The
Wellness
Corner
Ever heard about natural health but weren’t sure what it means exactly?
Project Overview
Having faced these challenges firsthand, I was motivated to explore the natural health app market, seeking opportunities to help individuals connect with natural practitioners.
Goal
My ultimate goal is to find and revamp an existing holistic app framework with user-centered enhancements that will:
1. Simplify: the understanding of natural health services.
2. Streamline: the process of booking a practitioner.
The Analysis
After running a competitive analysis in the holistic health app market, I discovered only few indirect competitors. with Heal.me standing out as a key player. Further analysis of Heal.me revealed two main issues:
Navigational Challenges in Practitioner Search
The app’s challenging search bar, ineffective filters, and navigation issues make finding practitioners difficult.
Difficulty understanding each practitioner’s specialty
Unless users come with a clear idea of whom to book, it is hard to find guidance on choosing between practitioners or understanding what each specialty offers.
User Research
User Interviews
Simultaneous to my app analysis, I developed a semi-structured interview for potential app users, consisting of 3 distinct parts in which 4 volunteers participated.
1. Personal Insights
I gathered interviewees’ age, holistic health knowledge, and past experiences with natural health services or practitioners.
2. Practical Application Exercise
Participants were tasked with booking an appointment with a practitioner using Heal.me, and to note down any feedback based on their experience.
3. User Feedback & Final Thoughts
Participants shared their impressions of the Heal.me app, including their booking experience and feedback on features they would keep, change, or found missing.
This powerful three-step interview approach provided deeper insights into users’ experiences in the health field, refined my problem statement with minimized personal bias regarding Heal.me, and captured participants’ preferences, which could be included as features in the final revamped app.
Results Analysis
After completing the user interviews, I transcribed and analyzed the collected qualitative data. To streamline this process, I used the following research methods:
How-Might-We Questions
How might we empower users to choose the practitioner best suited to their needs?
How might we empower users to choose the practitioner best suited to their needs?
How might we redesign the Heal.me UI to be more welcoming to new users and reflective of the natural health industry?
The research results reinforced my two problem statements and revealed two new key insights: first, users prioritize proximity to practitioners when making their choices, and second, the conflicting and unwelcoming UI can hinder new users’ adaptation to the app.
Creation of Personas
Field interviews also clarified the user profiles I targeted, which I turned into two key personas:
Julie Martin
Age: 32
Occupation: Flight Attendant
Location: Lives in a busy metropolitan area
Lifestyle: Fast-paced, always on-the-go
Background
Julie Martin is a dedicated flight attendant who loves her job’s travel opportunities but often finds it hard to balance her fast-paced lifestyle. Her irregular schedule and frequent trips mean she’s always struggling to rest, dedicate time to fitness, and take personal time. Julie is passionate about health and wellness but is unable to engage in a consistent health routine or connect with a wellness community that motivates her to keep going due to her limited time.
Needs & Challenges
• On-the-Go Accessibility: She needs quick, convenient access to wellness resources and guidance that fit into her unpredictable days.
• Desire for Community: Julie wants to connect with others who share her health goals but struggles to commit due to frequent traveling.
• Health Awareness: While interested in health practices, she lacks time for in-depth research on wellness topics or natural therapies.
Key points
• She has limited time to research and engage with health and wellness practices.
• Difficulty in finding personalized wellness recommendations that cater to her tight schedule.
• Frustration over feeling disconnected from wellness communities due to her demanding job.
Mark Dupont
Age: 32
Occupation: Retired kitchen cook
Location: Suburban area
Lifestyle: Slow-paced, enjoys a quiet life in the suburbs
Background
Julie Martin is a dedicated flight attendant who loves her job’s travel opportunities but often finds it hard to balance her fast-paced lifestyle. Her irregular schedule and frequent trips mean she’s always struggling to rest, dedicate time to fitness, and take personal time. Julie is passionate about health and wellness but is unable to engage in a consistent health routine or connect with a wellness community that motivates her to keep going due to her limited time.
Needs & Challenges
• On-the-Go Accessibility: She needs quick, convenient access to wellness resources and guidance that fit into her unpredictable days.
• Desire for Community: Julie wants to connect with others who share her health goals but struggles to commit due to frequent traveling.
• Health Awareness: While interested in health practices, she lacks time for in-depth research on wellness topics or natural therapies.
Key points
• She has limited time to research and engage with health and wellness practices.
• Difficulty in finding personalized wellness recommendations that cater to her tight schedule.
• Frustration over feeling disconnected from wellness communities due to her demanding job.
User Flows
Utilizing the power of Figma and research insights, I created a user flow to address my two problem statements, the difficulty in understanding each practitioner’s specialty and the navigational challenges in searching for practitioners.
Blockframe Development
Once the flow was established, I began drafting an early Blockframe in Figma based on the user flow. This time, I also incorporated the additional insights gathered from the HMW questions.
Iterating with User Feedback
Iterating from Collected User Insights
After completing the paper prototype, I analyzed the research conducted thus far to identify the key insights necessary for my final proposal, prioritizing them as follows:
An enhanced Search Bar and Filters is a must.
Standardized practitioner information cards should be introduced to enhance user comprehension of the various natural health services offered.
An introductory guide to assist users in navigating through the app while providing tech-savvy users the option to skip it.
A map feature that allows users to locate nearby practitioners and health-related activities.
(Optional) A more visually appealing UI that embodies a warm, holistic aesthetic instead of a cold, clinical look.
(Optional) A community feature to foster connections among users, encouraging engagement in their wellness journeys.
Creation of Task Scenarios for Usability Testing
After implementing several changes to my first app prototype, I reached out to my UX colleagues to do usability testing. My main goal was to observe their interactions, gather their feedback, and further refine my first prototype.
High Fidelity Prototype
As the final step of this project, I developed a functional high-fidelity prototype. I leveraged my branding skills to establish a warmer, more inviting tone by replacing heal.me clinical blues and cold whites. This approach refreshed the app’s color palette, and typography, preserved some core functionalities, and integrated all my research insights.
Conclusion
By enhancing the Heal.me app, I addressed key issues related to understanding practitioner specialties and navigation. Through user interviews and iterative prototyping, I developed a final high-fidelity prototype that features a warmer design, improved search functionalities, standardized practitioner cards, and a community feature. This project ultimately reflects the holistic nature of natural health services, providing users with a more accessible and welcoming experience.