EMI is a digital mobile application designed to meet the social needs of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment. The app was designed for Emory's Empowerment Center and day program as a personal companion that helps patients manage their day to day tasks, meet new people, share and collect resources, and track their condition.
THE CLIENT
Emory
Healthcare
DURATION
September 2019 -
November 2019
MY ROLE
User Research
UI/UX Design
Illustration
TOOLS
Illustrator
Sketch
Figma
THE CHALLENGE
How can we add value to the Emory Empowerment Center?
The MCI Empowerment Program (MCI-EP) at Emory is currently in the process of introducing a new day program and facility for MCI patients. The center is to offer cognitive and physical therapies, as well as a space for patients to gather and form close knit communities. Our team was asked to investigate needs and desires of Emory patients and create a product that could successfully address those points, while aligning with the values and goals of the center.
ONSITE RESERCH AND TREATMENT
Therapists and doctors are present, onsite, to administer treatment, counseling, testing, and general assistance.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND DEVICES
The center gives members access to interactive panels, iPads, and Apple watches for entertainment and internet access.
OPEN LAYOUT AND FREE LOUNGING AREAS
The center features tons of open areas and lounge spaces to facilitate socialization, communication, and transparency.
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
What is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)?
Our first step was to understand what Mild Cognitive impairment is, and how to affects those who have it. With a bit of research and communication with representatives from Emory healthcare we came to understand that MCI is a condition that affects 20% of individuals over the age of 65. This condition can affect cognitive abilities such as memory, decision making, language, and task management - beyond what is typical of "normal" aging. There are also variations that affect certain abilities more than others.
TYPE 1: AMNESTIC MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
Patients with amnestic MCI have trouble with their memory. They may forget names, places, conversations, and might misplace items often.
Patients with this type tend to lose their train of thought, have trouble with attention and/or focus, and might lose their sense of time and direction.
TYPE 2: NON-AMNESTIC MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
JOURNEY MAPPING WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Where are the user's painpoints?
The first step was to meet up with the target user. We met Jeff, who was diagnosed with MCI in 2011, and Cassie his wife and caregiver. The goal was to understand their needs and desires on a deeper level. I helped facilitate and lead interview sessions and a journey mapping exercise that enabled us to identify the pain points they have experienced on their journey with MCI. Additionally we were also able to pin point certain things that they have implemented in their day to day life that give them joy.
1. DIAGNOSED WITH NON-AMNESTIC MCI IN 2011
"It was such a stressful time of visiting different specialists and waiting. The moment we get a final diagnosis was a major relief for us."
Jeff had started to experience a deterioration in his cognitive abilities that started to have negative effects on his daily life. Diagnosis brought them relief in the sense that they had finally identified the problem and could move forwards.
Following diagnosis, they were given a huge packet of general information that left them overwhelmed and confused. They did not know what their next steps were or what they should be.
2. FRIENDSHIPS STARTED TO SLIP AWAY
"We noticed that our friend groups had started to change. Not everyone could understand what we are going through, and it was difficult."
Jeff and Cassie noted that many of their friendships had started to become more distanced following diagnosis. While Jeff had always been very outgoing and social he found himself becoming more withdrawn, at times irritable, and often overwhelmed in social situations.
It became more and more difficult to maintain their friendships as many were not able to fully understand Jeff's condition or his new limitations.
3. MARRIED RELATIONSHIP HAS CHANGED
"I found myself not able to do everything that I wanted to, or used to do. It definitely made be feel bad and frustrated."
Throughout their marriage, Jeff had always been very hands on around the house, however he found himself having trouble managing his time and completing tasks like he used to.This led to a lot of resentment, shame, and frustration within himself.
Cassie now takes care of the "big stuff" including their finances and medical matters, on top of taking care of her elderly mother, and monitoring Jeff's condition.
6. JEFF AND CASSIE ORGANIZE THEIR OWN EVENTS
"Meeting friends with MCI was the best thing. I don't feel alone, I feel significant... and that's a big thing because it's easy to feel alone."
Jeff now organizes social events with his new friends. They often invite the couples they meet at their support groups as well as other couples and patients they meet.
They feel empowered when they meet people who are like them. They emphasize that the community they have found, has given them the greatest feelings of fulfillment during this time.
5. JEFF MET MARTY AND BILL
"I can confidently say that I've met my best friends. We love to talk, hang out, grill, and we get each other and what we're going through."
Jeff and Cassie explained how they were able to build new relationships. It no longer felt like they were meeting other patients, but rather like they were meeting friends.
Meeting friends in similar situations have given Jeff and Cassie a sense of acceptance and normalcy. When they are together there is no judgment or social anxiety.
4. JEFF GOES TO HIS FIRST SUPPORT GROUP
"I don't think I could have handled what was going on without the support from others or the resources that were given to me"
Jeff attended his first support group through Emory, and was thrilled to find people who were experiencing the same things he was to give him insightful advice.
Through these support groups, Jeff and Cassie were able to access resources and information that effectively addressed their needs and concerns. They were then able to share these resources with others.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES
Exploring social health and its relation to happiness
Following our interviews, it was clear that socialization was key in giving patients with MCI the support and resources they need to lead empowered lives. My team and I gathered all of our insights to interpret findings and synthesize our three key areas of focus.
BUILDING EMPATHETIC RELATIONSHIPS
Building support systems with other people who are experiencing similar changes, gives a strong sense of fulfillment, and acceptance. However, social anxiety can make taking the initiative to meet others daunting.
TASK AND TIME MANAGEMENT
Often times, the inherent desire to be self sufficient is challenged by wavering levels of focus and memory. Task management aid, can help users regain a sense of control over their lives, obtain more independence, and thrive.
RESOURCE SHARING AND DISTRIBUTION
Following diagnosis, understanding what you can do going forward is often overwhelming. Connecting with others on the same journey opens up the opportunity to share resources and advice that is more specific and relevant.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Do products that address these needs exist right now?
After our discussion with Jeff and Cassie I was able to look into some of the resources that they had mentioned and find other products that seek to provide support to MCI patients. I analyzed areas that were well done as well as elements that could be improved.
PRO: ADDRESSES COMMON CONCERNS
The curated content is catered towards an elderly audience and addresses common concerns among patients who have been diagnosed with Alzheimers.
CON: CATERED TOWARDS ALZHEIMER'S
Although Jeff and Cassie were referred to this site following Jeff's diagnosis, they found that a lot of the information was not as relevant to their situation, particularly in the beginning phases of his condition.
PRO: QUICK AND DIRECT COMMUNICATION
Reddit allows patients and caregivers to put out general inquiries and questions, and communicate directly with people who have answers or similar experiences.
CON: VERY BROAD AND DIFFICULT TO FILTER
Reddit is not designed specifically for MCI patients, but is open for anyone and everyone to discuss a plethora of various topics. Therefore finding content related to MCI resources and support can be difficult to find and filter.
PRO: EASY TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS
It is much easier to connect with other patients and caregivers on this platform. Users can send friend requests and messages directly to one another.
CON: DISORGANIZED CONTENT AND DISPLAY
There is little organization when it comes to content and posts. Everything is displayed on one timeline in the order that they were posted, making finding specific posts/information tedious.
BRAINSTORMING SESSION
Exploring and categorizing features
I understood that that the team needed to create a holistic design solution that could address various areas of socialization and task management. We began our brainstorming phase where we came up different features and sorted them into our broader categories.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Developing the user flow
With a plethora of features I had to remind myself that the last thing we wanted to do was to overwhelm the users with too much content. In order to create an intuitive product I explored how a user would navigate our application in as few steps as possible.
WIREFRAMING
Visualizing and experimenting with the UI
Taking our flow, we began to explore different visual elements and interactions. I created a set of wireframes to roughly outline the layout of each screen. From there, our team continued to refine the wireframes in preparation for validation testing with Jeff and Cassie.
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REFINEMENT
The objective was to create a friendly yet mature visual interface, with simple and intuitive interactions. We began to experiment with illustrations and colors.
VALIDATION TESTING
Receiving feedback from Jeff and Cassie
We invited Jeff and Cassie for a final interview and user test. Using the think aloud protocol we were able to understand Jeff's thought process as he was navigating through the interface, in order to evaluate how intuitive our design was.
JEFF'S FEEDBACK
"It's a great idea to put announcement and upcoming events in one place, because at the moment everything is word of mouth."
What feature adds the most value? Which one would you use the most?
"This would be so fun to use at the center. The music reminds of the the songs that would play when flipped burgers in college! I think it would be awesome to send funny messages to Marty haha"
How did this app make you feel? Does it feel sterile or friendly?
What did you feel about the content layout/visual presentation of information?
"I don't feel overwhelmed, I like that I can see all of my options at once. and I think that the illustrations are awesome."
CASSIE'S FEEDBACK
"This would be great to use at the center especially in waiting areas or the lobby to give the members something that they can focus on. This would be particularly helpful when they are getting dropped off and signed in for the day, as well as when they are waiting to get picked up.
From your observation, how does this product make your life easier.
As a caretaker is there anything about the app you feel is missing?
"I think that i may be interesting if there was a way to track Jeff's progress. It would be helpful for him and I to just check in and see how he is doing."
EVALUATION FEEDBACK
What could be improved?
EMI received a very positive response from both patients, Emory Staff, and the architecture team involved with the Empowerment Center. However, based off of some feedback it was evident that there were opportunities to improve the product.
NEXT STEPS
Refinement
VERSION 1
MY REDESIGN
Buttons have larger surface area
High contrast and varied colors
Revamped Illustrations
Salient navigation tab bar
VISUAL GUIDELINES
Design Details
My redesign consisted of dynamic and whimsical illustrations, and bold yet calming colors in order to create an overall experience that is fun, calming, and intuitive.
TYPOGRAPHY
It was important to remain consistent and limit variations in type. The redesign uses Proxima Nova throughout the interface.
Header - 40px
Sub-Header - 30px
For identifying 4 key areas within the app
For identifying sub-features within key areas
Body Text - 20 px
For onboarding body text, messages, and forum posts
COLORS
In order to differentiate each feature, and areas of the app more I created a new color palette consisting of bold yet calming colors in order to maximize contrast without being overwhelming.
#212121
#ED7669
#ED7669
#F6F6F6
#FFC727
#8CC58A
ILLUSTRATIONS
I created illustrations and whimsical characters In order to add levity and give the interface an energetic and friendly appearance. It was also very important for me to depict diversity in my illustrations in order to better capture the user group.
FINAL DESIGN
Feature Walkthrough
INTUITIVE ONBOARDING
Onboarding is simple and to the point. The uses of illustrations help establish a friendly yet mature tone. Users can input their interests to help customize and recommend connections, events, and support groups.
THE DASHBOARD
The Dashboard organizes the patient's schedule and events to help with task management, allowing patients to practice independence and autonomy. They can view their previous activity and progress as a means of tracking their condition and seeing their improvements in a quantitative manner.
CONNECT
The Connect feature intends to help foster connections and facilitate growth. Here, users can manage their own mailboxes and messages with other members at the center. Additionally, this feature helps users meet other members by recommending different profiles based off of shared interests.
THE COMMUNITY
The Community is a space that seeks to help MCI patients find resources and make connections that are helpful and meaningful. The Forum allows patients to ask and answer questions with meaningful information that is derived from experience.The Events section allows patients to find activities that interest them and opportunities to connect with other patients. The Support Group section allows users to filter and find Support Groups that suit their needs.
PLAY
We discovered that MCI patients often get overstimulated in chaotic and social situations. While they do not want to completely withdraw from what is going on, they need an occasional break to relax and refocus. The Play feature provides recreational outlets that users can visit to recollect themselves. Users can play cognitive games in group or individual settings, and/or listen to music.
REFLECTION
Listen! Observe! Listen!
As we wrapped up our project Jeff and Cassie came up to us and thanked us for our work, and for creating a product that they actually want and would use. It was at that moment that I realized that there are so many products designed without users' needs and desires at the forefront. As a designer, it is our unique responsibility to advocate for the users, to understand and interpret their needs, and deliver a design solution that is empathetic and effective. The only way that those goals can be met is through thorough user research, observation, and collaboration. I have learned that being an effective designer is more than just the visuals, but the content, the structure, and the logic that supports it all.
I remember hearing my professor tell me that the danger designers face is creating a product without a user in mind. Now I understand what he meant; design should be intentional and driven by the people who are to use it?