About 14% of births, end in neonatal intensive care
The duration of hospitalization ranges from a few days to several months. It is a very tense and stressful time for the parents.
The parent's problem
Parents are not up to date with their baby's condition
Stress and
anxiety
A waste of
time and effort
Extension of
hospital stay
The hospital's problem
The medical staff experience encumbrance
Violation of
parental trust
Unprofessional medical care
Extension of
hospital stay
Market Research
The market research included varied apps
Apps for preterm infants, growth monitoring apps, medical apps as well as psychological apps for dealing with stressful situations and trauma
Research main conclusions:
Reduce Stress
Issue
Dealing with stress
and anxiety
Guidelines
we will provide soothing reinforcement and instant information on the main page.
Control & Security
Issue
Security of confidential medical information
Guidelines
We will require identification in different ways at each entrance to the app
Personalization
Issue:
Information load can be confusing
Guidelines:
we will offer relevant and personalized information according to his condition.
Keep it simple
Issue
Medical information is complex and not clear
Guidelines
we will use short and simple explanations, videos, and podcasts
Users Research
10 parents interviews and 50 parents questionnaires
Criteria:
The birth was in the last three years
The baby was hospitalized for over two weeks at the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).
Birth at 27 Weeks
710 gr
"I was afraid to answer the phones of the intensive care unit. If I had known what was the baby's condition I would have had it easier"
Birth at 29 Weeks
960 gr
"The medical condition of our baby has deteriorated. If we were in the breast milk economy alone the situation could have been different ..."
Birth at 32 Weeks
1.720
"Because we were a relatively simple case we had to chase after the social worker all the time and she didn't have time for us."
Insights:
Up to date
Parents want to stay updated on their baby's condition all the time.
It helps them reduce stress and feel in control during this traumatic period.
100%
Tests
parents want to keep up to date with past and future tests and results
92%
Measurements
parents wanted to follow growth and monitor measurements
68%
Consult
parents expressed a need for meetings with the medical staff
62%
Meals
parents wanted to know when and how their baby ate and sign up for future meals
70%
Breast Milk
parents reported having difficulty monitoring breast milk status and amounts
60%
Research main conclusions:
In order to allow parents to be updated, we will present this information on the home page according to the importance level that the parents have rated above.
Some parents testified that they did not want to be exposed to information about the situation and pulse when the baby was in critical condition.
In order to protect parents from exposure to sensitive data, we will display this data on a separate page that requires a conscious transition to this page by clicking a button.
Parents testified that another way of relaxing and reducing stress is by viewing their baby's pictures, watching other babies success stories, and receiving support from parents who are in a similar situation.
In order to increase the sense of well-being among parents, we will add a feature that includes these tools.
The solution
A real-time updating app for parents of hospitalized preterm babies
My solution is an app that the hospital provides for the parents. The app will provide real-time updates about the baby's condition, planned and previous tests, meal times and quality, breast milk status, and more. Parents will be given the opportunity to book meals they want to feed, make an appointment with medical staff, consult with parents in a similar situation, and more.
The parent's value:
A sense of control and peace of mind.
The hospital's value
Reducing the burden on the medical staff
The goal
Shortening the duration of
hospitalization
The product
Features list
Tabs
Sitemap
I started the process by building a list of features and writing them on tabs. I organized the tabs in the order that later became the sitemap
Wireframes
Giving the greatest value according to the user's needs
Building the wireframes was according to the user flow. At each stage, I tried to give users the greatest value for them according to the needs that arose from the user research.
At the onboarding, for example, I wanted it to reduce stress as much as possible by building a relaxing and simple process.
Initial updates of tests and results, meals, growth measurements and more!
This way the parent gets a sense of control as soon as he opens the app.
Tracking amounts of bottle-feeding versus Zonda feeding, meals quality and meals time
Encourages parents to attend to more feedings
Not all parents want to be exposed to all of the measurements
Parents of babies in critical condition may prefer not to see the situation and pulse data.
Booking an appointment with the medical staff
Instead of waiting for hours and looking for them in the hospital corridors.
Personalized information for each baby
acording to the baby's week, stage of hospitalizaition and the medical condition
