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A case study redesigning website for PRIDEnet - the volunteer and community engagement sector of the PRIDE study.
Asthma is a condition that attacks lungs during which a person's airways become inflamed, narrow and swell, and produce extra mucus, making it difficult to breathe. The symptoms of Asthma vary from person to person but the most common are shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
To develop a customised asthma management system that tracks your surroundings to keep you aware of the quality of air to help you breathe your best and avoid flare-ups.
1 month
The client is a global pharmaceutical company that is committed to developing new treatments in neuroscience like schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, and other neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer disease, epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, and autism.
How Might we help Architects with Asthma manage their symptoms in dusty sites?
I started by reading and learning about the disease. I spoke to health care professionals and individuals with this chronic condition. I conducted interviews with asthma patients to understand their daily challenges. Then, I gathered insights on preferred features, usability concerns, and desired improvements.
To narrow down the use case, I took the extreme user person of Harsh- My architect friend with asthma, who faces triggers due to his occupational hazard.
Harsh Melwani (he/him/his) is a 27 year old Architect with chronic Asthma since childhood. His condition is hereditary and has been worsened by respiratory trauma at childhood.
Over time, with the practice of breathing exercises, swimming and medication, he has been able to been able to keep his asthma under control. Recently, he has been promoted to senior architect and finds himself at dusty construction sites very often. Due to the long hours spent at these sites, his asthma gets triggered more often and he has been facing frequent attacks.
I started off by having a series of interviews with the client- Harsh. I spent a lot of time understanding what Asthma is and all the possible triggers. Then I mapped out everything- all the factors contributing to the asthma attacks.
I started mapping out his daily routines and healthcare management currently.
The goal was to understand the daily journey of the patient. It helped get to the bottom of finding triggers, frequency and severity.Since Asthma is a chronic illness, it was important to keep track of the frequency of attacks and severity. These are the major hindrances in the patient's life and the goal was to reduce these symptoms to improve his quality of life.
With some deep dive, I understood that his major triggers were dust, decrease in humidity and excess heat.
His asthma gets triggered during the day when he goes to sites. This leads to severe attacks - shortness of breath etc.
Understanding the trigger and management system helped identify the various moderators that help keep the inflammation under control.Since the patient has a history of this disease since childhood, there is certain system that he had developed to help him manage the disease.
The key factors that triggered symptoms in the patient were elements that he could not avoid. As an Interior Architect, dusty situations are something that he cannot avoid and Asthma hinders his efficiency at work. My aim was to develop a system that work hand in hand with his existing knowledge of his body and his management system.
Chronic diseases have to be tackled on multiple levels. Since there is no cure, the management system has to be a holistic one. In this project, my design system aims to target prevention and control of attacks.
Goals:
• Monitor asthma symptoms in real-time.
• Receive personalized insights and recommendations.
• Improve medication adherence.
• Manage stress and anxiety related to asthma.
Pain Points:
• Difficulty tracking symptoms consistently.
• Forgetting to take medication on time.
• Limited guidance on managing triggers and stress.
By combining wearable technology with a user-friendly mobile interface, we aim to enhance symptom monitoring, medication adherence, and overall well-being. Continuous feedback and data analysis will drive ongoing improvements, ensuring a valuable and impactful user experience in asthma management.
The research results indicated clearly that exposure to three major triggers aggravated the patient.I realized that limiting exposure to these and keep tracking of the intensity would significantly help reduce the frequency of attacks.
I designed a ring + mobile application system that would help Harsh track his surroundings and help him prevent his triggers.
I decided to introduce a ring because often times, as an architect, Harsh would keep his phone in his pocket and would not check it while carrying large blueprints and walking around the site for inspection.
He also said that sometimes, he would leave his phone on a desk or in his bag at the entrance of the construction site. This would defeat the purpose and so, I decided to go with a ring which can be worn, is seamless and hassl free without any kind of obstruction.
A system that comprises of a ring that tracks and notifies the wearer about his surroundings and an application on the phone that holds this information along with helping you find your emergency medication.
By combining wearable technology with a user-friendly mobile interface, I aim to enhance symptom monitoring, medication adherence, and overall well-being. Continuous feedback and data analysis will drive ongoing improvements, ensuring a valuable and impactful user experience in asthma management.
Designed a lightweight, comfortable ring device with sensors for vital sign monitoring (e.g., heart rate,
oxygen saturation).
Ensured compatibility with mobile platforms (iOS, Android).
Created wireframes and user flows for the app.Focused on intuitive navigation, clear data visualization, and personalized recommendations.Integrated features for symptom tracking, medication reminders, trigger analysis, and stress management techniques (e.g., breathing exercises, mindfulness).
The patient wears the ring that has sensors to track the air quality and measure the amount of dust particles, allergens and humidity. it changes colour based on the quality to immediately let the wearer know what range he is in currently.
The color of the ring changes based on the intensity and danger level of the surroundings. Starting with green (with green being good with dust, pollen and humidity being in the good range and red being severely bad
The color corresponds with the quality of air with all details mentioned in the app.
I designed a ring + mobile application system that would help Harsh track his surroundings and help him prevent his triggers.
I decided to introduce a ring because often times, as an architect, Harsh would keep his phone in his pocket and would not check it while carrying large blueprints and walking around the site for inspection.
He also said that sometimes, he would leave his phone on a desk or in his bag at the entrance of the construction site. This would defeat the purpose and so, I decided to go with a ring which can be worn, is seamless and hassl free without any kind of obstruction.
The patient wears the ring that has sensors to track the air quality and measure the amount of dust particles, allergens and humidity. it changes colour based on the quality to immediately let the wearer know what range he is in currently.
Personalized Insights: Understand how lifestyle, medication, and environmental factors impact your asthma condition uniquely.
Proactive Management: Detect early warning signs and take preventive measures to avoid asthma exacerbations.
Improved Communication: Share detailed monthly reports with your healthcare provider for informed discussions and treatment adjustments.
Empowered Self-Care: Take charge of your asthma management journey with data-driven decision-making and personalized recommendations.
Monitoring Monthly Symptom Trends:
• Track changes in asthma symptoms over the month.
• Visualize patterns such as peak symptom periods, symptom triggers, and improvements.
Medication Adherence:
• Monitor your medication intake adherence throughout the month.
• Receive reminders and insights to stay on track with your prescribed medication schedule.
Trigger Analysis:
• Identify potential asthma triggers based on environmental factors, activity levels, and other personalized data.
• Gain insights to avoid triggers and minimize asthma flare-ups.
Health Metrics:
• View vital health metrics such as lung function, oxygen saturation, and heart rate trends.
• Receive reminders and insights to stay on track with your prescribed medication schedule.
• Monitor your overall health status and correlate it with asthma symptoms.
•Stress Management: Track stress levels and access relaxation techniques integrated into the app. Manage stress-induced asthma symptoms with guided breathing exercises and mindfulness practices.
Conducted usability tests with asthma patients of different age groups and tech proficiency levels.
Collected feedback on interface clarity, feature relevance, and overall user satisfaction.
Iterated on design based on user feedback, refining UI elements, and enhancing user guidance.
Planned future updates based on user feedback, technological advancements, and medical insights.
Would like to link the humidifier and other devices to be able to draw repeated insights and customize it to user's needs.
I believe that by empowering users with meaningful data and actionable insights, my app can make a positive difference in asthma management experience.
Demographic
LGBTQ+ community members passionate about the wellbeing of their community.
A/B TESTING
We conducted a series of qualitative interviews discussing what our user group thinks about health research and LGBTQ+ health issues. In addition, we conducted immersive testing of the website to determine what information users are looking for, their goals in relationship to PRIDEnet, and how they would navigate the site.
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