There are so many tasks to do everyday and to-do list were piling up. I couldn't keep track of everything, and my family didn't understand how overwhelmed I felt. I always end the day exhausted and disheartened.
Macy - Full-time caregiver to her mother for 2 years
CLIENT
BACKGROUND INFO
DoctorNow Home
DoctorNow Home, a Hong Kong-based telehealth service, is dedicated to offering convenient healthcare access, particularly for caregivers and the community. The mobile app facilitates video consultations with registered General Practitioners, medication delivery, doorstep medical services, and a caregiving task management platform.
Role
UX & UI Designer
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User research
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User flows
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App design
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Prototyping
Interesting fact
This was a school-project-turned-into-real-life product. I was approached by DoctorNow team after they’ve discovered my mock project online and saw its potential in providing the perfect solution and enhancement to their existing doorstep services.
Timeline
4 weeks (school project)
16 weeks (engaged by client)
HOW DID THIS PROJECT COME ABOUT?
Inspired by personal experience - I was part of a caregiving team
My grandmother was bedridden for almost 4 years. My uncle was the main caretaker and the rest of the family members were on rotating caregiving shifts. Experiencing this from a first-person perspective, I was able to resonate and emphasise the mounting pressure a caregiver is facing, and hence, I wanted to see how else I can contribute to help make the entire experience a bit better.
Why does caregiving face
mounting challenges amidst growing demand?
65%
caregiving tasks are provided by unpaid caregivers including friends, family or neighbors
1 in 4
citizen
will be aged 65 and above in 2030 (in both Taiwan and Singapore)
Why caregivers deserve better support?
>1 million
estimated disabled Taiwanese population by 2025
100K
seniors will require assistance by 2030 in Singapore
7 of 10
feel stressful of taking care of elders
>60%
struggling between work and caregiving responsibilities
How can I, as part of a caregiving team, help to solve the pain points I've witnessed and experienced first-hand?
ZOOM INTO PROBLEM AREAS
Gather insights from other caregivers
(Are they facing the same problems as I do?)
In order to understand the pain points and challenges other caregivers are facing, user interviews were conducted with 5 target users who currently have at least one family member (i.e. elders or vulnerable adults) who is under the care of caregivers - e.g. another family member, domestic helper or part-timer helper). The following three personas are identified based on interviews.
< Scroll to view other persona >
Unveil problems in existing journeys
This journey map brings attention to persistent problems related to caregiving responsibility preparation, daily care routine and communication and coordination.
Key User Insights
Need for Comprehensive Support and Resources
There is a pressing need for comprehensive support and resources to assist primary caregivers in managing caregiving tasks more efficiently and effectively. This includes access to training programs, respite care services, and technology tools that can streamline communication, coordination, and task management, helping to alleviate the burden of caregiving and improve the overall caregiving experience for both the caregivers and care recipients.
Dependency on Support Systems
Primary caregivers heavily rely on support systems, including family members and hired help to provide assistance and relief in managing caregiving tasks. However, there are challenges in delegating tasks and coordinating care effectively, leading to feelings of frustration and apprehension.
Communication and Coordination Challenges
Effective communication and coordination among caregivers, family members, and healthcare professionals are crucial for ensuring the well-being and safety of the care recipient. However, there are difficulties in maintaining clear and consistent communication channels, as well as in providing adequate training and support to caregivers during the onboarding process, leading to concerns about the quality and reliability of care provided.
Primary Caregiver Burden
Primary caregivers experience significant emotional, physical and logistical burdens in managing caregiving tasks. This includes feelings of overwhelm, stress, and exhaustion from the demands of caregiving, as well as challenges in balancing caregiving responsibilities with other aspects of life, such as work and personal commitments.
ZOOM OUT ON LANDSCAPE
Lack of a product that meets all needs
Once I identified the main problems and needs in the caregiving journey, I expanded my research to explore existing products and services that cater to caregivers. By analyzing three direct and indirect competitors, I aimed to uncover how well these solutions address caregivers' needs and to identify potential opportunities for improvement and innovation.
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Potential Opportunities
🌟 Bringing community together is important
🌟 Provide smarter task management
🌟 Diverse user needs
Community involvement is a common theme among the competitors, highlighting the importance of social support and collaboration in caregiving. This includes features like private groups, task delegation, and sharing updates with the community.
All competitors recognize the significance of task management in caregiving but offer varying levels of features, such as scheduling, reminders, and task status tracking.
The competitors cater to a range of user needs within the caregiving space, from task management and community support to clinical medication management and remote healthcare delivery.
🌟 Gap in features - opportunities!
🌟 Integrated solutions
Each competitor has areas where they lack certain features. For example, Ianacare and Caring Bridge lack task status tracking, while Caring Bridge lacks task scheduling and reminder features. This indicates opportunities for improvement and differentiation in the market.
While each competitor offers valuable features, there is room for innovation in providing more integrated solutions that address multiple aspects of caregiving, such as task management, community engagement, and personalized healthcare.
GOAL
How might we leverage technology to provide caregivers with real-time updates and support, helping them manage caregiving tasks more efficiently while alleviating the burden of responsibility through fostering efficient communication and coordination among caregivers?
SOLUTIONS
Efficient Caregiving Tasks Management
"I write what I need to do and the different appointment dates on paper. But I sometimes lost that paper and forgot the appointment time.."
Alex, Caregiver
Problem To Tackle
Caregivers face significant burdens in managing caregiving tasks efficiently and effectively, from monitoring and managing day-to-day care tasks and events, to coordinating and arranging community support and supplies.
Challenges
Create an intuitive and easy-to-use caregiving task management flow which streamlines daily task management and coordination and minimises friction in incorporating this tool into daily care routine.
Approach
All the participants faced challenges documenting, coordinating and tracking caregiving tasks and events. By consolidating all caregiving tasks and events and giving them distinct visual differentiation based on status, type and assigned party etc and providing an overview of task progression, it allows an effortless tracking of care activities,
Clear overview of different task status and enabling easy and efficient modification of task status
Holistic overview of all upcoming and the assigned events clearly
Seamless task creation and categorisation, enabling distinct and detailed task set up
Seamless Caregiver Transition
"I want to help but I need to know what and how I can help! And not be a burden that needs to be supervised in case I miss out on certain details.."
Tracy, Community Support
Problem To Tackle
Primary caregivers heavily rely on support systems, but face challenges in delegating tasks and coordinating care effectively.
Challenges
Seamless transitions between caregivers while ensuring consistency and reliability in care provision, and reducing feelings of frustration and apprehension among caregivers.
Approach
After meeting all the participants, one common challenge they faced was syncing with the latest caregiving to-do list and getting familiarised with the required actions.
Seek help and delegate task to team member
Document and sync task completion feedback, allowing everyone in the team to view remarks easily
Document and view post-event feedback to stay up to date with the latest status of the care recipient
Easy Tracking and Monitoring of Care Recipient Status and Well-Being
"I want to make sure my mom receives the best care and I can be updated on her status regularly"
Wen, Family with hired help
Problem To Tackle
Difficulties in maintaining clear and consistent communication channels among multiple caregivers and community members to ensure the well-being and safety of the care recipient.
Challenges
Provide clear visibility into task status, facilitate timely communication, and offer support and guidance to caregivers to ensure the quality and reliability of care provided.
Approach
All the participants faced challenges documenting, coordinating and tracking caregiving tasks and events. By consolidating all caregiving tasks and events and giving them distinct visual differentiation based on status, type and assigned party etc and providing an overview of task progression, it allows an effortless tracking of care activities.
Quick overview of the key information of care recipient. Change of current status allowing the care team be updated on the real-time status of the care recipient
Comprehensive health reading documentation which enables easy tracking and exporting for medical appointment
Enable documenting and sharing of task-specific feedback that can be viewed across the entire care team
RETROSPECTIVE
Future Opportunities
01
Dig deep into domestic helper user behaviour
With the growing reliance on domestic helpers for caregiving tasks, it's crucial to integrate this group into the ecosystem to ensure efficient and smooth task management. This includes adding multilingual interfaces and conducting usability studies with domestic helpers to gain valuable insights and further refine the app's functionality.
02
Integrate mental health & wellness
Having experienced first-hand the struggles my family faces while providing the best care for my grandmother, I strongly believe that mental care is a key component of the entire caregiving process. While we strive to provide constant care for our loved ones, we must not forget to care for those behind all the hard work. This can include features such as stress management resources, access to mental health professionals, and wellness activities designed to support caregivers' well-being.