Empathetic UX for Chronic Illness Monitoring
Bowelog is a portmanteau of 'bowel,' referring to the intestines, and 'log,' indicating a record-keeping approach. It is an app designed for individuals dealing with inflammatory bowel conditions, irritable bowel syndrome, and those facing challenges in diet and bowel management. I took on the role of UX design lead for the Bowelog App.
75% of users discontinued the app due to its lack of useful features or failure to meet their needs.
We conducted a survey with 86 participants from our target customer base, all of whom had prior experience with apps for recording and managing purposes. This alarming trend underscores the absence of a truly impactful app that provides meaningful assistance to users.
1. Increasing the sustainability of app usage through rewards.
2. Designing to reduce psychological resistance to symptom observation.
3. Providing personalized solutions to users through causal relationship identification algorithm.
We reached out to and conducted interviews with various stakeholders, including a colon and rectal surgeon, a nursing professor, an entrepreneur managing a similar business focused on chronic diseases, and a specialized digital health investor. The investor shared valuable insight that patients spend their money where their genuine needs lie. This emphasized the importance of addressing real and essential needs in our venture. More specifically, Surgeon emphasizes the importance of early symptom management to prevent the progression to colorectal cancer. Nurse highlights the role of nurses in medical record management and the significance of effective patient communication. Competitor recognizes the need for psychological support for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes. Investors tresses that a service's practical usefulness is key to its profitability.
In the domestic market (South Korea), there have mainly been diet tracking apps for weight loss, and bowel management apps were primarily focused on newborns and pets. In overseas markets, there were apps for FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyol) diet search, catering to individuals with gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, there were personalized digital healthcare services utilizing stool images for tailored solutions.
We designed the logo with the goal of enabling users to instantly understand the essence of the app. The letter "B" was creatively incorporated to symbolize the movement of the intestines, ensuring that the logo was both meaningful and intuitive. The color palette was derived from a gradient of stool colors, ranging from bloody stools to normal ones, elegantly capturing the app's scope and purpose. This approach not only communicates the app's function at a glance but also reflects a comprehensive range of conditions, from melena(black, tarry stools caused by gastrointestinal bleeding) to formed stools, in a graceful and subtle manner.
To streamline the user experience, we implemented a user-centric approach, featuring a one-click widget that simplifies the process of capturing essential information, shifting from tedious record-keeping to effortless data entry. To combat aimless management caused by a lack of awareness, we integrated an automatic symptom calendar and health reporting feature. This optimization allows users to track symptoms more effectively and identify potential triggers, offering valuable insights into symptom causation.
Moving beyond the limited functionalities of cosmetic-focused apps, we specifically tailored the service for individuals with gastrointestinal disorders. This includes specialized diet searches and remote exercise programs, ensuring the app delivers a truly personalized and holistic experience for users. For improved accessibility, we placed a bottom navigation bar, and the Information Architecture was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, supporting seamless navigation and user interaction.
I organized all the features neatly under the top menu tabs. Customized user content and features are accessible from the My Page section. Building upon this, I created Storyboards. Over the course of three months, I collaborated with a product designer, exchanging feedback on app functionality and flow, leading to iterative improvements.
We initiated the app development process by submitting the storyboards and requirements specification document to the software engineering agency. We communicated with the agency using tools like Figma and Zeplin for collaboration and design implementation.
The app was launched on the Google Play Store using AWS servers. Building on this, we recruited 32 beta testers from relevant communities. Before, during, and after app usage, we conducted surveys. From the collected quantitative data, we found that 96% of the testers had a positive response to using the app.
As the CXO for the Bowelog app, I focused on addressing the issue of 75% of users discontinuing the app by redesigning its UX/UI. Through surveys and stakeholder interviews, we identified key user challenges, including poor navigation, difficulty accessing data, and a lack of meaningful features. Based on this insight, we integrated intuitive design and essential features such as a one-click widget, an automatic symptom calendar, and personalized functionalities, significantly improving the user experience. Throughout the process, I encountered limitations in the design implementation. Specifically, challenges arose from communication gaps and instances where the requirements were not accurately reflected. This experience reinforced the importance of establishing clear guidelines and thorough documentation to ensure that designs are implemented as intended. Going forward, I plan to strengthen communication with team members and further study how to align design implementation more effectively. I’m confident that these improvements will lead to more efficient collaboration and better results in future projects.