Your Health
Our Priority
Case Study
8 min. read
In a world of complexity, can simplicity save us?
Remedify is a medication management app designed to simplify health routines and improve accessibility for diverse users. This project aimed to address usability challenges and enhance inclusivity, ensuring the app supports effective medication tracking for everyone. We chose this focus because medication management is vital to well-being, yet many apps fail to prioritize accessibility, leaving gaps in user needs.
Principal UI Designer
UX Researcher
Sept. — Dec. 2024
3 Months
Team-Based Capstone
Figma, Illustrator, Trello
Expo/React Native, CSS
EMPHATHIZE
01 Problem Statement
Medications shouldn’t be a hurdle to better health.
Occasional medication use can often be managed with simple alarms; however, managing multiple daily medications is significantly more complex and often requires caregiver support. This challenge is particularly difficult for individuals experiencing cognitive decline or other health conditions that impact memory and overall functioning.
02 Secondary Research
Half of us are unknowingly sabotaging our own health.
Our research reveals that 50% of individuals underuse medications, with 60% misunderstanding instructions and 49.6% forgetting doses. While occasional medication use can be managed with alarms, managing multiple daily medications is far more complex, often requiring caregiver support. These statistics highlight the urgent need for a solution to improve medication management for those with intricate regimens.
03 User Research
What are the potential user pain points?
Through our research, we found that users often forget to take their medication, relying on alarms and pillboxes that aren’t always effective. Many struggle with refills and complex schedules, leading to missed or double doses. A lack of clear medication information further reduces adherence. Existing solutions help but often lack customization, persistent notifications, and caregiver support with privacy controls—highlighting the need for a more intuitive & adaptable system.
HOW CAN REMEDIFY HELP?
Main Home Screen Feature
One-Tap
Med Log
One-Tap Medication Logging allows users to log doses instantly from the home screen’s main CTA. This simple, intuitive feature streamlines the tracking process, reducing manual input and minimizing errors for a quick, accurate, and hassle-free experience.
Library Feature
Medication
Library
Keep track of all your medications in one organized and accessible library. Easily review essential details like dosage, frequency, duration, and active ingredients at a glance. Get reliable, easy-to-understand information to stay informed and in control of your health.
AI-Powered Scanning Feature
Label
Scanning
Effortlessly scan your medication labels, and our smart AI-powered system will automatically set up reminders for you—no manual input required. Minimize hassle, reduce missed doses, and simplify your health routine with ease!
Take a photo again
DEFINE
01 User Research Findings (In-Depth)
We interviewed users, caregivers, and experts.
We conducted in-depth surveys, interviews, and secondary research to better understand the struggles of individuals managing medication and their caregivers. Our research revealed key pain points, user needs, and insights that guided our solution.
💬 Real Voices: Challenges & Needs in Medication Management
Managing medications isn’t just about taking pills—it’s about remembering, tracking, and ensuring adherence, especially for those with complex routines or caregiving responsibilities. Through our research, we conducted interviews with patients and caregivers to understand their struggles. Their responses highlight the pain points, concerns, and ideal solutions that shaped our app’s design.
View Findings
👤 Patient (Chronic Condition User):
I take multiple medications daily, but
keeping track of refills is stressful.
Sometimes I don’t realize I’m running
low until it’s too late. 💊
(Referenced from Urgent Care Nurse: "It would be beneficial to have easy access to GP and pharmacists for refills.")
👤 Patient (Chronic Condition User):
I sometimes forget if I've taken my
pills, and I don't want to take an extra
dose by mistake… It's confusing. ❌
👩⚕️ Caregiver (Urgent Care Nurse):
For dementia patients, refusal is a huge issue. Some will pretend to take their meds or spit them out. We need better ways to ensure they actually swallow them. ⚠️
👤 Patient (User with Busy Schedule):
I'd love a tracker that reminds me persistently and lets me check off each dose, so I know what I've taken! ❌
👩⚕️ Caregiver (Long-Term Care Nurse):
A feature that notifies me when my patient skips a dose would be helpful. I don't always notice missed medications right away. ⚠️
50%
Patients with chronic conditions adhere to their prescribed medications missing doses or stopping treatment early. (Fuller et al., 2021)
Referenced from Survey: "Majority sometimes forget if they have taken medication or not."
Referenced from Interview: "Patients with cognitive issues may refuse medication or pocket pills."
80%
Caregivers say they would benefit from real-time notifications,
when a loved one skips a dose. (Survey Findings)
Referenced from Survey: "Users want a way to confirm medication is taken and track history."
Referenced from Survey: "Caregivers need alerts when doses are skipped."
02.1 Mapping the Experience: User Flow
To ensure a seamless and intuitive experience, we mapped out the User Flow, outlining how users navigate the app to manage their medications. This helps us visualize the key steps users take—from setting up reminders to tracking adherence—ensuring efficiency and ease of use.
02.2 Understanding Our Users: User Personas
To create a solution that truly meets user needs, we developed User Personas based on insights from our research. These personas represent our core audience, helping us understand their goals, pain points, and behaviors when managing medications.
By defining these key user types—patients with complex medication routines and caregivers monitoring adherence—we ensure that our app provides personalized and practical solutions that align with their real-world challenges.
03 Design Opportunity Statement
When a Simple Reminder Isn’t Enough, What’s the Next Step?
How might we create an intuitive and supportive medication management system that helps users stay on track with their prescriptions, reduces forgetfulness, and allows caregivers to monitor adherence while respecting privacy?
IDEATE
01 Value Proposition
Value Proposition: Redefining Medication Management
Managing medications shouldn’t be complicated. Remedify streamlines adherence with clear schedules, smart reminders, and effortless tracking, ensuring users stay on top of their prescriptions with ease. Unlike standard pill reminder apps, it enhances the experience with AI-powered label scanning, an accessible medication library, and one-tap logging, minimizing manual input while maximizing efficiency. By providing organized regimens, essential drug information, and intuitive tracking, Remedify empowers users to manage their health effortlessly.
02 Competitive Analysis—How does Remedify compare to existing solutions?
Before designing our solution, we conducted an in-depth analysis of eight existing apps, including four direct competitors in medication management and four habit-tracking apps with strong engagement strategies. While many apps offer basic reminders, few go beyond simple notifications to provide a smarter, more adaptive experience.
Through this analysis, we identified gaps in personalization, accessibility, and caregiver integration, highlighting an opportunity to create an app that not only reminds users to take their medication but actively supports their adherence journey.
For clarity, showcased below are two key studies—one from each category—that best represent the patterns and gaps we discovered across all eight studies.
total analysis
direct competitors
indirect competitors
02.1 Competitive Analysis—Key Takeaways
03 From Concept to Structure: Low-Fidelity Wireframes
With a clear understanding of user needs and competitive gaps, we translated our ideas into low-fidelity wireframes to define the core structure and functionality of Remedify. These early sketches helped us visualize user flows and test layout concepts before moving into hi-fi designs.
View Lo-Fi Wireframe
04 From Wireframes to Reality: The Initial High-Fidelity Design
After finalizing our wireframes, we created the first high-fidelity designs to bring our concept to life. This version focused on making the app easy to use, visually clear, and accessible. We aimed for a clean layout, readable text, and intuitive navigation to help users manage their medications effortlessly.
View Hi-Fi Wireframe
PROTOTYPE
01 Design Iterations
Iterate → Improve → Perfect
Designing a solution that truly addresses medication adherence requires iterative prototyping and user validation. This section showcases how initial wireframes evolved into high-fidelity designs based on real user feedback.
🎨 Refining the Design: Elevating Usability & Visual Cohesion
As the Principal UI Designer of Remedify, I led the redesign efforts to create a more visually cohesive and user-friendly experience. This included refining the design language by reducing saturation levels in our colour palette for a softer, more accessible interface. I also restructured the layouts of most screens to maintain consistency and clarity across the app.
With a tight timeline, I spearheaded these changes independently, ensuring we met our deadlines while significantly improving usability. Key enhancements included:
A clear primary CTA on the home screen to streamline medication logging.
Color-coded medication times (morning, afternoon, evening) for a quick, at-a-glance schedule.
Introduction of a secondary font (Public Sans) to enhance visual hierarchy and readability, complementing our primary typeface, Poppins.
This redesign aimed to not only improve aesthetics but also boost functionality, making medication tracking easier and more intuitive for users.
01
a clear primary CTA
02
colour-coded medication times
03
introduction of secondary font
REFLECTION
Almost the end…
🎢 The Rollercoaster Ride: Final Reflections
December 6th—the big day—finally arrived. Did I survive? Kind of. After countless sleepless nights, juggling life, personal chaos, a mountain of schoolwork, and this beast of a project, we somehow made it to the finish line. There were moments I thought I wouldn’t (seriously, who needs sleep anyway?), but against all odds, I pulled through! 🎉
A few hours before the big presentation, we set up our stands, and the room quickly transformed into a showcase of creativity and innovation. Every team brought something unique—snacks, pamphlets, speakers, even costumes—you name it! The energy was incredible, with passionate students excited to share their work.
Families, CEOs, mayors, and first-year students lined up, eager to explore the innovations on display. It was an honor to present our finished product and witness the impact of our hard work. (Though I won’t lie—talking to the mayor of Burnaby had my nerves working.)
(See picture on the left.)
