Hassle free medication refill
Iterating a mobile app medication refill process based on user feedback post-launch.
Role
Staff Designer
Focus
Research and strategy
Role
I worked with the team’s researcher and data analyst to develop a full understanding of the problem, and validate our hypotheses. I presented the data to VA stakeholders so they would feel comfortable with our post-launch revisit.
I recruited the feature’s frequent users for a research study where they conducted refills and walked through how they manage their medication inventory with the app. I aimed to uncover opportunities to ease my hypothesized pain points in areas like layout and content design.
Process
Before the sessions, I worked with other researchers and VA social workers to review the test plan, and prepare for potential situations that may arise. In the sessions, I incorporated trauma-informed principles when working with study participants.
I conducted studies with blind/low-vision users for insight on how to improve the feature’s accessibility. I provided study variations to participants, such as a diary discussion opposed to screen sharing and recording while they refill.
A few participants volunteered information about sensitive topics related to their health, so I used trauma-informed principles to ensure that participants weren’t harmed by the study. Additionally, I offered space for other observers to debrief after the session.
Hypothesis
Leading up to the study, I reviewed usage data and conducted my own heuristic evaluation to develop hypotheses. I noticed that the medication list included potentially confusing or irrelevant statuses, like “On Hold, Parked, Discontinued, Expired”.
I also noticed the amount of competing interactions on the screen. The initial implementation included a horizontal scrolling tab navigation, and another row of filter buttons below it. Including all of the functionality at the top masked the prominence of the primary action–the Start Refill button.
I questioned which functionality was most valuable to users, since these actions occupied so much space on a smaller mobile device screen. To support my assumptions leading into the study, I paired with the team’s data analyst to validate usage stats and apply meaningful metrics to these potential issues.
Outcomes
Quantitative data suggested a high bounce rate without refill, and it was underscored when observing the study participants. They became frustrated when trying to locate a particular prescription. They also exclusively looked for the meds with an Active status tag on them.
During the study, all participants successfully refilled their prescriptions–eventually. Other usability issues caused some to explore another refill method, like calling the pharmacy or using legacy tools. These options were in direct conflict with VA’s KPIs–fixing it posed a huge opportunity to improve overall satisfaction with VA services.
Results and overall impact
Upon study completion, I presented the findings to VA stakeholders, and other legacy teams working on software within the Veterans Health Administration. I balanced user feedback and business constraints to develop a prioritization framework to update the Prescriptions feature.
Including clients and external stakeholders in the research study resulted in resounding support for the updates. Since they saw usability issues in real time, it helped them understand the value in what we proposed. We also incorporated a monitoring phase for the events where we witnessed friction. Combining data with research helped me collaborate with legacy VA teams to influence data-driven improvements to their tools.
