WISH Mobile App

Encouraging women to learn more about their sexual health with trusted information and access to care

PROCESS

Early stage research along with multiple methodologies to help define clear goals, answer key questions and generate important insights:

• Understanding the medical industry and its patients

• Exploring how the product could address the user needs

• Materializing and testing the product for usability and user feedback

INTERVIEWS 

1. Phone interviews with the WISH care providers to identify the goals of the practice, what was working and what wasn’t in terms of the practice itself and client care
2. In-person interviews with current patients to gain insight on feelings and behaviors regarding sexual health, medical care and the WISH practice

majority FINDINGS

• Majority of women lack the education of sexual health and the care that is available

• Incorrect assumption that WISH is the same as an ob/gyn practice

• Numerous personal reasons for receiving sexual health care, such as "embarrassment of what their family might think" 

• The need for facts and human interaction/empathy

After combining all research and finding similar feelings/behaviors/problems, I focused on areas where problems seemed to exist.

• How do patients gather and learn facts or trusted guidance about their sexual health? 

• What did the patient need to feel and see to reach out for information and actual health care?

• What would make the patient feel comfortable when approaching the sensitive subject?
   

It's time to brainstorm. Keeping the unmet user needs at the forefront, these deliverables were meant to create a variety of options to solve problems, including the organizing the app structure, being intentional with information and to provide a voice and feeling with branding.

sitemap

The last thing I wanted was an unorganized, jumbled and confusing app, so this deliverable allowed me to organize only the necessary information and figure out how each page is interrelated. I wanted to make sure that each section was intentional, so I took the top five common issues from user research and organized from there.

USER FLOW

Thinking about how the user would flow through the app, I created the following scenario:
1) A woman been experiencing pain with intercourse. After some online research, she found WISH.
2) The website suggests to download the app for more information, and she happily takes the advice.
3) She browses health topics related to her symptoms and more info about the practice.
4) Watching videos of the practitioners helps her to get a feel of their personality and approach.
5) She's interested in visiting WISH and books an appointment.

Here I realized that creating an account may not be necessary to explore the app. Maybe the user only needs an account to book an appointment? Or to see their health records? I also need to give the user an easy "out" in each step. 

mood board

Creating a welcoming, positive and informative look was my driving force behind the mood board. I wanted to explore highly curated photography, especially showing women of varying ages and races. This would help to reinforce a sense of commonality with other women, as well as a sense of understanding from the practice. Peaceful, calming and earthy colors encourage a sense of ease and trust.  

BRANDING

User feedback told me that there is confusion, hesitation and embarrassment surrounding the subject of sexual health. The logo needs to be easily understandable with a sense of ease, comfort and trust. The current logo for WISH portrays an illustrated dandelion, with an intended message of "hope" and "wishing." I wanted to keep that message, but improve the legibility. I incorporated a classic, feminine typeface and a simplified illustration of a flower. Pink tones translate a caring and sensitive message, while the purple/blue tones give a sense of stability and trust. 

LOGO EXPLORATION

BRAND STYLE TILE

This phase of design was multi-faceted with numerous rounds of sketches, wireframes and prototypes. I focused on three sets of screens and flows based on user testing, including interest in sexual health facts, videos, WISH information and booking an appointment. 

ONBOARDING

WISH / BOOK APPOINTMENT

LOW FIDELITY USABLITY TESTING

For the first round of lo-fi usability testing, I recruited three women with ages ranging from 28-years old to 65-years old. I was able to sit with each user, give minimal direction and record while they followed five user flows. The amount of feedback was extremely helpful, and I quickly discovered common likes, dislikes and pain points. 

PAIN POINTS

• Navigation position on each screen 

• Lack of emphasis / information on billing and insurance

• Confusion on where to book an appointment

• Confusing navigation icons

• Readability of text

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

• Easy to understand on-boarding

• Welcome message gave a sincere feeling

• High interest in watching a video

• Being able to research all conditions

• The app format gives privacy to research in any place, any time

HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

I kept my usability results in the forefront while designing these wireframes. Navigation needed to be simplified. Legibility of text needed improvement, along with hierarchy of information. Users needed a simple, intuitive way to book an appointment from any screen. All the while, I wanted to reinforce the brand and create a sense of ease, comfort and trust. 

HIGH FIDELITY USABILITY TESTING

For the second round of usability testing, I recruited four users from ages 26-43, all with varying experiences with the sexual health medical industry. Sitting with each user, I gave minimal direction from my testing plan and video recorded while they followed directions and explored the app.

WHAT I LEARNED

My goal for this project was to assist the practitioners and patients of WISH for a better in-office experience. I made plenty of assumptions in the beginning, thinking this assistance would mean to provide a simpler way for a client to book an appointment or to offer a convenient way to chat within the app. Although I fully enjoyed exploring, designing and testing these digital features, it became apparent that this is a much bigger problem than a lack of convenience or simplicity.

My research showed a lack of general knowledge, support and trusted resources when it comes to sexual health. I was able to implement a few opportunities within the app to provide some help, and I was so happy to receive positive feedback. It was clear that my users appreciated a way to gain more knowledge from a trusted source, especially with a welcoming message. 

Throughout this project, I read a statistic that an estimated 46% of women in America suffer from sexual health issues. It is extremely encouraging to see practitioners (like those at WISH) dedicating the time, resources and energy to treat these women. I can't help but notice a broader problem here, though – Why is there such a lack of knowledge surrounding women's sexual health?