A white labeled symptom tracking system ・ May 2019 - Dec 2020

Trackrr

OVERVIEW

Rip Road has an extensive patient engagement platform with an aim to build mobile apps that improve the patient’s experience with their care. The company collaborates with researchers and healthcare providers, and wanted to leverage their partnerships to streamline the app development process. Rip Road sought to develop a white labeled, symptom tracking application that could be easily configured and customized.

OBJECTIVE

Reduce the time to market for the apps they create

Increase patient satisfaction and participation

ROLE

Lead Product Designer, Product Strategy, User Research, Prototyping & Testing, Information Architecture

KEY RESULTS

82%

Participants satisfied or very satisfied

75%

Reduction in development time

25%

Sales goal for new orgs using Trackrr

Project Background

While the business goal was to reduce costs in app development, our primary focus was delivering substantial value to our end users, the patients.

The app was designed in a way that could be easily deployed for any condition type, and since it’s completion in 2020, it’s been used to create symptom tracking applications for hemophilia, arthritis and heart disease. By synthesizing the reporting mechanisms we had been creating across all of our apps into a UI kit and SDK library we were able to reduce the time to market by 75% of the time it had previously taken our team.

Trackrr was able to reduce development & design time by 75%

Users

The Patient

Many patients encounter challenges when attempting to convey their symptoms to their doctors, often resulting in a reluctance to seek medical attention until their symptoms escalate.

From the patient's perspective, there exists a genuine desire for their doctors to be aware of their symptoms, yet they frequently struggle to effectively articulate their experiences.

The Provider

Similarly, healthcare providers face a significant challenge: "I want to understand my patient's symptoms, but they are not always effectively communicated.”

This issue holds profound significance, as research indicates that clinicians may fail to recognize or acknowledge up to 5% of reported symptoms.

Design Principles

With these goals in mind, the product team came up with several design principles to help guide our thought process and decision-making.

Adaptable

To ensure the app's versatility across different condition types, we prioritized flexibility in its design. Our modular features were developed to allow customization, catering to specific populations and their unique needs.

Innovative

Seeking to transcend the mundane landscape of digital healthcare, our solution was designed with innovation at its core. Our aim was to captivate users, compelling them to engage with our platform willingly.

User-Friendly

We prioritized approachability in our app's design, ensuring that users would not feel overwhelmed by unfamiliar technology. Our goal was to create a seamless and intuitive user experience that accommodated individuals of varying technological backgrounds.

Inclusive

Recognizing the significance of diversity and respect, our app was meticulously crafted to be inclusive. It embraced all users, irrespective of gender identity, biological characteristics, or other diverse backgrounds, fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Research

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

Working alongside our behavioral health expert, we chose patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) as the foundation for our design system. PROMs effectively capture information that reflects the quality of a patient's experience.

I led the creation of the design system, using PROMs as the basis to thoroughly test its functionality. Throughout the process, I collaborated with our behavioral health expert to ensure that the UI presented the questionnaire questions in a valid and effective manner.

Design System

Chat Concept

It was important to us that our app maintained a friendly and caring tone to evoke a sense of being cared for. Our goal was to create an app that was not only easy to use but also enjoyable.

Insights from a research study on improving medication adherence suggested that using a narrator with a storytelling approach could be an effective alternative to an in-person health educator.

Given our limited budget for outsourcing testing, I utilized Qualtrics to conduct a Product Concept Testing survey. The survey was sent to our network of research participants from other projects, such as those with hemophilia and rheumatoid arthritis, who had previously consented to future research opportunities. Around 30 participants responded to the survey, providing valuable feedback. Their initial impressions of the app were rated as 48% extremely positive and 22% somewhat positive. These results helped confirm the viability of our chosen direction.

3D Body

In our previous research studies on chronic migraine, arthritis, and diabetes, we observed that patients struggled to track the location of their symptoms on their bodies. Traditionally, clinicians rely on survey questions or 2D diagrams to gather this information. We aimed to make this process faster, simpler, and more enjoyable.

To address this challenge, we experimented with a 3D body feature. Users could interact with a rotatable 3D model and tap to record the areas where they experienced symptoms.

Ensuring inclusivity was a top priority for us. We wanted users to have the option to choose between the male or female version of the 3D body, regardless of any onboarding information related to sex assigned at birth. Many medical applications overlook gender diversity in symptom tracking, excluding non-binary patients. We recognized the importance of accommodating diverse gender identities within the Tracker framework. As a result, we integrated a gender inclusion and 3D body preference question into our ready-made onboarding flow. Users could easily adjust the body model presented to them in their app settings.

This approach aimed to make symptom tracking more inclusive and accessible for all users, aligning with our commitment to providing a comprehensive and user-centric experience through Tracker.

Iteration

Beta Launch Findings

We noticed that participants who repeatedly tracked the same areas on the 3D body were more likely to drop off and not complete the survey. Some respondents confirmed this, mentioning that tracking the same spots became tedious. To address this, we added a feature to Tracker that allows users to easily track their last recorded areas with a single tap.

82%