Side Projects
A “Tinder” for Academic Title Recommendations
Many librarians complained about spending too much time reviewing a web-based personalized feed of title recommendations called “Slip Notifications”. I felt that a forward-looking mobile design could help ease the pain and dramatically streamline their review process.
Inspired by Tinder, I prototyped an app using Principle that would allow librarians to quickly review a large number of title recommendations on their mobile device. Librarians could quickly swipe unwanted titles off the screen. If they wanted to learn more about a title, they could tap on the card to get more detail. Lastly, if they found a title they wanted to purchase, they could simply drag it down into their cart or save it for later in a list. Fresh and fun interactions to help librarians feel more positive about book selection.
Diabetes Wellness Tool
As a designer and Type-1 diabetic, I recognize that many the logistical challenges diabetics routinely face could be addressed by offering a better design. As a result, as a personal side project, I aimed to explore better, more helpful interactive experiences which help diabetics streamline the management of their condition and focus more on living healthfully.
My concept centers around an app which communicates with the user’s diabetic equipment such as her insulin pump and blood sugar monitor. It layers information in from these devices to help guide the user towards better, more informed health decisions while also streamlining the day-to-day diabetes-related tasks. The overall goal of the app is to minimize the drag of day-to-day mangement so that the user can focus more on her wellness.
Be Gentle, Positive & Promote Wellness
The app is more than just about management, it’s about cultivating physical and emotional wellness. Celebrate accomplishments and point the user towards more effective and healthful approaches to diabetes management.
Encourage and track progress. Sometimes, diabetes management can feel like a never-ending grind. A wellness leaf reward system provides the user with more tangible incentives to live more healthfully. They also quantify the positive health effects which stem from their efforts.
Entrust the App to Streamline Day-to-Day Management
Make it easy to complete daily tasks. Make sure the user understands the action at hand. Don’t clutter up the experience with extraneous information. Offer only the most relevant feedback and choices in a timely fashion.
Automate and minimize the pain of logistical tasks like calculating carbohydrates or keeping track of doctor appointments so users can focus more on improving their own health.
Layered Alerts
When designing an app which helps users manage a chronic disease, it’s especially important to be sensitive about alerts and reminders. If every notification is treated as a high priority, the app could unnecessarily stress out and fatigue the user with relevant but inconsequential notifications. Most diabetics don’t want their disease to dictate their way of life.
For instance, a critical alert notifying the user of a low insulin reservoir would be much more obvious and intrusive than an overdue routine blood draw. Many alerts could start off appearing more passive and informational then gradually ratchet up as they become more critical.
Plug into the users’ preferred email and calendar applications so she can manage and accomplish tasks natively. In addition, offer a bridge between the notifications the user receives from her healthcare provider and seamlessly fold them into her preferred calendar experience.
For instance, whenever a user gets an email about an appointment or prescription refill, she can forward that email to a designated email address which appends the user’s calendar with pertinent health-related events and reminders.