Case study: Designing an app to educate and connect cancer patients to Nigerian oncologists in the diaspora
A UI/UX Case study on designing an app to create a platform that gives cancer patients control over their disease by educating them and enabling them to get seamless teleconsultation from Nigerian oncologists in the diaspora.
My Role — User Research, Sketch, UI/UX Design
The Research
Every sixth death in the world is due to cancer, making it the second leading cause of death — second only to cardiovascular diseases. In 2017, 9.6 million people are estimated to have died from the various forms of cancer (source)
In Nigeria, about 10,000 cancer deaths are recorded annually while 250,000 new cases are recorded yearly (source). Given the complex nature of the disease and the treatment modalities, as well as the psychosocial impact associated with the disease, people diagnosed with cancer and their family members, usually encounter information and emotional support needs throughout the course of the disease and treatment.
Providing cancer patients with information helps them with decision making, prepares them for treatment, and helps them cope with any adverse effects associated with treatment; it also reduces anxiety and depression, increases satisfaction with treatment, and improves the quality of life (source).
To validate this problem, I interviewed four potential users. One was a cancer specialist at Midberry Hospital, who stated how important credible information was for cancer patients; the other three were patients who also spoke at length about how the right information on the disease, its treatment, etc. can play a part in bolstering their confidence when going-in for treatments.
Some relevant quotes included:
“An ailment will never decide how I spend the rest of my days”
“When patients don’t get told how a procedure will be carried out, they sometimes recluse; and some refuse treatment altogether”
Competitive Analysis
I considered several other firms solving this same problem in different ways to glean insights as to how best to approach the solution to this problem. Some of them are:
- Lafiya Telehealth — is a digital healthcare platform that provides on-demand 24/7 healthcare services to its clients in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe. From exclusive walk-in mobile station kiosks to a smartphone app, you can connect to a doctor or pharmacist regardless of your location and financial condition.
- Vara — German startup “Vara” leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a platform that integrates with breast cancer workflows to scan and analyze indicators of breast cancer.
Understanding the Problem
I thought of a few questions which were converted to How Might We statements for better innovative thinking:
- How might we give patients the right information?
- How might we better help people understand their ailment?
Solution
With the idea that credible information is paramount to patients, I based the solution on creating a mobile application that would help educate cancer patients and enable them to get seamless teleconsultation from Nigerian oncologists in the diaspora (for a negligible fee).
Sketch
Flow Map
Prototype
Final Designs
Splash & Login
Doctor Flow
Patient Flow
Summary
Working on Sinmi made me understand, and empathize more with the struggles cancer patients in Nigeria face; with inadequate information on the ailment, they fight alone.
