Context
At the end of 2023, I felt the need for something new and challenging to do in my free time. While scrolling through LinkedIn, Tony Moura's post caught my attention and I joined his 30UX Challenge.
The thought of receiving feedback from a UX designer with over 30 years experience greatly motivated me to register.
Wondering what was the challenge prompt?
"Family care coordination platform for senior care and end-of-life planning."
Lesson learned
01 Discomfort leads to growth
This challenge pushed me out of my comfort zone because the topic is sensitive, and survey responses stirred deep emotions, reflecting the real-life complexities of the challenge.
Delving into research made me understand this wasn’t just some abstract issue, but a real-life problem affecting people.
02 Research is crucial
Even though time was short and I opted for a survey instead of interviews (which would have provided more help in this situation by allowing me to ask additional questions and better understand user needs), gaining insights directly from people who have experience as caregivers or have direct knowledge of caregiving was immensely helpful in obtaining useful feedback.
03 Being even more organised
Once again, I proved to myself that if I put my mind to something, I can do it 100%. I managed to complete all this in my free time, while juggling working full time, dance classes, German classes, and other personal matters that required my attention.
04 Focus on what’s important
My goal was to participate in this challenge to become a better UX designer. That’s why, instead of creating the required pitch at the end of the challenge (a 2-5 min. video presentation showcasing the platform), I decided to give myself more time to refine the prototype. Afterward, I plan to test it, get feedback and start iterating.
01 IDEATE
What were my assumptions?
Mind mapping is one of my favourite methods to generate ideas and connect concepts, that is why in week one I tried to restrain myself from delving too deeply into researching the topic and I laid out a lot of assumptions that I intended to validate (or throw out) in week two.
02 RESEARCH
Discovered user needs
Due to time constraints, I chose to create a survey with multiple open-ended questions. After analyzing the respondents' answers, I discovered the following user needs:
- Guidance for end-of-life situations
- Access to medical and psychological support services
- Real-time doctor consultation
- End-of-life planning assistance and tools
- Easy access to medical records and important documents documents (legal or financial)
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
My target audience: individuals who are directly or indirectly involved in caregiving for senior family members, such as children or grandchildren of elderly persons.
Emotional needs: Caregivers experience feelings of being overwhelmed, confused, and concern.
Logistical needs: The challenges discovered for caregivers were time management and effective communication.
Informational needs: Caregivers express a need for reliable medical information, resources and assistance in legal or financial issues. Also, they emphasise the importance of end-of-life planning resources.
What other solutions are out there?
I began by reviewing apps on the App Store and Google Play, seeking insights from user feedback. I can't say I found out amazing things, but this initial exploration provided a starting point for understanding the market.
Afterward, I read many Google articles and discovered two interesting apps called Empathy and Everplans.
03 PROTOTYPING
Starting with a wireframe
With only one week to design a prototype, I decided to focus solely on a few key workflows while keeping the primary goal in mind: designing the UI for the family care coordination platform. I started by sketching a wireframe.
Continuing with the user interface
Having this wireframe helped me focus on the following user flows while designing: creating the onboarding process, the personalized feed, setting up a group, and creating tasks.
Recording: user interaction with the product