Team 04 Report
Team 04 Report
Student ID ITCSIU21209
1 Introduction
● Interactive Figma file
This report presents the design, development, and usability testing of MedBuddy, a
mobile application designed to assist the aging population in managing their healthcare
needs. Our primary target audience is older adults who may face challenges in organizing
medications, tracking medical appointments, accessing medical documents, and staying
informed about their health.
MedBuddy aims to address these challenges by providing a user-friendly and accessible
platform with the following key features:
● Simplicity and Ease of Use: The app features a clean interface, large fonts,
high-contrast colors, and intuitive navigation.
● Accessibility Features: MedBuddy incorporates accessibility features such as voice
control and screen reader compatibility.
● Personalized Support: The AI chatbot provides personalized reminders, answers to
common health questions, and helpful tips.
● Peace of Mind: By centralizing medication management, medical records, and
appointment scheduling, MedBuddy provides users with greater control and peace
of mind.
Competitor Analysis:
While there are existing medication reminder apps and health management platforms,
MedBuddy differentiates itself by:
● Focus on Older Adults: The app is specifically designed to meet the unique needs
and preferences of older adults with an emphasis on accessibility and ease of use.
● AI Chatbot Integration: The integrated AI chatbot provides a personalized and
interactive layer of support that goes beyond basic reminders.
● Medical Document Management: MedBuddy's ability to store and manage medical
documents distinguishes it from simple medication reminder apps.
2 User Experience Design
2.1 User Personas
1. User Persona 1
● Name: Hoang Nam Tien
● Age: 60
● Family: Married
● Occupation: Business man
● Motivation: Tien is a busy businessman, prioritizes staying healthy to avoid
disruptions in his work and family life. He also recognizes the importance of accurate
data in drug trials and wants to ensure his medication adherence contributes
valuable results. Reducing stress by remembering medications and appointments
brings him peace of mind.
● Goal:
○ Take medication on time.
○ Need to be reminded about upcoming appointments.
● Frustrations:
○ Too busy with work.
○ Not good at keeping track of daily medication so that drug trials provide
accurate results.
2. User persona 2
● Name: Alex Turner
● Age: 80
● Family: Widower
● Occupation: Retired
● Motivation: Alex Turner desires to maintain his independence by managing his own
health. He seeks clear information about his medications to make informed
decisions. Alex is open to embracing technology, particularly when it offers features
like an AI assistant that can answer his health questions directly, potentially reducing
loneliness by providing a sense of companionship and support.
● Goal:
○ Overcome initial anxieties about using technology.
○ Simple instruction and receive straightforward answers about his
medications.
● Frustrations:
○ Being overwhelmed by technology, presented with too much information at
once.
○ Lack of readily available assistance or unclear instructions for getting help.
3. User persona 3.
● Name: Vivienne Westwood
● Age: 78
● Family: Married
● Occupation: House wife
● Impairment: Low vision
● Motivation: Vivienne Westwood is a housewife with low vision, wants to manage her
health independently, not relying on others for reminders or medical record access. A
user-friendly app can simplify the organization of her health information and boost
her confidence by allowing her to manage her health with greater control.
● Goal:
○ Utilize an app with features designed for user with low vision.
○ Centralize all medical information in a readily accessible format.
● Frustrations:
○ Inaccessible interface(e.g., small fonts, cluttered layout, etc).
○ Having to rely on someone else to read medication and remind taking
medication.
● Alex, a recently widowed retiree, feels overwhelmed by the prospect of using a new
app to manage his health.
● He hesitantly downloads the app and is greeted by a simple, user-friendly interface
with large fonts and clear instructions.
● He uploads a picture of his prescription medication using the app's camera function.
● The AI assistant analyzes the image and presents Alex with a clear explanation of the
medication's purpose, side effects, and potential interactions with other medications
he might be taking.
● Alex feels empowered by the easy-to-understand information and appreciates the
independence the app provides in managing his health.
● He decides to explore the app further, intrigued by the possibility of asking the AI
assistant questions in the future.
● Voice Control: Feature to set medication reminders, navigate the app, and interact
with the AI assistant using voice commands.
● Medication Tracking: Ability to track medication history, record adherence, and view
upcoming refills.
● AI Assistant - Advanced Functionality (Premium Users): Ability to ask more complex
questions about medications and health data, potentially offering insights and
recommendations.
● Appointment Booking: Option to directly schedule appointments with healthcare
providers within the app (Considered for future development)
● Integration with Wearable Health Trackers: Ability to connect with wearable devices
to automatically import health data (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate).
● Community Forum: Secure online forum for users to connect and share experiences.
● Telehealth Integration: Feature to connect with healthcare providers virtually for
consultations. (Considered for future development)
Building upon the iterative UX design process, the high-fidelity prototype takes user
experience to the next level. It refines the functionalities established in the low-fidelity stage
and the features introduced in the medium-fidelity version. This polished iteration prioritizes
usability for seniors through a user-centered design approach.
The interface utilizes a blue and white color scheme, proven through our research to be
favored by elderly users for its clarity and calmness. Layout adjustments optimize navigation,
with larger, well-labeled buttons minimizing the risk of accidental taps. These design
decisions directly address the needs of senior users, promoting findability and reducing
cognitive load.
Furthermore, the high-fidelity prototype embraces user empowerment by seamlessly
integrating with smartwatches. This functionality allows users to leverage their existing
wearable technology and potentially benefit from real-time health data import. Imagine
medication reminders adjusting based on real-time heart rate data or personalized insights
derived from combined medication and activity tracking. This integration fosters a more
holistic health management experience, a core tenet of user-centered healthcare app
design.
In essence, the high-fidelity prototype represents a significant advancement towards a
comprehensive healthcare management app that prioritizes user experience, specifically
catering to the needs and preferences of senior users.
3 Usability testing
3.1 Protocol
A. Session Location:
● In-person: Sessions will be conducted in a quiet and comfortable location within the
school library, in public places specifically designated for usability testing.
Participants will have access to a dedicated table and a laptop or tablet with the
MedBuddy Figma prototype loaded in a web browser.
● Remote: For remote sessions, participants will join a dedicated Discord voice
channel. Screen sharing will be enabled to observe their interactions with the
MedBuddy Figma prototype.
B. Tasks:
Task 1: Login with Phone Number
● Goal: The participant successfully navigates the Figma prototype to simulate the
login process using their phone number.
● Instructions:
● "Welcome! We're going to test out a prototype of the MedBuddy app in
Figma. Imagine you're using the app for the first time. Let's start by logging in
using your phone number. The app will send you a verification code."
● In-person: The researcher will be present to guide participants and answer
any questions.
● Remote: The researcher will provide clear instructions via Discord voice chat
and use screen sharing to point out key elements of the prototype.
● Goal: The participant successfully navigates the Figma prototype to interact with the
AI chatbot using both text and voice chat features to ask a question related to their
health or medication.
● Instructions:
● "Now, let's try out the 'Buddy Chat' feature. Click on the 'Buddy Chat' section.
Then, type or say a question you would like to ask the chatbot. If it's a voice
question, please click the microphone icon. Let me know what you notice
about the interaction."
● In-person: The researcher will be present to guide participants and answer
any questions.
● Remote: The researcher will provide clear instructions via Discord voice chat
and use screen sharing to point out key elements of the prototype.
● Goal: The participant successfully navigates the Figma prototype to simulate adding a
new medication to their MedBuddy list by going through all the necessary steps,
including entering the medication name, type, strength, frequency, and dosage.
● Instructions:
● "Imagine you need to add a new medication. Click on the 'Add Medicine'
button. Now, please follow the steps to add a medication, entering the name,
type, strength, and frequency. If you can't actually add the medication
because it's a prototype, let me know what you would do or what you think
would happen next."
● In-person: The researcher will be present to guide participants and answer
any questions.
● Remote: The researcher will provide clear instructions via Discord voice chat
and use screen sharing to point out key elements of the prototype.
C. Equipment:
● In-person:
● Laptop or Tablet with a web browser to access the MedBuddy Figma
prototype.
● Pen and paper for note-taking (for the researcher).
● Remote:
● Laptop or Tablet with Discord and a web browser to access the MedBuddy
Figma prototype.
● Screen sharing enabled in Discord.
● Screen recording to capture the session.
3.3 Participants
A. Demographics
B. Recruitment Process:
● Overall Impressions: Participants generally found the MedBuddy app to have a clean
and visually appealing design. However, several aspects of the app's functionality
caused confusion, particularly for the participant with limited tech experience.
● Login and Onboarding: The login process using a phone number was straightforward
for all participants. However, there were suggestions for improving the onboarding
experience, such as providing a brief tutorial or walkthrough of the app's main
features.
● AI Chatbot: While the concept of the AI chatbot was well-received, participants
encountered challenges using both the text and voice input methods.
● Text Input: The text input field was small, making it difficult for some
participants to see what they were typing.
● Voice Input: The voice recognition was inconsistent, leading to frustration
when the chatbot misinterpreted spoken questions.
● Add Medication: Adding a new medication was identified as the most complex task.
● Terminology: Participants were unfamiliar with some of the medical terms
used, such as "frequency" and "dosage."
● Navigation: Navigating the multiple screens required to enter medication
details was confusing.
● Manage Daily Schedule: The "Schedule" feature received mixed feedback.
● Medication Log vs. Logged: Participants were unclear about the distinction
between these sections.
● Visual Clarity: Suggestions were made to improve the visual hierarchy and
make it easier to distinguish between appointments, medications due, and
medications taken.
B. Quantitative Results
● Task Completion Time: Due to the observational nature of the study, we did not
collect precise task completion times.
● Number of Errors: Error rates were not formally tracked. However, observational
notes indicate that the "Add Medication" task had the highest frequency of errors,
with participants struggling to enter information correctly and navigate between
screens.
● User Survey Data: Due to the small sample size (n=3), we are not reporting specific
statistical data from the user survey. However, general trends from the responses
include:
● Perceived Usefulness: Participants generally agreed that the MedBuddy app
could be useful for managing medications and medical information.
● Design Appeal: The app's design was rated as visually appealing.
● Usability Challenges: Participants indicated that some areas of the app were
confusing to use, particularly the "Add Medication" and "Schedule" features.
Moving Forward:
The findings from this usability testing session will be used to guide further iterations of the
MedBuddy prototype. We will prioritize addressing the usability issues identified,
particularly those related to clarity, navigation, and terminology, to ensure the app is
accessible and user-friendly for older adults.
[Report the main qualitative and quantitative results. Provide a summary if you have
extensive data. Include data in full as appendices.]
4 Analysis/Discussion
A. Recommendations for Improvement
Based on the usability testing findings, we recommend the following improvements to
enhance the MedBuddy app's usability, particularly for older adults:
● Heuristic Evaluation: In this method, usability experts would evaluate the interface
against established usability heuristics (Nielsen, 1994), identifying potential issues
without involving users directly. This is a cost-effective approach for early-stage
testing.
● Eye Tracking: Eye-tracking technology could be used to track participants' eye
movements as they interact with the app, providing insights into their visual
attention and identifying areas of interest or confusion.
● A/B Testing: For specific design decisions, we could use A/B testing to compare
different versions of a feature or screen (e.g., different layouts for the "Schedule"
section). This would allow us to collect quantitative data on user preferences and
task success rates.
D. Limitations
It is important to acknowledge the limitations of our usability testing. Our small sample size
(n=3) and the lack of older adult participants in this round of testing limit the generalizability
of our findings. Future testing should prioritize recruiting a larger and more diverse group of
participants, particularly older adults who represent our target user group.
E. Moving Forward
This usability testing session has provided valuable insights for improving the MedBuddy
app's design and functionality. By implementing the recommended changes and conducting
further testing with a wider range of users, we can create a more accessible, effective, and
user-friendly app that empowers older adults to manage their healthcare needs.
References
● Brooke, J. 1996. SUS - a 'quick and dirty' usability scale. In: Jordan, P.W., Thomas, B.,
Weerdmeester, B.A. and McClelland, I.L. eds. Usability Evaluation in Industry.
London: Taylor & Francis, pp.189-194.
● Nielsen, J. 1994. Usability Engineering. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
● Nielsen, J. and Molich, R. 1990. Heuristic evaluation of user interfaces. In:
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI
'90). Seattle, WA, 1-5 April. New York: ACM, pp.249-256.
● Sauro, J. and Lewis, J.R. 2016. Quantifying the User Experience: Practical Statistics for
User Research. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
● Spradley, J.P. 1980. Participant Observation. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
● Nielsen, J. 1994. Usability Engineering. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
Appendices
Appendix A: User Personas
● Include the detailed user persona templates for Hoang Nam Tien, Alex Turner, and
Vivienne Westwood (from Section 2.1).
● Provide the full descriptions of the user scenarios you developed in Section 2.2:
Scenario 1 (Tien, free user), Scenario 2 (Alex, free user), and Scenario 3 (Vivienne,
free & premium user).
● Include the complete MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) list
of features and requirements from Section 2.3.
● Include screenshots of your Figma wireframes (from Section 2.6). Organize them
logically and provide clear captions or labels.
● Include screenshots of your Figma prototype, showcasing the final visual design
(from Section 2.7).
● Informed Consent Form: Include a copy of the Informed Consent Form that you used
(mentioned in your report).
● Evaluation Form: Provide the complete evaluation form that participants completed
(partially shown in Section 3.4).
● Observational Notes: Provide your detailed observational notes from each usability
testing session.
● Evaluation Form Data (Raw): Include a table or spreadsheet with all the raw data
collected from the evaluation forms (including the pages you showed in Section 3.4).