Users:
Originally, Iron kids was targeted toward children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and their parents. However, when I was asked to come in and redesign the product experience, I ended up changing our end-users.
I decided to target doctors and their patients’ parents.
Scope & Contraints:
I had 3 weeks to build out an Invision prototype of the new digital experience and interface to show an interested client in India.
Time was short as this was an additional project to my usual workload. I divided my time in thirds. Research and interviews for the first week, Synthesis and about a week of sketching and designing wireframes, then the third week was dedicated to creating visual design and a high-fidelity prototype.
Process:
As I came into the project, the Lead asked me to redesign the entire look and feel of the app, find new opportunities and mentor the Jr. visual designer that created the first iteration.
Below is the original design on the left and the redesigned Iron Kids on the right.
As I looked over the first prototype, I noticed it felt like it did not center on the user or the problem.
The main user was the patient (child) but before starting mentoring sessions, I made sure to be up to speed on the research the team had previously and then I did some on my own.
I spoke with some pediatricians and asked about oxygen therapy in kids. They confirmed kids who are on any type of oxygen therapy have very limited mobility because the amount of oxygen needs to be precise for each individual case. However, I was surprised to learn that kids diagnosed with cystic fibrosis don’t go out and play very much because they are very susceptible to infections.
Some of my keys finding on this second research round:
Iron Kids could help ANY child who is on any type of oxygen therapy
Doctors concurred that it would be very beneficial if they had access to the settings of oxygen levels
Oxygen in large amounts can be toxic, so they have to teach parents how oxygen tanks work and how much or how little is appropriate for their child.
It would be extremely beneficial if oxygen levels could change automatically depending on the child’s needs.
The product was already half-way there. The team designed a dummy prototype that used a superhero mask, a raspberry pi zero, an ear sensor and two small oxygen tanks on each side to give kids increased mobility and make them feel like superheroes.
This is some of what the team previously had:
Now I just had to design a digital interface to match it.
As I came to the end of week one, I called a meeting with the entire team to present my findings and propose new users and features for Iron Kids.
As I stared week two, mentoring sessions began as well. I reviewed the first iteration with the Jr. Visual Designer and made some basic comments on usability and UX design.
Then we looked at the research together and we prioritized features, decided on user requirements and dedicated that week to sketching and creating a happy path for grayscale wireframes.
Meanwhile, I had constant mentoring sessions with the Jr. Designer, so she could learn as we moved forward.
As we came to an end of week three, we finished the happy path for both users; doctors and parents.
After it was presented to the rest of the Innovation team and the interested client, I received great feedback and decided to create the experience for iPad as well, as its easier to showcase in the demo room. It would also be a good opportunity to teach the Jr. designer about responsive visual design.
I created a new experience for an award-winning product made by the Innovation Team. I mentored a neophyte visual designer to expand her skills. And I was assigned as the team’s Lead designer in charge of a team of three developers to make this iteration a reality.
The project is patent pending and the team and I are working with a medical company to design new oxygen tanks.
We also presented Iron Kids to a big entertainment company in the US who is interested in offering this service in their theme parks.
As I came into the Iron Kids team, I was nervous and excited to work with such an innovative idea. I was especially enthusiastic to look for new opportunities and features for the digital counterpart.
I also had the opportunity to mentor and empower someone else to learn how to look at things in a different light and find a practical approach as you create. Mentoring is one my favorite activities.
I learned so much during this project. Including things I had never done before, like the process to patent an idea. I also got the opportunity to learn more about pulmonary diseases and oxygen therapy, which I had no idea was so complicated.
This was a great learning experience and loved every second of it.
To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and blurred confidential information. All of this case study's material is copyrighted and property of Accenture.
