Chloë Keogan Creative

View my BrainStation Graduate Video HERE – created in After Effects.

CANCER TREATMENT

Cancer treatments can last months or even years and come with complex restrictions, instructions, and procedural timings. Patients often look for ways to organize these treatments, track their progress, and find ways to continue life, as close to normal as possible.

HOW MIGHT WE...

HMW... help take the mental strain off a patient going through cancer treatment so they can live as much of a normal life as possible, focusing on the positives and not treatment.

OVERVIEW

A digital platform that takes any additional thought, stress, strain or anxiety away from someone battling cancer (and or their family members) so they can keep their mind on their goals and the positives in their life; not to let their disease take full control of their lives, allowing them to improve their quality of life at a time that could seem like nothing but a battle. 

OBJECTIVES

The objective for this project is a tool to take additional thought, stress, strain & anxiety away from someone battling cancer so they can keep their mind on the positive’s in life by managing their mental health & not let their disease take full control of their lives, allowing them to improve their quality of life at a time that could seem like nothing but a battle.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Anyone currently battling cancer or those who have battled cancer. - Loved ones may also benefit from the tool created.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Pharmacists.
• Private Hospitals.
• Government Health Organization
• Doctors.
• App Development Company

CONSTRAINTS

Technical, Business, & Socio-Cultural

• iOS only application.
• The potential need of data measurements from devices outside of an iPhone / tablet.
• Data storage could provide business constraints if there’s not a means to store information on the cloud [1]
• Sociocultural values are linked to cancer outcomes through beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to prevention and screening, provider‐patient relationships and interactions, and adherence to medical treatments. [2]

RESEARCH & FINDINGS:

Cancer: What is Cancer?

The word “cancer” is used to refer to any of the 200 different diseases, affecting many parts of the body, that is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells that invade and damage the body’s normal tissues. Cancer can begin in organ tissues as well as the skin, bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, immune system, and bone marrow. These cells can form tumors, although not all cancers do. In some cases, cancer cells spread from their original site to other places in the body via the bloodstream or lymphatic system, a process called metastasis. [3]

Treatment: What Are Treatment Options?

Some people with cancer will have only one treatment. But most people have a combination of treatments, such as surgery with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. When you need treatment for cancer, you have a lot to learn and think about. It is normal to feel overwhelmed and confused. But, talking with your doctor and learning about the types of treatment you may have can help you feel more in control. [4]

Treatment Symptoms:

Cancer treatments and cancer can cause side effects. Side effects are problems that occur when treatment affects healthy tissues or organs. The list is extensive; they can range from loss of appetite to digestive issues to hair loss to peripheral neuropathology (nerve problems). [5]

Family & Friends: Cancer Support.

A cancer diagnosis also affects family members and friends. Sometimes, the complex feelings and lifestyle changes caused by cancer and its treatment become as overwhelming for others in your life as they are for you. Understanding the potential changes in the way you relate to specific family members and friends may help you take steps to grow healthy, mutually supportive relationships during this challenging time. [6]

Depression & Anxiety:

Feelings of depression are common when patients and family members are coping with cancer. It’s normal to feel sadness and grief. Dreams, plans, and the future may seem uncertain. But if a person has been sad for a long time or is having trouble carrying out day-to-day activities, there is reason to be concerned.

Depression can be mild and temporary with periods of sadness, but major or clinical depression makes it hard for a person to function and follow treatment plans. It happens in about 1 in 4 people with cancer, but it can be managed. People who have had depression before are more likely to have depression after their cancer diagnosis. [7]

At different times during treatment and recovery, cancer patients and their families and caregivers may feel fearful and anxious. Simply finding a lump or possible other sign or symptom of cancer can cause anxiety and fear, along with finding out that they have cancer or that cancer has come back. Fear of treatment, doctor visits, and tests might also cause apprehension. [8]

INTERVIEW & SURVEY FINDINGS:

Motivations:

• Living life to the fullest
• Family & children’s health
• Accomplishing Goals

Pain Points:

• Side effects
• Not being able to do anything to help a loved one
• The unknown / uncertainty
• Seeing loved ones get weaker
• Remaining positive and engaged

Behaviours:

• Not talking about it
• Doing the best with what they can control
• Searching for information online
• No longer taking anything for granted

ANALYZING COMPETITORS:

EXISTING CANCER APPS

PROJECT GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Goals : To analyze the prototype feedback and rework the lo-fi designs to make to make a user friendly product with an enjoyable experience.

USER TEST QUOTES

• “Like check [the medication] off. And we did it which is super helpful. And my dad is one of those classic people, things like they always forget what’s on for today and like you got so much else on your mind, [having a way to check of your medication] would be helpful for anyone.”
• “Is this something that if I guess if my dad like had his username that he could share that with us and like we could just log in as well but I wonder if there could be like a secondary user that isn’t the primary person.”
• “The symptoms are really cool too because sometimes you’ll have a symptom and then the next day something’s worse or better and also the week goes by, and then by the time your doctor appointment you kind of forget.”
• “That’s cool. So it’s a different way of showing the dashboard kind of, it’s showing that day but visualized a bit differently. Cool. That’s actually really neat.” - re.CLOCK-VIEW
• “I’m trying to save them I feel like the lock button should be saved is it? I pressed it. Oh, very clever, so I can alter my results.”
• “Like check [the medication] off. And we did it which is super helpful. And my dad is one of those classic people, things like they always forget what’s on for today and like you got so much else on your mind, [having a way to check of your medication] would be helpful for anyone.”
• “Is this something that if I guess if my dad like had his username that he could share that with us and like we could just log in as well but I wonder if there could be like a secondary user that isn’t the primary person.”
• “The symptoms are really cool too because sometimes you’ll have a symptom and then the next day something’s worse or better and also the week goes by, and then by the time your doctor appointment you kind of forget.”
• “That’s cool. So it’s a different way of showing the dashboard kind of, it’s showing that day but visualized a bit differently. Cool. That’s actually really neat.” - re.CLOCK-VIEW
• “I’m trying to save them I feel like the lock button should be saved is it? I pressed it. Oh, very clever, so I can alter my results.”
• “Oftentimes we are not the greatest historians for ourselves when we think about how what our thinking like what our symptoms are. [...] Like that to me is like a really good indication for their care team to say okay this is really what’s happening,”
• “I found it very intuitive to move from one thing to the other and what it actually means and what it can do for me like, I don’t think it would take a lot of learning on the patients part like you want to give people things that they have to like laboriously learn how to use this thing like it seems really, really easy like user friendly”
• “It’s a cool tool though and I think I could see it working and like being effective or helpful in a lot of different areas of medicine like not just in, in the area of cancer but for anybody that’s getting ongoing case management, with like a team”

ROUND ONE

ROUND TWO

UX DESIGN

UX design is the process of designing (digital or physical) products that are useful, easy to use, and delightful to interact with. It’s about enhancing the experience that people have while interacting with your product, and making sure they find value in what you’re providing. ^[9]

INVISION INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE: https://invis.io/JPXFF1NZXD9

• Build out additional screens to showcase all the current features of the app.
• Create mockups to showcase the VIVE app at to the best degree.
• ADDITIONAL features, like adding family members to view medication & appointments.
• Other apps that collect data to be synced to the app, like apple health and any medical devices.
• How can the app be more accessible? Can the UI be adjusted to have more contrast whilst remaining in the neumorphism style. 
  
• Finalise apple watch device designs.