CheckingIn
Studio Project | Fall 2019
Design Research
UI Design
About 1 in 3 people in the United States experience a form of chronic pain on a daily basis. Sometimes it can be manageable, other times, it can feel debilitating. A common answer for long-term chronic pain can be an opioid prescription which has led to an addiction epidemic throughout the country and especially Ohio. ​​How can we help to manage opioid prescriptions and discontinue
prescription misuse?
OVERVIEW
Getting Started
Working with a partner for this project, we were given the word "pain" as a jumping off point to our project. From here, we decided to dive deeper into the opioid crisis and started the project by conducting secondary research to frame our minds around the environment.
statistics obtained from National Capital Poison Center, National
Institute on Drug Abuse, and OPEN
SECONDARY RESEARCH
The Statistics
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Interviews
After conducting secondary research to fully understand the problem, we moved on to primary research. These methods included multiple interviews with both doctors and patients, conducting pain journals, and creating an experience map for opioid prescriptions.
"This is the other piece of it, what happens after it leaves my hands? We really focused on making sure the drugs aren't getting out to the wrong people, but then there's already a lot of drugs out there.
Billions of pills are still out there in the United States."
​
Pediatric Doctor | practicing since 2003
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Pain Journal
To measure the effectiveness of holistic methods before introducing pain medication, we asked a person with chronic kidney pain to journal the strength of their pain and the methods they used to treat.
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Journey Map
After talking with doctors, we mapped out a typical journey that a patient might take with their prescribed opioids. We wanted to see where there might be opportunities for intervention that could fit seamlessly into the patient's lives.
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Key Insights
Proposing A Solution
After conducting the research, my partner and I chose to tackle two separate projects stemming from the intervention opportunities. I decided to create an app that would monitor a patient's prescription while promoting the trust that is commonly lost between doctor + patient when pain management issues arise.
John is a 55-year-old male with chronic back pain who is scheduled to take an opioid every 12 hours, but can take more if in intense pain. He has had a past addiction to alcohol and has family members with the same addiction. This has put him at a high risk for addiction to an opioid prescription.
​
Originally, he felt uncomfortable being prescribed such highly-addictive medication, but the pain has become unbearable. He has decided to try the prescription with the addition of the app to monitor his functionality and intake.
Carrie is a 45-year old female whose youngest son just got his wisdom teeth out. He was prescribed Percocet to treat the post-surgery pain and is scheduled to take a pill ever 6 hours. But, the medication makes his mind foggy, so Carrie is instructed to keep track of his pill intake.
​
Her son has never been prescribed an opiate before, but Carrie is not worried about the prescription because it is short-term. She knows
that Percocet is a highly-addictive medication, but doesn't know all of the statistics regarding an opiate prescription.
REFINEMENT
Initial Wireframe Sketching
TURNING POINT
Function over Pain
When speaking with a medical professional during the refinement phase, they said something that completely changed how I viewed the project.
They mentioned that it was more important that
patients were able to function (i.e. get out of bed in the morning, make food, get to work, etc.) then for them to be free of pain.
​
Hearing this changed my entire system of "success" or safety in the app.
hover for information
scroll over for information
REFINEMENT
Staying Connected
Throughout refining my prototype, I stayed in contact with one of the medical professionals I interviewed. I would periodically check in to confirm for myself that I was still creating an app that would be used by the patient.
THE SOLUTION
Introducing the Concept
Please watch as this video details the concept behind CheckingIn including the problem statement, objectives, audience, key features, and project goals.
THE SOLUTION
Prototype Walkthrough
Status + Risk Factor
The home screen features the user's risk factor (with an explanation when clicked on) and the status of their pill usage. As opiates can be prescribed on a "pain basis", this gives the user indicators as to what their current amount of pills should be based on their prescription history. There is also an indicator of addiction watch to further signify when the user is taking high levels of opiates. This indicates either a conversation they need to have with their doctor about the pain / dosage or a level of addiction to the medication.
Functionality
This app focuses on the ability to function over the amount of pain. This page is a timeline of the daily, monthly, and annual functionality levels of the user helping them discuss with their doctor what dosage is right for them and making sure they are able to function in their day-to-day life. .
Reminders
The reminders tab shows when doctor's appointment or prescription refills are scheduled. Clicking on a day with a doctor's appointment mentions how many pills should be brought to the appointment and if there will be a drug test. This is an added measure to monitor a patient's risk factor.
Resources
The resources section allows for two scenarios: a search bar or a quick search for casual browsing. Both are able to bring the user to accredited articles for more information about their prescription or general information about opiates.
Prescription Drop-Off
When a prescription is no longer needed, the home screen changes to a prescription drop-off locator to ensure the safe and necessary disposal of addicting medication.
USER TESTING
Patient Relevance
A huge consideration I had when developing this app was that I had never experienced being on a long-term opioid prescription. I had never lived the day-to-day responsibilities that come with an active opioid prescription.
Because of this, I wanted to introduce this app concept to a few patients currently taking opioids daily. They were shown a series of wireframes and then asked their opinion on usability and relevance. For confidentiality reasons, I will not be
releasing their direct quotes, but some of the questions I asked were:
-
Do you feel like this app is protecting your privacy?
-
What aspect of the app were you the most confused by?
-
What time of day would you prefer to check in to the app?
-
Is it helpful to know if you are "on track" with your medication use?
-
Is there any specific appointment information missing? If so, what is it?
USER TESTING
Comprehension
Along with this, I also conducted comprehension testing on specific wireframes to check for intuitive graphic elements and ease of use for every demographic.
I tested 6 people (ranging from ages 11 - 55) by showing them the wireframe for
5 seconds and then asking them to recall specific details. Below are the results.
Looking Forward
As the semester came to a close, the medical professional that I collaborated with throughout the project found it innovative and asked to share it with colleagues and team members for further exploration and use. This is where the project stands today.