The Problem.

The Plan.

Accessible Care

Google Health presented us with a question:
How might we increase accessibility to health care through the use of educational and digital solutions?

This prompt made our team think of caregivers. "Nearly 1 in 4 Canadian seniors are caregivers" for loved ones. Pandemic restrictions and isolation have had a negative impact on the level of care.

Digital health care solutions don't always have seniors in mind. It was crucial for us to create an accessible product that fits Google Health's ask.

Supporting Statistics

Process

With a tight timeline we tackled the project observing an agile process. We built our persona from our data science squad's insights drawn from quantitative and qualitative data.

Meet Mary Beth.

Scenario Mary Beth has been her mother Doris's primary caregiver since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Mary Beth's two siblings assist with their mother's care, and share cautious concern for Doris's deteriorating health. Doris's symptoms are closely monitored and communicated with Doris's health care providers, but miscommunication and delay means some info slips through the cracks. 

Pain Points 

• "Communicating with Mom's health care providers can be frustrating and time-consuming."
• "I'm finding it difficult to keep track of Mom's growing personal and medical needs."
• "Mom's condition is worsening, and it might be time to consider a care home."

Behaviours

• "I live with Mom to provide her the best level of care I can."
• "I'm in constant communication with Mom's health care providers due to her evolving needs."
• "I keep close track of Mom's information and have the best knowledge of her condition."

Motivations

• "I love my mom and owe it to her to provide the best care."
• "I want to wait until the right time for her to transition into a care home so she can be comfortable here as long as possible."
  

Ideate.

Task Development

We dug deeper into the data and authored user stories informed by Mary Beth's needs. We sorted the stories into four epics; tasks, tracking, connection, and delight. Key features formed from our core stories.

Feature An interactive dashboard that streamlines communication between patient, caregivers, and health care providers.

Feature Incident tracker to illustrate trends/ changes in symptom progression.

 Design.

Introducing Haven. 

Google Care

Our final prototype highlights key features and delights the user. The product aims to create a sense of community and support while optimizing communication and care.

Writing

As the writer for this project I wanted the copy to represent the pain relievers featured in the app. I empathized with Mary Beth as someone who cares deeply for her family, and has a crucial sense of urgency during this difficult and uncertain time. The copy evokes care, community, love, and support.

Reflections.

Learning Outcomes

Working on this project with a team of designers and data scientists accommodated data-driven design. As a writer and designer, this project was a lesson in empathy. Google Health said something that stood out to me when presenting us with this challenge, "We want to put the joy back in care". Our product does just that.