This gave me the idea to create my own version of a medication reminder app.
MedApp simplifies medication management with a clean, user-friendly interface, focusing on easy and direct reminders without the need for detailed treatment information.
The project involves developing a navigable prototype in two one-week sprints, guided by research and user feedback.
Finding my crew
Before deciding to create an app just for myself, I conducted a survey using Google Forms to understand the experiences and needs of other medication app users.
This group of individuals I interviewed included people who had never used medication reminders as well as those who rely on them regularly. The research aimed to uncover the real-world challenges and necessities of our target demographic who are current or past medication users.
So buckle up and join me as we explore the data collected to better understand our audience. You can also jump straight to the insights—I’ve done all the work to collect, analyse, and translate the data for you. But for those who love numbers, causality, and correlation:
🎬 Let's start with our age range, as you can see majority has between 18 to 25 years.
86,6% that don't use, would like to use an app to help organise their medication
90% have used an app to manage their medications
26,6% used the medication for 7 days followed by 20% using the medication for a more than 1 year
60% of them are using the app for the alarm feature
78% of them have forgot to take their medication
The beginning
✨Once upon a time✨, I found out that I would have to take medication every day, despite being the most forgetful person in the world 😅. So, I decided to download an app to help me with this mission.
To my surprise, I didn't like the appearance of any of the apps I found—their layouts and designs were unappealing. Additionally, the user experience was frustrating, as they always asked for too much information. I know some people need that, but not in my case.
When it comes to treatment duration, users have diverse needs: 26.66% have been in treatment for over a year, while 20% each have treatments lasting 6 months and 3 months.
This variety underscores the importance of creating a flexible app that can accommodate different treatment lengths.
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As it turns out, I'm not the only one who forgets to take their medication—78% admitted to having forgotten at some point, which really underscores the need for an effective reminder system in an app. Plus, 60% of users said alarms are the most important feature in a medication management app.
It's clear I found my people 👯♀️, they don't care much about the size of the pill or if they bought a box with 20 or 22 tablets—they just want a simple, effective reminder system that works. ✅
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Key Takeaways
When it comes to the adoption of medication management apps, a notable 90% of respondents have used such apps, showing strong market penetration and reliance on digital assistance for health routines. Moreover, there’s a significant opportunity to convert the remaining 10% who haven’t adopted these apps yet, especially since 86.6% of them expressed interest in having an app to help organise their medications.
So here it's already a good idea to create (yet) another app to help us remember our medications time! People use them! ✅
1
What I've found
After understanding people's needs regarding a medication app, I identified three main features for my MVP that would offer an intuitive, informative, and minimally interactive platform:
However, they have found that many medication apps are either too complicated or don't fit well into his daily routine. He's not alone; 78% of our survey respondents have had trouble remembering to take their medicine. Bernardo looks for a medication app that’s straightforward, sends him timely reminders, and fits into his busy life. He wants a tool that's there to help without getting in the way
Profile
How they feel
Collecting Ideas
Before diving into creating yet another medication app—yeah, I know, there are plenty out there, but I still wanted to join the buzz! I took a close look at what’s already been done and what lessons I could learn from them. The research revealed both the strengths and weaknesses of each application, providing me with valuable insights to start thinking about the features for my app.
Understanding the user
Based on the research, I created a persona to help us understand their profile and build the MedApp idea based on their needs.
Meet Bernardo, a 23-year-old who, like many in our study, falls into the 18 to 25 age bracket—an age where many are starting their careers while managing health conditions. Bernardo is comfortable with technology and uses apps for various needs, including keeping track of their health.
Framework
Before jumping into prototyping, I mapped out a user journey flowchart for the app. I integrated everything I learned from research, conversations with users, the created profile, and design ideas that make sense for the purpose. The goal was to ensure the app's flow feels just right for our users every step of the way. I always kept in mind the importance of a user-friendly interface, a streamlined process, and an effective reminder system.
References
My visual inspiration draws from a clean and modern aesthetic, prioritizing clarity and a soothing color palette to create a peaceful user experience. The interfaces I’ve selected showcase a blend of soft hues, rounded elements, and ample white space, bring to mind a sense of calm and order.
Logo
Color Palette & Icons
Typography
I chose the Josefin Sans font for its modern look and reader-friendliness. It looks great at any size and is easy on the eyes, which is perfect for everything from headlines to the small print.
Components
Qualitative Interview
After reviewing the answers, I felt the need to interview the individuals to understand the main reasons why they forgot to take their medication and if they were using an app at the time. Moreover, I became curious about why people don't use an app now but are willing to use one.
So my two questions were:
"Were you using the app to remember your medication at the time you forgot to take it?"
"If yes, what do you think was the reason for forgetting?"
"If no, do you think using an app could have helped you remember? Why?"
"Why don't you use an app if you want to?"
User Feedback & Revisions
All the tasks were complete on the usability test, but I had some feedbacks:⚠️
Users expressed a desire for more flexibility in setting the frequency of their treatments so I added a continuous button to the medication setup process. This allows users to easily set and adjust how often they take their medications, making the app more adaptable to individual treatment plans.
Another request was the ability to delay reminders if users couldn't take their medication at the scheduled time. To address this, I implemented a snooze option in the reminder notifications. This feature ensures that users can postpone their reminders, helping them avoid missing a dose while maintaining their medication schedule.
Some users felt that the confirmation message for a successful password change disappeared too quickly. To improve this experience, I increased the display time for the password change confirmation message.
Looking Forward
Reflecting on my initial objectives, I am pleased with how MedApp has turned out. It's simple and has a clear visual design. ✅
One of my biggest learnings is how challenging it is not to add too many features to an app! There are so many ideas and needs, and sticking with the concept of a simple app is harder than I thought. Additionally, designing the medication registration process was particularly difficult, and I learned a lot from building those components.
Looking forward, I'd like to experiment with adding features in the future, such as connecting with stores for easy medication purchases, a data record to track medication history, and alerts for potential drug interactions. However, it's crucial for me to avoid adding too many features and falling into the same problem as other apps on the market.
This project was incredibly rewarding to work on, and I really enjoyed the process of creating something I needed. I hope you enjoyed following along with me!