Project- Senior project at Centennial College as part of Interactive media management course
Sector- Women health
Duration- 4 months
My role- Entire project from ideation to prototyping
About PCOS Diet Mate
PCOS Diet Mate is a transformative app born out of my personal journey with PCOD. Understanding that maintaining a well-balanced diet is not only crucial but also one of the most challenging aspects of managing this condition, I set out to create a solution that streamlines this process, facilitating a seamless transition towards a healthier lifestyle for women with PCOD/PCOS.
Problem
PCOD/PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or Polycystic Ovarian Disease) affects women aged 14 to 45, with approximately 1.4 million cases in Canada. Since there is no set cure, maintaining a healthy diet is crucial for managing this condition. However, this transformative journey can be overwhelming. Finding helpful information about PCOD can be challenging, and sticking to a prescribed diet plan becomes demotivating. Online grocery shopping, with its vast options, adds to the frustration, making it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
My app, tailored for managing PCOS/PCOD, aims to ease the discomfort and frustration that often accompanies dietary and lifestyle adjustments. Its purpose is to simplify the process, making it effortless for women to choose and stick to their prescribed diet plans, with convenient doorstep delivery of necessary ingredients. This empowers women to take control of their health and address the challenges of managing this condition more effectively.
Solution
The Approach
01
Comparative Analysis
Upon conceiving this idea, my first step involved researching the market to identify potential competitors or similar services. After a thorough analysis, I discovered that there were no direct competitors. Consequently, I broadened my search to include businesses offering similar services to different target audiences and those related to PCOD/PCOS to gather more ideas for the app.
From this search, I pinpointed the most prominent ones, which included HelloFresh, the Uvi Health app, and PCOS Tracker. I conducted a comparative analysis considering factors such as their core services, target audience, promotional strategies, ease of use, user interface, and more.
Personalized and Convenient Diet Plans
Hassle-free Grocery Delivery
Improved Compliance and Adherence
Value propositions
I crafted my value propositions by analyzing competitors, seizing opportunities, and aligning them with my solution
02
User Interviews and surveys
After formulating a rough concept for the app, I distributed surveys and conducted user interviews to validate the idea. These interviews involved peers and women with PCOD/PCOS, using a set of questions I crafted to uncover their frustrations and challenges.
Findings
01.
The survey confirmed that women with PCOS often struggle with managing their diet and may overlook the condition due to limited resources.
02.
A primary concern among interviewees was the level of personalization they could expect from the app, as each individual's body requires a different type of diet.
03.
Users also expressed a desire for a comprehensive solution to their PCOS challenges, allowing them to focus on their physical exercise as well.
04.
Users emphasized the importance of an easy-to-use and intuitive app interface. A user-friendly design is crucial as the app will serve a range of women between the ages of 18-45, ensuring convenience for all.
03
Personas
Creating personas was one of my favorite aspects of this project. These personas closely resembled real-life examples, and it was through them that I established a strong connection between the app and its users. After conducting interviews and extensively reading blog articles by women with PCOS, I felt like I was narrating their stories through these personas.
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04
UX Theme
"Empower women with PCOS/PCOD to take control of their health journey by providing reliable diet plans and ongoing support."
05
Voice and Tone
The main aim of the voice and tone of the app is to help users throughout their health journey by offering them a smooth transition to a healthy lifestyle. Most of the users might already feel overwhelmed and frustrated with their condition. Therefore, I wanted the voice and tone of the app to neither confuse them nor make it complicated for them to recognize their needs.
06
Information Architecture
By incorporating feedback from my peers and conducting interviews with potential users, I designed some of the pages that could be included on the website. To ensure ease of navigation, I conducted a card sorting exercise among my peers and potential users. The last thing I wanted to do was introduce another element of frustration into the users' lives.
User Journey
As part of the senior project, we were tasked with focusing on a single user journey. I chose Rebecca as my main persona and crafted her user journey. The journey commences with Rebecca discovering the app through a blog article (which is part of the promotional tactic I selected) and concludes with Rebecca purchasing an ingredient box.
07
Low Fidelity Wireframes
The low-fidelity prototypes were created as rough sketches on Miro. It was like crafting my idea using boxes and circles. Usability testing was conducted on these mock-ups to determine the clarity of the idea and identify areas for improvement.
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One notable observation was that users found the ingredient list somewhat confusing. They also expressed a desire to know the nutritional intake rather than just having a list. Additionally, users preferred the diet plan to be presented in an engaging manner rather than as a table to reduce confusion.
And finally,
High Fidelity Wireframes
To enhance the level of personalization, users are encouraged to take a survey that assists the app in curating the best diet plans according to their needs, PCOS stage, physical activity, age, dietary preferences, and more.
Testimonials from individuals who have used the app are prominently displayed above the diet plan to bolster user confidence in the application.
​Users receive comprehensive information about their customized diet plans, including a categorized list of ingredients and specific nutritional details tailored to their individual needs. Additionally, they have the option to conveniently order and have the ingredient box delivered to their doorstep.
To address potential user confusion about their diet plans, I've introduced a feature that lets users schedule appointments with health experts. This feature not only provides clarity but also helps build trust in the app, as users can seek professional guidance when needed.
I've introduced a tracker to help users monitor their diet plans. This feature ensures they stay motivated and stay informed about any missed days.
Reflections
Learning to Trust the Process
One important lesson I learned was that transforming my thoughts and ideas into a functional model was not as easy as it seemed. Many concepts that made sense in my mind couldn't be effectively conveyed through my low-fidelity wireframes. At times, I felt disappointed. However, the process of working on my low-fidelity wireframes and conducting user testing proved to be immensely beneficial in refining my thoughts and bringing them to life in a working model.
Expanding the Project's Horizons
Including recipes in my app was initially a part of my concept. I believe it would greatly benefit users, particularly those who aren't expert cooks. However, this idea fell outside the scope of my senior project. Nevertheless, I am committed to integrating it into the app in the future to enhance its utility for users.
Understanding Users Beyond Design
My passion to complete this project was deeply rooted in the stories I heard from women who had experienced PCOS, and my own frustrations with the same issue. At every step of the way, from the strategies I employed to the words I wrote, I consistently drew upon my interviews and the insights I gained from them. It truly boils down to understanding the users and providing them with what they need, rather than simply showcasing our design and prototyping skills.