USER
Chronic kidney disease patients, caregivers and primary healthcare providers
DURATION
Ongoing
Role
I am building this as a passion project, so it is a solo project, with consultants providing expertise where relevant.
Design Objective
Patients with chronic diagnoses and their caregivers often struggle with the long term management of a disease. The brief was to explore how digital intervention can address patient needs and make judicious additions where appropriate. I chose to start by creating a solution targeted to patient with chronic kidney disease.
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
Chronic kidney disease is defined according to the presence or absence of kidney damage and level of kidney function—irrespective of the type of kidney disease. According to a paper published by Jager, Kitty J., et al published in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation in 2019, approximately 850 million people worldwide are estimated to have kidney disease, most of whom live in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Early identification, consistent accessible treatment and management of the disease can slow or stop progression of the disease.
Some other key statistics from this about this disease from this
source include;
- AKI affects 7–18% of hospitalized patients and 20–200 per million individuals annually in the community
- Currently, kidney disease is the third fastest-growing cause of death globally and the only NCD to exhibit a continued rise in age-adjusted mortality
- As many as 9 out of 10 individuals with CKD in resource-poor settings with weak primary care infrastructure are unaware that they have this condition and therefore do not seek treatment
RESEARCH
In order to research for this project, I studied various papers and publications about chronic kidney disease, medical assistance, and specifically UX based medical interventions. I interviewed patients, caregivers and primary healthcare providers and specialist doctors in order to gather data for this project. Some additional avenues of research were;
- I created artefact models to research typical conditions, flow models, and needs of those users.
- I performed a competitive analysis to explore other similar offerings and identify gaps in the market
INSIGHTS
The main insights I gained from extensive research is;
- Patients require an easy way to collect and track information on a daily basis.
- Patients benefit and are motivated by supports systems and frequent communication with peers and doctors.
- Language is a barrier that needs to be addressed to cater to those whose primary language of communication is not in English
IDEATION
The idea behind this application is to create a basis to build on to intergrate with emerging technological advances. Some of these features are listed below;
- Using voice inputs to overcome the barrier of language, and use the input to transcribe details with AI. This will save users a significant amount of time and mental effort.
- Using features available on most basic smart phones (Bluetooth, location, tactile and physiological measuring devices) where applicable, to record data with compatible devices.
- Providing recommended actions where appropriate to help users manage their health more efficiently using pattern recognition in data, working in tandem with monitoring from private healthcare providers.
Design Language
The ideology behind the design language was fresh, bold and sleek. The intent was to seem accessible yet instill confidence by having a professional and clean look to it. The gist of this design language is summarised below;
Nephrature's branding and design guidelines (Note: Does not contain full usage for brevity)
PROPOSED APPLICATION
Derived from the insights and ideation, the proposed solution incorporates features like the transcription, device integration and a communication module between peers and doctors. Some of these features are represented in mockups below. There is also an interactive prototype available to explore the proposed application.
Preview prototype
The homepage: Dynamic dashboard that reflects the time of day and makes for a more personalised experience
Exchange: Main feature allowing users to record and transcribe the details of their exchange
Connect: Chat interface that allows users to communicate in real time with peers (patients or caregivers), and doctors
NEXT STEPS
As this is a work in progress, I am keen to make the following additions;
- Create designs completely set in local languages to approximate and test these experiences with users
- Perform user testing with the prototype, including cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic assessments, A/B testing and heat maps
- Collaborating with an industrial designer to model and design a tangible addition to this application that will tackle further identified pain points (i.e: sensor based devices to warm peritoneal dialysis bags in cold environments)
FUTURE SCOPE
The future scope of Nephrature would add to this ecosystem.
- Create designs completely set in local languages to approximate and test these experiences with users
- Detail designs for partner applications for secondary users such as caregivers, primary healthcare providers, hospitals etc.
- Explore how to extrapolate this base to work for other patients with other chronic diagnoses
