Adding a feature to Healow
Personal project 2021
My Role: UX/UI design
Timeline: 3 weeks
Tools used: Figma, Miro
The Challenge
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues so does the challenge of vaccinating millions of people with a limited vaccine supply. Nurses, doctors, and volunteers are battling how to organize and store patients’ COVID-19 data at vaccination sites. Those who want to be vaccinated are unsure how to sign up. The eligibility of vaccination depends on the state and what phase they are currently in. The complexity of the vaccine rollout often leaves people confused and misinformed.
The Opportunity
Healow is a secure app that helps users manage their health and their families’ health online. Using Healows easy to navigate interface, users can book COVID-19 vaccine appointments, safely store their vaccination cards, and take a look at their vaccination status.
01 DISCOVER
Exploring Today's Healthcare
Through secondary research and competitive analysis, I discovered the pandemic transformed the way healthcare delivers care.
- About 74% of patients are comfortable communicating with their doctors using telehealth instead of seeing them in person.
- Patients are also embracing touchless sign-ins for appointments by scanning QR codes upon arrival.
Let's take a look at a few of Healow's competitors.
User Interviews + Key Findings
Because participants may need one or two shots, I interviewed participants with a variety of vaccine statuses.
- Their experience varied depending on location.
- Each state has specific eligibility guidelines and a limited supply of vaccine doses, often leaving participants confused as the situation evolves.
- Frustration and anxiety were commonly experienced during the entire vaccination process.
- 5 out of 6 participants found out where to get vaccinated through word-of-mouth.
"I was really nervous because it feels like you're doing something wrong, even though you're not. You know, I think it's a Hallmark of this entire pandemic experience of like trying to figure out things."
- Participant 3, partially vaccinated in California
02 DEFINE
Meet Victor, The Vaccine Advocate
After the interview findings, I created this persona to help guide the project and to keep the users a priority while using empathy. Victor wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible so he could safely see friends and family again. He was having some difficulty finding available appointments online.
Because the vaccination process is a series of steps that involve interactions outside of the app (nurses, doctors, volunteers, and vaccination sites), I needed to synthesize my research in a way that would show a birds-eye view of Victor’s current vaccine experience.
Learning Moment
Several opportunities were discovered here; however, the main focus was to create a simple onboarding process and day of vaccination guide.
03 DESIGN
Sketching It Out
I began sketching a few iterations of key screens before moving on to low-fidelity designs and finally to high-fidelity designs for usability testing. I like to spend more time on paper before moving on to the computer to save time and begin brainstorming.
Blending In "My Vaccination" Feature with Healows' UI
I needed to keep in mind that each state has its own set of eligibility requirements and phases as well as a limited number of vaccine supplies. Vaccine eligibility would need to be specific to the users’ location and provide updated state vaccine information. In order to streamline the process, users could enter in their COVID-19 history through a short questionnaire.
Booking Vaccination Sites
Finding vaccination sites have proven to be a pain point for vaccine participants. To help alleviate this pain, users are able to quickly book their appointment by selecting and viewing filters, time slots, site reviews, and which brand of vaccine is in stock.
Vaccination Day Is Here!
After signing in with a QR code that contains their covid history and vaccine status, participants wait in line to be vaccinated. After vaccination, users scan their paper vaccination cards. Participants are recommended to wait 15 minutes before leaving. After the time is up, they have the ability to submit how they are feeling and report any symptoms in the eDiary.
04 TEST
Usability Testing
After the prototype was ready, I gathered 5 participants for remote testing. To test the flow from "My Vaccine" to completing vaccination, participants were tasked with:
- Searching for available vaccine sites
- Booking their first appointment
- Completing day of vaccination steps
Users were able to quickly and easily complete all tasks.
Learning Moment
After organizing my test findings, I realized many of the participants were confused with the vaccine supply indicator, “Does this mean I can pick my own vaccine?” In the updated booking screen, users have a clearer understanding of which vaccine brand the site has available at the time of booking.
Originally, the booking flow was designed for users to navigate back to the booking page to make their second appointment; however, participants' main concern was securing the second appointment due to a small window of time they would have for the vaccine to stay effective.
Final Iteration
NEXT STEPS
As I type out this case study, the global pandemic situation continues to evolve. New vaccines are being developed and eligibility requirements are changing. It is unsure what the vaccine cards will come in handy for, but for now, having them in a secure location is a good start. Nurses, doctors, volunteers, and patients can have a more efficient experience with the use of technology to streamline the rollout of vaccines. I was surprised to learn from my interviews that the participants felt they were doing something wrong because it was so difficult to find vaccine appointments.
I would love to add educational graphics about the different strains of COVID-19 as well as vaccine brand information. Greater vaccine access to those with limited resources or the elderly who may need help making appointments should be discovered. Referring back to the feature roadmap, it would be interesting to explore gamification and conduct more usability testing.