WeShareCare UI/UX Redesign
Overview
In Advanced Product Design, a major requirement class offered at Tufts University, I was placed in a group tasked with a semester long project to redesign the the WeShareCare Application.
WeShareCare is a mobile application designed to connect patients with healthcare providers in real time. The app aims to provide fast and efficient support for those who are in need of help or desire any type of medical advice. This technology is especially important for individuals in underprivileged areas to get access to quality healthcare.
For this project, we conducted user research and identified key issues with the application. These issues mainly related to accessibility of information to reduce user confusion as well as representation and diversity throughout the application.
We then created low and high fidelity prototypes and conducted user testing to iterate on our initial designs. This project culminated to a 30 minute presentation to company managers.
This hands on, "real world" experience, gave a great opportunity to apply what I had learned in my classes to an impactful project. I enjoyed the product design process and all of its steps.
Our final presentation can be seen here.
Roles:
Researcher
UI/UX Designer
Time:
12 Weeks
Methods:
User Research
Surveys & Interviews
Wireframing
Designing
Prototyping
Tools:
Miro
Google Suite
Background
WeShareCare’s mobile application helps users get connected to healthcare and access other medical needs. However, the application has proven to be difficult for users to navigate and access their tools. Our goal was to redesign the app to promote easier navigation and more efficient services.
Process
We first needed to understand the app and the many users of its features. We started by defining the user, conducting research on this app's website, and speaking to potential patients. Although we understand that this user base is very large, we narrowed it down to an average user who uses WeShareCare as an alternative to an expensive doctor’s office visit.
We then got into the user's mindset, understanding the anxiety and stress of handling your health. These emotions, coupled with the frustration that many U.S. residents feel when facing the healthcare system, allowed us to view the app with a specific and critical lens.
This information influenced the development of our personas. See below the three personas we developed for this redesign.
After defining the user and conducting research, we identified 4 main issues that we could address in our short time frame:
Ambiguous specialty options
Uninformative waiting room
Non-Inclusive avatars
Unintuitive messaging symbols
From these highlighted issues, we created low fidelity paper prototypes. We spent time discussing every possible solution and sketching a few of our favorites.
We then developed a high-fidelity prototype based on these sketches to conduct additional user testing. See below for before and after pictures of the application with our redesign.
Before
After
Before
From these prototypes, we were able to create a mock-up workflow of how the patient side of this application would work, and collected feedback through a questionnaire and user testing.
Each person we got feedback from gave us new insights on tweaks we should make in order for this application to be as intuitive and effective as possible. This is especially important when redesigning with applications that deal with users’ health and well-being. We created and presented final ideas to the company that they could consider for the redesign. Our redesign of the messaging system can be seen below.
After
Before
Finally, our development of additional avatars was essential to broadening the appeal of the app to audiences everywhere. By adding these avatars, audiences felt more represented and comfortable while using the application and speaking to medical professionals.
See below some examples of our added avatars.
After
Summary
Working with WeShareCare taught me about the bridge between healthcare and UI/UX. I learned about the importance of universal design especially when creating mobile applications and services. Redesigning this application allowed me to think outside the box while staying familiar in what I have learned.
Additionally, being part of this group developed my communication and creativity skills. I am proud of the work we accomplished and will bring with me the lessons I learned from this term-long project.
I hope you enjoyed learning about my WeShareCare UI/UX redesign project. If you would like to hear more about this project, please do not hesitate to reach out to me!