Mike Franke
UX | CX | Design

HELP! We're losing users, metrics and money!

A Fortune 500 Company was losing users and more importantly, data, with their app. This was impacting revenue. We dove into the "why" and came up with a plan to increase engagement.

The Details

  • WHO: A surgery app for a Fortune 500 medical technologies firm
  • WHY: Users were dropping off along their journey, impacting revenue
  • WHAT: UX Audit, User Interviews, Usability Testing, Sketching, Wireframes
  • RESULT: Delivered key UX insights that showed how to improve the patient experience and increase engagement. 

Walking through legal formalities before the interview starts.

Walking through legal formalities before the interview starts.

User Interviews

In order to understand our users and their friction points, we conducted in-person and remote interviews with the demographic that would use the product.

The Details

  • Open-ended questions were used to uncover user's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

  • We were probing for what users valued most through their journey and what friction points they encountered.

  • We conducted both in-person and remote interviews.

Key Findings

  • If “prescribed” by their doctor, users were willing to use an app.
  • Pain relief was their primary surgery goal.
  • Their biggest worry was knowing what to expect.


The Userlytics Platform

The Userlytics Platform

Usability Testing

We utilized Usability Testing in order to discover user's behaviors. 

The Details:
  • Moderated (in-person) testing was done both remotely over Zoom and in-person. 
  • Our unmoderated (non-live) testing was done with the Userlytics platform.
Key Insights
  • While users self-reported having an easy time with the app, their behaviors showed quite the opposite. 
  • We discovered several high-friction points the client was unaware of. 
  • Our user's concept of how things were named and how they should work did not match the current UX. 
  • No one could find the main menu... what a great quick-fix to improve UX -> low-hanging fruit! 

Our Primary Persona: Susan

Our Primary Persona: Susan

Primary Persona

Based on our user interviews, stakeholder insights, and current metrics we crafted a primary persona. We also researched our key age demographic, seniors, by reading research white papers and studies.

Key Findings

  • Seniors are adapting technology more rapidly and rely on texting as a primary method of communication.
  • They don't want to miss out on being active in their lives, especially with their family.
  • Their primary reason to have joint surgery is to stop the pain. 

Discussing the User Journey with the client, and yes, we printed a HUGE version. It was helpful to refer to it throughout our discussions.

Discussing the User Journey with the client, and yes, we printed a HUGE version. It was helpful to refer to it throughout our discussions.

User Journey

Following our info-gathering sessions I created a detailed User Journey to gain alignment with our internal team and our clients.

The Details:
  • We included what users are thinking, feeling and doing for each step of the journey.
  • We included a "Brand" lane to identify where/how the Brand currently communicates with patients and more importantly, where they should be interacting with patients. 
Key Findings
  • The User Journey enabled us to identify high friction points for our users that were fixable.
  • We identified where users would need the most help along their journey.
  • Those key "help points" showed us where the brand could gain more trust with their users.

The User Journey (blurred to protect client IP)

The User Journey (blurred to protect client IP)

Case Study - HELP! We're losing users, metrics and money!

The Solution:

We discovered that the app was more focused on gaining data and metrics than focusing on the patient experience. If we focused on the patient, use would go up which would drive metrics and revenues. 

The current app also relied on users quickly understanding a confusing UI, if we simplify and reduce cognitive load (fancy term for brain power) we could get users where they needed to be.

Various quick sketches from our ideation sessions

Various quick sketches from our ideation sessions

Sketches and Ideation

After presenting our findings to the client, I started producing low-fidelity sketches. A great, quick (and inexpensive) way to start thinking through our visual ideas. 

Our guiding theme was to reduce cognitive load (fancy term for brain power).

  • I utilized digital-sketching during our Zoom meetings to foster ideas.
  • I prefer to sketch digitally as I can share my screen with the team in the room and remote team members.
  • We continuously iterated throughout this process.

Interactive Wireframes are designed in Adobe XD.

Interactive Wireframes are designed in Adobe XD.

Prototypes/Wireframes

After ideation and sketching, I started creating interactive wireframes with our team. These were used to help get internal and client buy-in moving forward. 

  • I was able to quickly mockup wireframes and edit realtime during meetings. 
  • Our interactive wireframes are planned to be used in initial User Testing. 
  • I went through a few iterations with the team through multiple collaboration sessions. 

After our UX Audit, the client brought us on to lead the app redesign.

Takeaways.

  • Focusing on the user experience should make all other business goals start falling into place.
  • User Research, Interviews and Testing were critical for understanding how to improve the product experience for users.
  • What users say and what they do is very different. 
  • The real story is found in observing behavior. 
  • This project highlighted how critical Cognitive Load is for users and how we design for the,
  • Being able to quickly prototype and iterate saves time, budget and sanity! 
12+
Hours of interviews
10+
Hours of Usability Testing
0
Testers found the menu!
"Thank you for getting us where we are today. Great insight, ideas, and a roadmap by which to examine and consider."
Quote from the Program Manager, Performance Analytics & Outcomes