made while listening to k-pop

LinkedIn

Email

Resume

Credits

← Back

UniMed

A mobile app that translates and explains medical records for non-native speakers.

Submitted for no-code hackathon at Tufts University, 2024.

A mobile app that translates and explains medical records for non-native speakers.

Submitted for no-code hackathon at Tufts University, 2024.

A mobile app that translates and explains medical records for non-native speakers.

Submitted for no-code hackathon at Tufts University, 2024.

Role

UX Researcher

TEAM

1 UX Researcher, 2 UX Designers, 1 Marketer

TIMELINE

36 hours, Feb. 2024

TOOLS

Figma, FigJam, Canva

Project Overview

UniMed helps non-native speakers understand medical records.

Developed during a 36-hour producthon, UniMed translates and provides credible explanations
of medical tests.

As the UX Researcher, I found that language barriers contribute to lower health literacy, which resulted in higher health risks. My insights created some of UniMed’s core features: medical test explanations and translations from credible sources.

Problem

Physicians don't have enough time to talk with non-native speaking patients.

Although they attempt to explain medical terminology, limited appointment time makes it difficult to fully address language and health literacy barriers. Non-native English speaking (NNE) patients are at a high risk for low health literacy and struggle to understand their own medical documents.

Solution

Personalized explanation of results.

Credible and relevant explanations,
accessible at any time.

Understand how medications work.

Centralize prescription information to support informed medication use.


Research

Non-native speakers often have low health literacy, a risk factor for poor health.

"When I didn't speak English, I went months without seeking medical help."

- survey respondent

0

0

Survey respondents

0

0

Non-native speakers interviewed

0

0

Medical professionals interviewed

Medical professionals interviewed

Medical professionals interviewed

"When I didn’t speak English, I went months without seeking medical help.”
- survey respondent

"There’s not enough time to explain everything to patients with limited English proficiency.”
- medical professional during interview


DESIGN DECISIONS

Health literacy features were implemented based on research insights.



Ideation

Health literacy features were implemented based on research insights.
Patients need context, not just results

"I know when my test results are normal or not, but I don't actually know what's happening inside my body."
— non-native speaker during interview

→

→

↓

Explain what medical tests actually measure

UniMed explains each test done in a visit.

Patients need reliable information

"I have to look up my specific results and compare potential explanations across various websites. There is a lot of inaccurate information out there, which makes it challenging to determine what my results mean."
— survey respondent

→

→

↓

Use information from credible sources

Explanations of each test are only written using peer-reviewed articles from sources like the NIH and PubMed.

Patients need guidance

"It's important to interpret medical results in context of the patient… not every abnormal result needs to be panicked over."
— medical professional during interview

→

→

↓

Provide suggestions for next visit

UniMed suggests questions to ask for the user's next visit, and doesn't provide conclusions based on medical testing.


Learnings

Designing responsibly under constraints.

Despite not actually building UniMed for consumer release, our team was concerned about data privacy and HIPAA compliance. We prioritized user safety and developer accountability by considering secure data handling practices and responsible usage of sensitive medical information.

The length of this producthon forced me to prioritize. Consequently, I learned how to identify what was most important for our users and our product, and to not stray far from our mission statement.

← SOLIDWORKS
Visit Playground →

made while listening to k-pop

LinkedIn

Email
Resume
Credits