MADDIE PHILHOWER
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UX/UI: App for Chronic Conditions
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©2025 


APP DESIGN: 
SYMPTOM & MEDICATION TRACKER

2025
Role: Research, UI Design
Tools: Figma, Figjam, Illustrator


An app to increase medication adherence for patients and improve treatment outcomes for those with chronic conditions.

OVERVIEW:
This mobile app aims to improve the quality of life of those with chronic conditions by enhancing communication between patients and providers, offering personalized medication info, symptom tracking, and progress visualization.
ROLE:
I designed this mobile app as a solo project in a class focused on solving "wicked" challenges. I led the full design process: conducting research, gathering user insights, prototyping, and designing the UI. 

THE CHALLENGE:
People with chronic conditions often struggle to understand the relationship between their symptoms, medications, and overall treatment.

This lack of clarity can make it difficult for patients to identify root causes and take informed action, underlining the need for a tool that enables patients to regain a sense of control over their health.


DESIGN FEATURES:

Learn about medications through a personalized medication page.
  • The “Medication” page provides users with medication information tailored to patients individual dosages and treatment plan. 

  • This serves to reduce negative expectations and worry surrounding medication side effects. 



Log emotions for symptom tracking  and analysis.
  • The “How Are You Feeling?” tab encourages daily check-ins, letting users log their current state and add custom inputs to capture unique experiences.

  • The app cross-references these logs with known medication side effects, suggesting likely causes and practical coping strategies.


Increase motivation and visualize progress. 
  • The Progress Page lets users track how medications are influencing their condition, with regular progress checks to help patients identify issues to discuss with their doctor.

  • Users can set personal health goals (e.g., mobility targets) to foster accountability and motivation.


Identify patterns through historical view.
  • The “Monthly Overview” tab allows users to look back at their “Emotion Log” responses over time, encouraging reflection and giving patients a realistic understanding of how medications and treatments have impacted them. 

RESEARCH:

To better understand the issue of chronic condition management, I first conducted overarching research of the different challenges to living with chronic conditions. 

Research map of how chronic pain and chronic conditions impact quality of life, focused on econmic, mental, and physical impacts


Through secondary research and interviews with patients, caregivers, and healthcare practitioners, I uncovered key pain points in medication and treatment.

Patients described confusion surrounding the symptoms and side effects they were experiencing, and a lack of clarity from doctors left them feeling exhausted and disempowered.

These insights shaped my design goal: Create a way to empower patients to better understand their own health and advocate more effectively for their needs with healthcare providers.

PAIN POINTS FOR USERS:

DESIGN OBJECTIVES:
USER FEEDBACK:
After testing my initial wireframes through critiques and two feedback sessions with interviewees, I identified several areas for improvement:

  • Encourage active participation with frequent, user-driven check-ins on physical and mental health

  • Let users look back on their health data overtime to see overarching patterns      
  • Use push notifications to support and inform users about their treatment

    • Include non-medication based treatment suggestions and health goals for more holistic care

    This feedback proved to be invaluable in creating the information architecture that remains within this design. 



    LOOKING BACK (AND AHEAD):

    I loved the process of researching and designing this app. This project taught me the value of iteration in UX design, as new problems often surfaced during refinement and development. While still in progress, I see opportunities to expand the app, such as through integrating nutrition as part of care and tracking.

    Moving forward, I plan to conduct additional research with patients and doctors to uncover unmet needs and preferences. I’d also want also run usability tests on future prototypes to ensure the design is intuitive, effective, and aligned with HIPAA-compliant standards.