating sleep apnea, due to time constraints and minimal research participants, a pivot was needed to enable the team to deliver a solution with the greatest impact. As a result, the decision was made to design and build a patient-centric platform and portal.

By pivoting our thought process, the team was able to focus our attention on showcasing the treatment journeys of 2 types of patients i.e. compliant and non-compliant.

2.2. Personas and Customer Journey Maps

We developed 2 distinct personas and customer journeys to represent potential users of the MediGo Sleep platform:

Paul - a commercial driver who is worried about losing his job if he does not treat his sleep apnea
Karen – a teacher who is worried about the cost and discomfort of using a CPAP machine to treat her sleep apnea

In creating these personas and customer journeys, we were able to: (a) ‘step into the shoes’ of the patient (i.e. understand context, needs, goals and frustrations); (b) gain a holistic view of their current experiences when seeking information about/assistance with sleep apnea (i.e. actions, touchpoints, emotions and pain points); and (c) identify opportunities for improvement.

Meet Paul and Karen, and read about their treatment journeys here:

2.3. My Role

During Phase 2, I:

synthesized interview data to derive key observations and insights,
created the compliant patient (Paul) persona with 2 other team members, and
assisted with finalising the compliant patient customer journey.

2.4. How Might We (HMW) Statement

Now that we had a deeper understanding of, and were able to empathise with patients who suffer with sleep apnea, we formulated the following HMW Statement:

Paul - Compliant Patient Persona

Paul's Customer Journey

Karen's Customer Journey

Paul - Compliant Patient Persona

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How Might We ...

... ensure sleep apnea patients feel confident they have all the information they need pre and post-treatment through the utilisation of supportive services?

Phase 3: Ideation and Solutions

3.1. Brainstorming and MVP

Guided by our HMW statement, we utilised the 'Worst Possible Idea' brainstorming technique (pictured below) to generate possible solutions based on our key insights.

The creation of a minimum viable product (MVP) helped us prioritise our deliverables and focus on attainable soultions within the 'High Value' quadrants (as detailed below):

3.2. Crazy 8s and Storyboards

We used Crazy 8 sketches to generate a varitey of visuals solutions, and Storyboards to illustrate Paul and Karen’s ideal customer journeys.

Crazy 8s

Karen's Storyboard

Crazy 8s

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Phase 4: Building, Testing and Delivery

4.1. Building the Desktop Platform and Patient Portal

4.1.1. Card Sorting

As the client did not have an existing website, the team had a blank canvas. Knowing that we were designing a patient-centric platform and portal, we carried out a team-based card sorting exercise to arrive at a baseline for our Information Architecture.

In order to validate our thinking, and minimise bias, external participants (n=9) were thereafter invited to complete a virtual open card sorting exercise via Optimal Workshop.

4.1.2. Information Architecture (IA)

Guided by the results of the external card sorting exercise, we worked on finalising our IA.

4.1.3. User Flows

User flows were then created for our compliant (Paul) and non-compliant (Karen) patients.

COMPLIANT PATIENT

Paul's GP has diagnosed him with sleep apnea and referred him to a MediGo Sleep Coach.

NON-COMPLIANT PATIENT

Karen is worried about the cost and discomfort involved in treating her sleep apnea. She needs more information in order to feel confident about commencing treatment.

4.1.4. Low and High Fidelity Wireframes

With our site content organised, structured and labelled; we moved onto wireframing, which helped us visualise the layout, content and functionality of the platform and patient portal.

Each team member had creative license (within the constraints of the design system set up by more experienced UI team members) in designing at least 1 webpage. I was responsible for the About Us page.

4.2. Design Challenges

MediGo Sleep wanted a holistic healthcare management system that was informative, supportive and connected patients with the right people, at the right time, based on their specific needs and location.

Our goal was to deliver a digital solution that anyone affected by sleep disturbances (i.e. patients, their partners/family members) could utilise at any stage of the treatment journey.

Design Challenge - Information Overload & Lack of Support

Patients reported feeling overwhelmed by the information they reviewed about sleep apnea.

In an effort to reduce cognitive overload, we designed a clean interface, and used a combination of text and imagery to convey the most relevant information.

To further support patients with their treatment journey, we included additional sleep-related educational material and outlined options available for finance.

Design Challenge - Connection

GPs reported that patients experience feelings of embarrassment, either as a result of their symptoms, or being diagnosed with a ‘condition’ or ‘disorder’. This in turn may led to a sense of isolation.

In an attempt to normalise patient experiences, and promote a wider support network, we proposed a Sleep Community forum as part of MediGo Sleep’s point-of-difference.

In keeping with MediGo Sleep’s mission to reduce the administrative burden patients face in managing their healthcare, and connecting patients with services in convenient locations, we designed the Location Finder such that it acted as a trigger for booking an appointment.

Design Challenge - Brand Awareness, Credibility & Trust

Being a newcomer to the market, MediGo Sleep required assistance in creating brand awareness, establishing credibility and instilling a sense of trust.

As lived experience goes a long way in achieving this, we welcomed the opportunity to incorporate the Founder’s own sleep story.

We also included reviews posted on social media, and displayed both pictures and credentials of Healthcare Professional partners.