I completed this project as a part of BrainStation's UX Design Diploma. The goal of this assignment was to create a digital product that makes the new prescription process less stressful. The solution is an app that allows patients to compare multiple drug prices with insurance deducted before checking out. The app also helps patients to monitor their monthly and yearly prescription spending.
I used the human centered design process for this challenge. My deliverables are outlined below.
.jpg)
Patients are often worried when prescribed a new medication. They shared their prescription concerns with me as a hospital volunteer, former medical student, insurance specialist, and Gilead case manager. Hearing the same concern in varied healthcare positions spurred me to find out what makes the new prescription process stressful.
When given a new prescription, many are surprised by drug prices. Some cannot afford their medication. Since drug coverage varies from plan to plan, it is hard for doctors and patients to choose an affordable treatment. The average Canadian household spends $1,000 on prescriptions every year (2018). $452 is spend on out-of-pocket drug costs and $500 is spent on private drug insurance.
When given a new prescription, patients want to be healthy again. However, when they can't afford their drugs- some skip doses. Adults 18-44 are most likely to forgo their medication. So they are the target audience for this project. In 2016, missed doses led to +400,000 additional health care visits. New prescriptions can also cause side effects and alter daily routines.
To start, I interviewed three 30-44 year old adults who had recently gotten a new prescription. I asked them demographic questions and about their past prescription experiences. These questions helped me to understand what makes the new prescription process stressful for patients.
After summarizing interview results (affinity mapping), there was a reoccurring theme. Participants found the cost and health aspects of the new prescription process most stressful.
With this in mind, I set out to design a digital product to help patients identify effective and affordable prescriptions. A detailed summary of participants’ insights is found below.
Once the app prototype was complete, I had 2 groups of people complete usability testing. The usability test results are more thoroughly covered later on in this case study.
The technology used to complete this research:
Criteria used to find participants:
A sample of some of the interview questions
The major themes that shaped participants' prescription experiences were:
"I want to pay the lowest price possible but still get the treatment I need."
.png)
"The pharmacy is close-by... so I get my prescription filled right away. If there's ever an issue, I still have access to my doctor."
"You want to make sure that you can go to the pharmacist and, if there's a price discrepancy, be able to ask why."
Interviewees discussed getting effective and affordable treatment the most. This insight best encompasses the participants' concerns about their health and budgets. With this primary insight in mind, I refined the initial research objective to better reflect participants' needs. The how might we statement is found below.
How might we help young adults with new prescriptions find an
effective, affordable treatment so that they are confident with their care plan?
The participants' prescription experiences inspired the creation of Amélie, a persona. She is a 31 year-old law student who wants to find an effective and affordable allergy medication. The complete persona is below.
.jpg)
To better understand Amélie's new prescription experience, I made a journey map. The journey includes a doctor's appointment, picking up her prescription, then going back to her MD for a new, more affordable medication. In all phases, there is potential to improve Amélie's new prescription experience.
With enough drug / insurance information, Amélie can predict her drug costs when she is with her doctor. Also, at the pharmacy (when she realizes she can't afford her prescription) there is an opportunity to minimize the delay in accessing an appropriate drug alternative.
.jpg)
With a persona in place and with a sense of Amélie's pain points, I started to think of features that she would want on an app. To get an effective drug, Amélie needs her clinician's advice. To get an affordable drug, she needs quick access to drug pricing and her insurance coverage information.
This leaves an opportunity for Amélie to use a digital product with drug pricing information while with her doctor. On that account, I focused my digital solution on the first stage of the journey map (Finding a New Rx with her MD). An overview of my UX process is below.
After deriving tasks from user stories, I made a task flow diagram. In this scenario, Amélie is with her MD. She has her phone at the appointment. Using the app, they compare drug prices and select the most appropriate medication.
.jpg)
With an established task flow, I made exploratory sketches. They focused heavily on data visualization. This would give Amélie an intuitive sense of how much she is spending and the relative cost of her medications.
In retrospect, I wish I had spent more time researching digital products with search functions and price comparison earlier on in my process. These are key considerations for a drug pricing app. Also, this would have sped up the design process significantly.
Amélie is a 31 year old law student with severe seasonal allergies. Her doctor had originally prescribed her Blexten. However, she found out it was not covered by her insurance at the pharmacy. She could not afford it.
Now she has booked a follow-up appointment with her doctor to find an alternative, more affordable allergy medication. Amélie has the ClearCost Pharmacy app on her phone. The app allows them to compare multiple drug prices, with insurance deducted, before paying for the medication.
.jpg)
After identifying issues with the early versions of the app, the UI was updated. By the second round of usability testing, all participants completed the tasks successfully. The resulting hi-fi screens are below.
.png)
.png)
There are a number of cases where special consideration is required to anticipate prescription costs. I have included some examples below:
The main value proposition for ClearCost Pharmacy is to anticipate prescription costs with insurance deducted. In order to do that, the app requires a way to collect relevant insurance information. Also, as many people have drug coverage through family, ClearCost needs to create an intuitive experience for family members to sync accounts.