I. Research
I collaborated with two other UVA students throughout every step of this project. We began with a 1-on-1 interview of a real caregiver, who provided invaluable insight into her lived experience of caring for a family member with debilitating chronic illness. One of my fellow students and I conducted the interview, both asking questions to identify the specific needs of the caregiver demographic, while the third member of our team focused on note-taking.
We identified the following demographics, user needs/pain points, and ways we could address these needs through a digital product.
A. Demographics
Age range: 50-70s
Race/ethnicity: Hispanic
Language: native Spanish-speakers with a range of proficiency in English.
Relation: friend or family member of patient without prior medical training
The caregiver we interviewed described a specific population of older Hispanic caregivers who face unique barriers to finding peer support and accessing medical resources. Using her insights, we decided to design specifically for this target audience.
B. User Pain Points/Needs
Caregiving takes a toll.
+ constant physical and mental exhaustion
+ often balancing their own careers alongside full-time caregiving.
+ struggle with loneliness and isolation, lacking support systems who understand the demands of the position
+ lack easy way to connect with other caregivers for support and recommendations
Language barriers prevent ease of coordination and access to resources.
+ difficulty communicating with doctors
+ trouble understanding the conditions they’re expected to treat and ask questions
+ hard to find doctors willing to accomodate their specific needs
+ added difficulty navigating digital platforms without readily-available Spanish translation
C. How we can help
+ facilitate creation of a caregiver community, providing opportunities for recommendations and support
+ pre-translated information on various health conditions (e.g., symptoms, treatments, and available resources)
+ option to view the mobile app in English or Spanish
+ prioritize accessible design, including large icons and text, fewer design elements per screen, and a detailed onboarding
II. Creative
A. Brainstorm
Armed with our research insights, we chose to design a mobile app for ease of access- caregivers could use the resources as they moved from home to doctor’s appointments to daily errands.
The 'Circle' Concept
Circ got its name from our primary feature, caregiver ‘Circles’. Our main priority was to connect caregivers treating the same conditions, so that they could provide one another with recommendations and support.
Each Circle is dedicated to a particular condition (e.g., diabetes, breast cancer, dementia, etc). Users are able to search through conditions and add them to their home screen, where they show up as large (circular) icons.
Circles are comprised of three distinct features:
+ basic, pre-translated information on the condition (e.g., common symptoms and treatments)
+ reviews of local healthcare providers
+ “Ask Me Anything” sessions
This last feature allows any caregiver to host their own Q&A and provide more detailed recommendations to their peers, who can discuss further in the comments.
B. Design
As we brainstormed, my teammate and I began sketching potential wireframe designs for the features we discussed.
I then took these sketches and began turning them into Figma designs. I created the iconography, the onboarding process, and the provider recommendation screen. Our third teammate fleshed out our business model, including identification of potential donors and language for legal disclaimers.
To keep user cost low and optimize accessibility, I suggested selling ad space in the provider reviews as a source of funding. However, this came with the caveat that providers could not edit the reviews to maintain integrity and trust with users.
III. Wireframes
