Oliver
An app designed to help users manage their daily medication regimen by sending reminders for when to take their doses. It also provides information about potential side effects and interactions with other medications, ensuring users stay informed and never miss a dose.
(Student project)
SCOPE
Research

UX/UI Design

Branding

Prototyping

Usability Testing
TIMELINE
SEP 2024 - OCT 2024
(1 month)
*Working on a part-time 20hr/week schedule
The Problem
Managing multiple prescriptions can be difficult, and medication adherence is crucial for people with chronic conditions or complex treatments. Missing a dose can sometimes mean a longer recovery, but the consequences can be more severe. For example, missing blood pressure medication increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure, while skipping antidepressants can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
The Research
In the research portion of this project, it was important for me to speak with a range of users with medication regimens across the spectrum. My research helped me discover the common issue of medication non adherence and my secondary research helped me confirm this research and understand some common reasons as to why people miss their doses. I completed a competitive analysis to find the areas of existing apps and tools that needed to be improved and implemented these updates into my design.
Competitive analysis
In my competitive analysis of four medication reminder apps, I found that they were neither engaging nor comprehensive in their setup. Key features such as drug interactions, personalized reminders, and integration with a medication database were often lacking. Furthermore, the user interface was less engaging than it could have been.
User interviews
I spoke with 5 users, each varying in age and medication regimen. Some users only took antibiotics for temporary medications, while some took medications upwards of 4 times per day. The diversity in medication regimen in the sample size helped to make the app usable for people with varying needs.
Secondary research
My secondary researched brought an understanding of some of the underlying causes of why people don’t adhere to their medication routine. I found that a common reason is due to not fully understanding intake instructions. This was helpful in gaining a deeper level of empathy for the potential users and to deciding the most important features to be included.
The Users
5 Participants / 2 Men, 3 Women / Ages 23-68
Key Learnings
The findings from my research reinforced my belief in the need for a medication reminder app that includes timely reminders, side effect and interaction information, pharmacy integration, and detailed input forms. In essence, the goal is to create a comprehensive, user-friendly app that caters to all ages. The cards below, derived from my affinity map, summarize the challenges users face and the changes they hope to see.
Important findings from my affinity map
User Personas
I developed two personas to effectively represent the diverse medication needs of users based on insights from my interviews. For example, Joan takes up to four medications daily and requires frequent, customizable reminders to manage her routine effectively. In contrast, Emily, who only takes one medication, prioritizes privacy and prefers discreet notifications in public settings. These differences informed the design of the app’s notification features, allowing for tailored options
that cater to various lifestyles.
Customer Journey Map
To understand what might frustrate and delight the customer during their journey, I created a customer journey map. It helped me grasp why someone would need an app like this and what features could foster loyalty and keep them engaged. For example, incorporating gamification elements like badges or streaks for consistent medication use could motivate users by celebrating milestones, such as taking their medication on time for 3 weeks straight.
Point of View & How Might We Statement
By crafting personas, the customer journey, and analyzing my research data, my goal was to address the issues posed by this question:
How might we create a platform that gives timely medication reminders, simplified instructions, and informs users of side effects and interactions?
User Flows
To address the “How Might We” question, I created user flows for adding a new medication, updating notification preferences, and viewing medication interactions. These flows directly tackle the three main concerns identified in the question.
The most challenging flow to visualize was the “Add a new medication” process. Initially, I thought it could be condensed into a single page. However, as I developed the input page, I realized that the lengthy and complex nature of medication details required a split into two sections: one for medication information and another for timing and notification preferences. I also considered that older users might feel fatigued by a long form, so breaking it up helps create a more user-friendly experience.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
I began the low-fidelity wireframes by designing the “home” page, or medication reminder overview, since I knew it would be the most viewed and interacted with screen. This initial design laid the foundation for the subsequent screens. From there, I developed key features, such as the “add a new medication” page, where users can input detailed information, including timing and instructions. The medication page also allows users to access additional information about their prescriptions or edit their inputs.
To enhance usability, particularly for older users who may feel fatigued by lengthy forms, I included an option to scan the prescription label for automatic input of medication details. Throughout the design process, I focused on maintaining a minimal and clean layout, prioritizing the timing of medication reminders.
Low-Fidelity Wireframe Testing
Before transitioning to the branding phase and high-fidelity wireframes, I tested the existing screens. Users found the app easy to use and understand but encountered confusion with the new medication form, particularly with the “Quantity” input next to “Dosage” and “Unit.” While I intended it to indicate the number of pills to take, users found it confusing, interpreting it as either the quantity of pills in the bottle or conflicting with the milligram dosage. After careful consideration and discussions with users about their preferences, I decided to remove this input from the form.
BEFORE
AFTER
Branding
I sought to establish a unique brand identity for this medication reminder app that embodies warmth, trust, friendliness, empathy, support, and positivity. When choosing a name for the application, I reflected on someone who truly embodies these qualities—my dog, Oliver. And that's how the name was born.
To achieve this, I incorporated lighthearted illustrations and warm colors. The main logo features a waving pill, while the app logo is a zoomed-in version of the pill's face, ensuring privacy and anonymity in notifications.
High-Fidelity Wireframes
From low-fidelity wireframes to the final designed screens, I focused on creating a robust sign-up flow that allows users to input their essential information and set personalized reminders. To enhance the app's friendly and warm atmosphere, I included lighthearted illustrations throughout the sign-up process.
To avoid overwhelming users with information during the sign-up process, it was important to allow them to set up their medication and pharmacy details later.
A key component of the sign-up flow is the reminder preferences section, where users can choose between detailed reminders or more general notifications to address privacy concerns.
Similarly, users can skip providing detailed medication information during sign-up and are informed that they can modify their notification preferences at any time.
After completing the sign-up process, users gain access to reminder overviews, medication summaries, and their profiles, where they can update their information.
When users receive medication reminders, they can mark a dose as taken by tapping the circle on the right side of the corresponding medication card, which will display a checkmark to indicate that the medication has been administered.
Two of the most critical and tedious screens were the new medication input form and the prescription instructions page. Low-fi wireframe testing helped me streamline the form, making it easier for users to understand what information was required. The data entered is presented in a more digestible format on the medication information screen.
The next three pages, accessible via the profile tab, offer reminders for prescription refills (if enabled) and a dose history showing taken and missed doses. This feature helps users track their consistency and understand if missed doses might be affecting their medication’s effectiveness.
Reminder Notifications
A key consideration in designing this app was how reminders appear on users' devices. Notifications could either be detailed, naming the medication, or kept private for discretion. An Apple Watch notification option was also included, allowing users to receive reminders more privately and conveniently.
During research, one user expressed frustration with cluttered notifications and frequent app interactions. To address this, I added an option for users to mark a dose as “taken” or “snooze” the reminder directly from their lock screen.
STANDARD NOTIFICATION
PRIVATE NOTIFICATION
User Testing
Users responded positively to the app and its design. I asked them to complete tasks like adding a new medication, adjusting an alert time, checking drug interactions, and contacting their pharmacy through the app. While all tasks were completed in seconds, users struggled most with the last one; they took longer to find the pharmacy information and found the refill icon somewhat confusing.
Here’s their feedback:
Iteration
User feedback made it clear that the refill notification needed adjustment. The current design resembled an alert, which led users to think it was related to taking or missing a dose. After exploring refill reminder designs, I implemented the version shown on the right. When I shared it with users, they all agreed it was a clearer and more accurate refill reminder.
BEFORE
AFTER
Another small but important change I made was to the new medication form. After multiple reviews, the “Quantity of medication” input still felt confusing and could easily be mistaken for the dosage. So, I updated the label to “QTY” to match the style on pill bottles, referring to the total number of items in the prescription.
When I asked users about this change, they agreed it was much clearer.
BEFORE
AFTER
Moving Forward
There are many future opportunities to expand this app. A user I interviewed mentioned that some prescriptions taper in frequency over time, or require more detailed instructions for proper adherence. Additional features could include syncing with other health apps and enabling in-app doctor chat. Since this project only covered the MVP, there’s a lot of room to grow.