Track your symptoms and get diagnosed faster.
Duration
4 weeks
Tools
Figma
My role
UX designer
Problem space: Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Endometriosis can affect people of any age, including teenagers. It's a long-term condition that can have a significant impact on your life.
The goal of this project was to improve healthcare for endometriosis patients. As a user experience researcher, I set out to learn about what treatments and support there is offered to people suffering with endometriosis to build a deeper understanding of their experiences. This research provided the foundations of my project, and lead me to my digital solution.
Design process
Discover
Secondary research
Studies show that endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK, however it can take a shocking 8 years on average to get diagnosed. It can often feel embarrassing or worrying for patients to talk to their doctors, as it can often be confused with painful periods.
Identifying the Problem
I believe that people living with endometriosis are feeling frustrated by how long it takes to be formally diagnosed. I will know that I am right when two out of the three of my interviewees confirm that they have waited a long time for their diagnosis.
Digging deeper
The best way for me to gain rich insights into my problem space was by interviewing people with a formal diagnosis of Endometriosis. I wanted to make sure that my interviewees were as comfortable as possible, and so I conducted my interviews via video calls, where I was able to see and react to my interviewees in the most empathetic way. I was able to find out their pain points, motivations and behaviours. I then placed these onto my affinity map where I looked for patterns and reoccurring themes.
Affinity mapping: identifying key themes
#1 Support
People with Endometriosis are not receiving enough support from their doctors post diagnosis. The best form of support they have received is from their partners and friends. They would like to see more therapy being offered out as treatment.
“I’ve received no support from my doctors since my diagnosis.”
“I would like to see more emotional support available like therapy, it can be really traumatising to go through that long diagnosis.”
“Having a friend or partner validate, empathise and do their own research is the best support I have received.”
#2 Health
Endometriosis is a debilitating condition that causes patients to suffer with such extreme pain that they often are unable to attend social events, focus on their work and carry out basic tasks. This causes a lot of emotional stress which can also lead to worsening of symptoms.
“The severity of Endometriosis can be so debilitating”
“I have had to cancel so many plans as the pain was so bad - particularly in the evenings.”
“I have accidentally taken too many painkillers and knocked myself out and couldn’t go to work.”
#3 Awareness
Endometriosis patients would like to see more being done to raise awareness for their condition. They have concerns for being misunderstood in the work place which causes them to not to want to talk about it.
“I worry about losing my job over it.”
“There is a general lack of understanding about endometriosis.”
“One of the worst parts about endometriosis is the misunderstanding of it.”
#4 Quality of service
Endometriosis patients are having to fight for their diagnosis for many years due to being misdiagnosed and not listened to by their GP. This often leads to them opting for private healthcare and feeling traumatised by the whole experience.
“It can be really traumatising to go through that long diagnosis.”
“When I was 16 - I went to my GP where she gave an examination... and misdiagnosed me with ovarian cancer!”
“I was 30 years old when I was diagnosed - so it took doctors almost 20 years to confirm that I had endometriosis.”
The average waiting time for patients to be diagnosed with Endometriosis is a shocking 8 years due to not being listened to or misdiagnosis by their doctors. This leads to them feeling exhausted and traumatised by the whole experience.
How might we help people with endometriosis get a faster diagnosis in order to provide them with the best professional support and reduce likelihood of emotional trauma.
Define
User Persona
After exploring my problem space, identified my problem statement and a HMW question I was able combine all of my findings to define a persona that represents the core insights of my target users.
User stories into epics
In order for me to fully explore the possibilities of my product, I constructed a list of over 40 user stories. These stories reflect what functionalities could be involved in my digital solution to the problem space. This approach helped to ensure that the development process remained user-centered, with a focus on creating a digital interaction that will satisfy the users' needs and expectations.
Digital solutions
Due to the short timeframe of this project I chose to use the crazy 8 brainstorming method to come up with ideas for my products functionalities.
Focused digital solutions
A tracking system that allows users to input their daily symptoms
Converting users tracked data into downloadable charts and graphs that are easy to save and share with the doctor.
Task selection
I built two task flows in order to illustrate how the user would get to the desired goal of Sharing their tracked information with their doctor.
Task flow explained: Florence wants to track her endometriosis symptoms so that she can share them with her doctor at her next appointment.
Task flow explained: Florence is about to go to the doctors to discuss her endometriosis symptoms. She wants to have a PDF file saved to her phone that she can share with her doctor in her appointment.
Develop
Initial Sketches
To visualise my product and how it would function I began by sketching the screens that would need to be developed to complete the chosen task flows.
Wireframes and user Testing
The next stage was to refine these sketches into greyscale wireframes and test them out on 2 rounds of 5 users - applying amendments where needed between both tests before developing the visual identity of the product.
Initial prototype
Primary task flow
Secondary task flow
User Testing Results
Design Prioritisation Matrix
I turned my user testing findings into actionable tasks and marked them out on a design prioritisation matrix.
Deliver
Amended wireframes
Key learnings and next steps
This project has given me a thorough overview of each phase of the UX design process, from discovery and strategy through to design, prototyping and testing. I really loved learning from my many mistakes and iterations.
My findings left me feeling very empathetic towards sufferers with Endometriosis. I particularly enjoyed being able to have in depth conversations with my users in order to gain a deeper understanding of their needs. I had so many people reaching out wanting to share their experiences which proved how much of an impact endometriosis has on their lives and how important it is to help speed up the diagnosis times.
The next steps for the app will be to build more functionalities beyond this MVP and develop the visual identity. Coming soon!