Date of Project:
February 2019 - February 2020
Role: User Researcher
Methods Used: UCD,
Prototype Design,
Usability Testing
Deliverables: Research Report, Functional Prototype, and Publication in ACM CSCW Journal (see below)
About The Project
Substance use and Opioid addiction is a public health crisis greatly affecting the United States. Peer Recovery Programs are newer tools for assisting those working toward recovery. These programs pair individuals in addiction recovery with a peer partner who has first-hand experience with addiction, either personally or through a family member or loved one.
Parkview Health and a number of other healthcare organizations have adopted a new model of care that integrates a peer coach, who makes contact immediately when the recoveree’s information is entered into the health system.
The Problem
The existing Peer Recovery program utilizes a number of phone calls, emails, and text messages for coach-recoveree communication including scheduling appointments, urgent contact, and the sharing of resources. However, currently, there is no mobile app to aid in this coach-recoveree communication that addresses the specific needs of both groups.
Goals
Uncover requirements for core features of a mobile communication app from two groups of users to be used by Peer Recovery Programs.
Use UCD methodologies to integrate these core features into the mobile app design.
My Role
I translated focus group insights into key feature and functionality requirements. I created low-fidelity wireframes based on these feature requirements. I assisted in the early stage design of this mobile application while my teammate is responsible for the majority of the design work. Along with my team, I designed the usability test and conducted coding and analysis of results.
Methodology
Focus Groups + Card Sort
Two focus groups (one with Coaches, and one with Recoverees) were conducted by the UX Team before I joined Parkview Health. Card sorts were conducted in each of the focus groups to uncover each group’s set of feature requirements and prioritization of such features. The findings from these two focus groups informed the design of wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and a functional prototype.
Prototype Design
Using insights gained from the 2 focus groups we worked on designing an app that addressed all their needs, which was difficult at times since Recoverees and Coaches had very different needs. This led to the design of two mobile apps, one for Coaches and one for Recoverees. The prototypes were designed in AdobeXD utilizing Android/ Google design kits.
Usability Testing
Our mobile application was tested with 5 Peer Recovery Coaches and 5 Clients. Audio and visual interactions with the app were recorded via a camera during the usability study. The transcripts from each test session were coded to identify overlapping themes. Feedback and insights from the test sessions informed design updates.
Outcome
Our Substance Use Disorder Peer Recovery application is currently under development. Our paper was published in Publication in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 5 Issue CSCW1 April 2021 Article No.: 112pp 1–31 https://doi.org/10.1145/3449186
Link to Publication: Parkview Health Research Repository