Birth Control Mobile App
Medical mobile application that helps individuals choose birth control methods based on their lifestyles and reproductive values.
2020.02 - 2020.03 | 9 weeks
My roles
Evaluative Research
Sketch
User Flow
Information Architecture
UI Design
The Client
FemTech Collaborative
The Objective
Help users find birth control methods that fit with their personal needs through a questionnaire
Exploratory research
Background
Our Client: FemTech Collaborative
Their mission is to supplement the current formal healthcare system to improve people’s reproductive health and advance reproductive health equity
Our client is the Director of FemTech Collaborative at the University of Pittsburgh. She is creating a suite of digital tools that helps people clarify their reproductive health goals and values, and navigate preference-sensitive decisions. We meet with her multiple times to integrate her medical expertise into our design.
Exploratory research
Expert Interview
Patients are frustrated about:
😵 complicated medical terms,
🤯 overwhelming choices,
🤦 misguided information,
👩 little consideration on personal values,
...
The nuances among all the 18 birth control options can overwhelm individuals when they are trying to make decisions. The process of choosing a birth control method often involves misguided information and confusion. Without a comprehensive understanding of people's reproductive values can lead to an unsuitable choice for them. We were able to learn about reproductive oppression, current frustration on decision making of birth control and sterilization, and the importance of reproductive autonomy.
Exploratory research
Competitor Analysis
In order to understand the available services/functions, languages and visual elements in current birth control tools, we analyzed the following 6 brands of apps, websites, or products. We identified a potential gap that target birth control options only through a friendly and approachable tone.
Problem statement
How might we help individuals choose birth control methods that align with their lifestyle and reproductive values?
SyNTHESIS
Persona
3 personas to guide us through prototyping phase:
novice users, expert users, users with specific goals, ...
SyNTHESIS
Information Architecture
Client's requirements
- Filter methods based on what's important to them
- A comprehensive view of the methods available
- Individual methods overviews and details
- Comparing Methods
Based on the persona and client's requirements, we developed the following information architecture:
Design
Early Wireframe Sketch
Ideating, Visualizing, Hypothesizing, Critiquing, Reaching consensus...
EVALUATIVE RESEARCH
Usability Test
We drafted a research protocol and talked with 2 interviewees: a 18-year-old freshmen female, and a mom in her 40s with 3 children.
Key Insights
Improve trustworthiness & clarity
User were confused about reasons behind asking certain questions. Because our language was relatively more caring and personal compared to a doctor, users were confused on the emotion-oriented language rather than medical professional tone.
Provide clearer guidance & concrete activities
Open-ended reflection activities were confusing. Users preferred reflection activities with more guidance. Also, some visual elements were abstract and hard to understand.
More inclusive language
The way we ask certain questions could potentially make assumptions on individuals who take the survey, and didn't consider edge cases.
Final design
Final Wireframe
Based on the insights, I iterated on the questionnaire interfaces:
Final design
High Fidelity Design
I designed the hi-fi interfaces to shape an experience of tranquility, trustworthiness and gender neutrality:
Reflection
Inclusivity in UX languages
It was great to create a mobile experience that put an emphasis on inclusivity and diverse reproductive values. I learned that written language, not just visual, on interfaces is an essential part of users' experience. Especially for a survey and healthcare experience. In order to consider audience groups with various lifestyle and reproductive values, we kept modifying the languages and the order of the questions, and made sure our questions would not be offensive.
