MedSafeDiet
Enhancing health through medication insights and nutrition
CLIENT
MedSafeDiet
ROLE
UX/UI Design
User Research + Analysis l Design Strategy | Wire framing & Prototyping l Interaction Design l Visual Design l Usability Testing l Responsive Design
TEAM
Julia Brière, Alex Camp, Michael Palfreeman, Morgan Ager andTamara Zipporah
TOOLS
Figma, Figjam, Otter AI
INTRODUCTION
What is MedSafeDiet?
MedSafeDiet is a personalized app designed for monitoring medications, diet, and supplements. By integrating medically informed prescription guidance with nutritional education, the platform enhances personal well-being and healthcare outcomes, while also shaping effective solutions for the future.
How might we help people better understand and manage the potentially serious interactions between their medications, foods, and supplements?
THE CHALLANGE
Guiding users to safer health decisions with interaction insights
Our challenge was to develop a digital platform that aims to bring together medically informed prescription and nutrition information through educational services.
In collaboration with the founder, we identified three key insights that would shape the MVP, focusing on delivering high-impact features to maximize user value and drive early adoption.
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Address medication interactions through a user-friendly platform, unlike current clinician-focused tools.
Empower users to proactively manage their health and advocate for themselves.
Personalized nutrition is crucial yet underutilized.
THE SOLUTION
Integrating medication management + nutrition for health
The solution is a user-friendly digital platform that integrates personalized nutrition with medication management, helping individuals understand and avoid potentially harmful interactions between their medications, foods, and supplements. By empowering users with easy-to-access information and tools, the platform encourages proactive health management, enabling users to become their own health advocates. The platform is designed to be accessible to the general public, addressing the gaps left by current clinician-focused tools.
THE APPROACH
What else is out there?
After our discussion with the founder we went and looked into competitors that he identified. WebMD + Drugs.com overwhelming user experience, not easy to digest information, big listed results with hundreds of possible interactions and severity levels.
BNF is designed and used by clinicians. My fitness pal and cronometer are very nutrition focused with granular daily tracking.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Revealing patterns through data analysis
SURVEY
Responses: 50
Ages: 28-75 years old
Our market research provided a deeper understanding of the medication and prescription landscape, as well as people’s habits around prescription management. To gather insights, we used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The survey yielded over 50 data points.
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take over the counter medication and supplements, indicating the risk for unknown interactions.
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said they would be comfortable with digital platforms to manage medication.
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take 3 or more different medications.
QUALITIVE RESEARCH
Uncovering user needs through real conversations
1:1 INTERVIEWS
Participants: 22
Ages: 23-55 years old
The interviews focused on identifying valuable features for target demographics, user engagement strategies, anticipated challenges, and plans for integrating emerging technologies like AI. Our insights aimed to provided an understanding of user needs and pain points.
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Technology Aversion + Usability Concerns
Many users, particularly those over 55, are apprehensive about technology and find existing health apps difficult to use, often due to concerns about ease of use and accuracy.
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Frustrations with Access to Medical Information
Users experience challenges with accessing clear and accurate information from medical professionals, facing long wait times and conflicting advice about their medications.
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Interest in Diet + Medication Integration
There is a strong interest among the 55+ population in understanding how their diet affects their medication, with many expressing a desire for better support and information to manage their health proactively.
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Desire for Trustworthy + Simple Tech Solution
Users prefer technology that is easy to use, secure, and provides reliable information. They also value the ability to share their health data with family and caregivers for additional support and reminders.
THE ARCHETYPES
Who are we designing for?
Following our research and validation of insights from stakeholder discussions, we developed three user archetypes. This helped us identify the most effective target user to design for within the project’s timeframe.
THE PROBLEM
What are we trying to solve?
We developed user stories and problem statements to guide us through the ideation phase, with the "digitally savvy but frustrated" archetype being the most rewarding focus. Below are the key areas I prioritized to understand and effectively create a successful solution and app, addressing the core design challenge.
User Stories
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01
As a more digitally savvy user, I would like to have easy access to trusted information around my medication and diet interactions so that I can become my own health advocate.
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As a more digitally savvy user, I would like to have access to trustworthy, more personalised health advice so that I don’t have to visit local medical professionals as often.
Problem Statements
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Digitally savvy users want an easy-to-use platform for personalized health advice to avoid frustration with complex interfaces and hard-to-find information.
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Digitally savvy users need help managing their medication and diet because they struggle to get personalized health advice.
USER FLOWS
Designing for simplicity
User Flow:
User manually inputs medications in the app to identify potential interactions.
Our team developed around 10 user flows, and I took the lead in structuring the app’s layout for the ‘digitally savy’ archetype. Drawing from our research and insights, I focused on optimizing the user experience while ensuring that each flow aligned with the app’s three core pillars. My goal was to make the app intuitive and effective for users without compromising its foundational values.
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Smart Drug Comparison
This feature allows users to search for or scan new drugs and compare them instantly with their saved prescriptions. By helping users identify potential risks associated with medication and food interactions, this tool promotes safer medication management and proactive health decisions.
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Detailed Interaction Insights
With a color-coded and icon-based rating system, users can instantly gauge the risk level when combining new drugs with their current prescriptions. This simple, visual approach helps users make informed decisions in seconds, promoting safety and confidence in medication management. In-depth information provides users with detailed explanations of flagged interactions, possible side effects, and any changes in medication efficacy.
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Diet-Medication Compatibility
This feature lets users understand how certain foods can affect their medication regimen and overall health. By providing a compatibility score, users can quickly see potential interactions between ingredients and their medications, helping them make dietary choices that support their health goals.
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Scenario 1
Jillian recently picked up a new medication at her pharmacy. Concerned about how it might interact with her existing prescriptions, she opens the MedSafeDiet app to check for potential interactions.
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Scenario 2
Jillian is interested in trying a new food item, but wants to ensure it won’t interfere with her medications. She opens the MedSafeDiet app to scan the item for compatibility.
CONCLUSION
Meeting the design challenge
For MedSafeDiet, I created a design solution that addressed the core challenge: developing a digital platform that seamlessly integrates prescription and nutrition information with an educational focus. My approach aligned closely with the business concept while prioritizing users’ needs for simplicity and clarity to prevent overwhelm. The resulting design features a user-friendly interface with easily digestible information, reducing user frustration and enhancing overall accessibility.