Reimagining the caregiver's journey
Caring for the carers through a mobile app offering support and guidance
This app is designed to provide access to experts who can help answer caregivers’ questions as they look after an elderly family member or friend.
Competitive analysis
The app design process begins by surveying the landscape of current apps that might provide solutions for caregivers who want expert advice. I conducted a competitive analysis of two current expert app solutions, Just Answer and Mentorcam. I also explored current caregiving apps such as ianacare.
I found CareSource to be uniquely positioned to fill a gap in the current marketplace between expert advice apps and apps focused on other aspects of caregiving, such as scheduling doctors’ visits or tracking prescriptions.
Problem statement
“Working professionals who find themselves caring for an elderly person need a way to quickly, easily, and safely access advice from a range of multilingual, certified experts to address their specific caregiving issues.
We will know this to be true when we see they are signing up for the app, have logged in multiple times within a one-month period, and asked a question to and received a response from at least one expert.”
User research
After crafting a problem statement and research goals I conducted a user survey with nine participants via Google Forms. The survey helped inform questions for more in-depth remote-moderated video interviews with three users.
Insights that emerged from affinity mapping included:
1) Make the app easy to use so that it doesn’t take up too much of caregivers’ time.
2) Allow for scheduling features like a calendar or reminders to help fit expert advice on caregiving into users’ daily routines.
3) Make the app simple and easy to use when possible to allow for a broad age range and tech expertise of users.
4) Make the tone of the app empathetic and supportive to keep users motivated and encouraged.
5) Enable message and video chat so users have multiple ways to engage with experts.
6) Add experts to the app who can answer medical questions for specific conditions.
7) Add filters so users can screen for experts based on specific criteria.
User personas
I created two user personas, Mary and Ashley, based on user surveys and user interviews and the insights drawn from affinity mapping.
User journey maps and task flows
Next I created user journey maps and task flows for both personas to help visualize the users’ mindsets as they completed tasks within the app.
Site maps
From the user research and persona creation I was able to define an initial site architecture. After an open card sort and a closed card sort via Optimal Workshop, I made revisions to the site map. One of the biggest revisions came from the realization that users needed a more clearly-defined separation between account settings and help content. See the original and revised sitemaps below.
Low-fidelity wireframes
The user research and site map informed my low-fidelity and mid-fidelity wireframes. I began creating low-fidelity wireframes by hand-drawing key app screens. These early sketches helped bring the user task flows to life.
Mid-fidelity wireframes
As my app structure took shape, I translated my drawn low-fidelity wireframes into mid-fidelity wireframes that indicated how users would complete key tasks in the app.
User testing
I further refined my mid-fidelity wireframes into a high-fidelity prototype and conducted user testing with six users via remote moderated sessions on Zoom. Users provided valuable feedback on usability issues that I captured and sorted into a rainbow spreadsheet. I graded errors based on the Nielsen Error Severity Scale and prioritized fixing the most severe usability errors.
My fixes following user testing included:
1) Adding text labels below all bottom navigation icons to help users understand what each icon did
2) Adding back navigation options so users could backtrack while using the app
3) Adding animations and rewriting onboarding screen text to make the onboarding experience more user-friendly
4) Adding text hints to empty form fields for app login and sign up screens to help prompt users to enter the correct information
UI iterations
Following user testing and refinement of the app from a UX design perspective, I worked to polish the UI design of the app based on Gestalt design principles and WCAG guidelines as well as feedback from fellow designers. Below are sample wireframes from the final design of the app.
Design language system
In order to keep a consistent look and feel for the app, I created a design language system with guidelines on UI elements as well as voice and tone.
Revised prototype
Click below to launch the current prototype of the CareSource app.
