Afi app
afib detection with a holistic approach

companion app for Praxa Sense’s wearable heart arrhythmia detection device
roles
user research
design strategy
ui / ux design
usability testing
tools
figma
adobe Ps
adobe Ai
miro
timeframe
oct ‘22 - may 2023

I was hired by Praxa Sense (a med tech startup in Delft) to develop a prototype companion app for their Afi wearable device. The Afi app works in tandem with Praxa Sense’s wearable to detect atrial fibrillation (Afib), one of the most common types of heart arrhythmia. This app had to work alongside the Afi  device, recording and displaying live and historic patient health data.

The Afi app was designed with the patient’s mental health and wellbeing in mind- users are able to easily log symptoms within a few taps from their smartphone, as well as access valuable support information individually tailored to their current health issues. This process simultaneously allows users to create detailed reports on their symptoms to aid cardiologists in analysing their case and streamlining their diagnosis.

background

Afib is one of the most common types of heart arrhythmia with almost 10% of over 60s being afflicted. It can be, however, notoriously difficult to diagnose with symptoms coming and going irregularly. The Afi wearable has been designed to be worn on a patient's chest (usually for 3-7 days) during their diagnosis period, to get a deep understanding of their heart rhythms via 24/7 ECG recording, aiding in diagnosis.

>10%
of people over 60 suffer from Afib
>13%
of people with the disease are undiagnosed
7 - 14 days
average length of time a patient must wear standard diagnostic device

Going through the Afib diagnosis process can be an extremely difficult and frightening time for patients. I wanted to add an additional layer to the user experience that would help users not only from a scientific standpoint, but emotionally as well. My aim was to:

discover what this period is like for the patient, and in turn, discover what factors would create an ideal interface to facilitate an exceptional experience for them during this difficult time

research

2 cardiologist interviews

to understand the medical data required by professionals to quickly and easily diagnose patients

6 patient interviews

to empathise with their emotional state and gain insights from their perspective of the diagnostic process

competitor analysis

to understand the competition, assess what features are currently available and reveal what is missing

desk and ethnography

to deepen my understanding of the users’ experience through online support groups and discussion boards

Using data collected from the various research methods, 2 user personas were compiled to define the expectations, concerns and motivations from both a patient and medical perspective. This helped as a reference during each step of the design process to ensure that the product would satisfy users needs and be a success.

- symptoms are unpredictable and cause anxiety
- scared of the future and the unknown
- symptoms can be extremely frightening
- recording symptoms and triggers relieves anxiety
- sharing experiences provides emotional support and security
- value time and efficiency when diagnosing
- recording triggers does not help in diagnosis
- symptoms can be ext- focussed on results and solving the physical problemremely frightening
- literacy is a big problem with the population

As the current market already had a number of competitors, analysis was conducted to understand how others have approached designing for people being diagnosed with Afib. I mainly wanted to understand:

• The onboarding processes
• The features that the apps/ devices provide
• The approaches companies had in terms of app architecture
• The aesthetic approachWhat users thought about the devices

Discovering this information will help in the design phase when deciding on which features to include, industry best practices and how to meaningfully stand out from the other devices currently on the market.

1

Users feel comforted by recording data themselves, whether it is necessary or not as it alleviates anxiety

2

Users can be resilient and strong-willed, but are anxious and fearful of their situation, particularly the future and the unknown

3

Healthcare providers have a ‘get it done’ attitude and are exceptionally focused on what is necessary for the patient physically

4

Patients feel more secure in their future when they have contact with people with similar experiences

user needs

a place where users can learn about similar experiences to alleviate their anxieties and not feel alone

a quick method of logging symptoms and triggers that can be easily performed whilst having an attack

provide information on  current and past health stats that can be easily understood

the ability to recognise trends over time to help in understanding of their condidtion

create a positive experience whilst using the app without causing user concern

a toolbox of coping techniques to help patients face the future

colour for meaning

Conveying such a large amount of data in such a small area was difficult. In early iterations I wanted to convey the severity of a days symptoms through colour, however I quickly found that users found this confusing.

In the final version colour is used to define types of events on the calendar - one colour for symptoms, Spo2, heart rate etc. I

n testing users found this much easier to comprehend, and found the cleaner interface easier to navigate

symptom tracking simplified

During testing users raised that they would like to easily be able to see when symptoms occurred, and which type.

This went from a long detailed list, which users found laborious to search and navigate, to a much more streamlined version.

In the final iteration, users are able to quickly adjust the filter to see when specific symptoms and events occurred over time- allowing them to recognise patterns and help identify triggers.

graphs how you want them

How to represent so many stats over both short and long period proved yet another difficult challenge. In early versions, graphs were limited to the essential information only, which did not satisfy user needs.

In the final prototype the graphs are fully customisable, allowing users what statistics to see individually, and over which length of time.

key stats with meaning

The key vitals of BPM, Sp02 and activity levels need to be displayed to the user for quick reference.

Users expressed that they needed to to know not only what these vitals were, but what they meant to them.

Therefore additional information was added on tap to give users context to their vitals- giving them peace of mind that their heart rate is ok for their age range, for example.

customisable home screen

During testing users expressed that they may wish to see different types of information that is relevant to their individual health situation and needs.

A customisable home screen was developed where users can select what is shown to them immediately each time they open the app.

symptom logging in a few clicks

Users expressed a strong desire to be able to record symptoms quickly. As a result this feature is available immediately from any screen within the Afi app.

Icons were designed for each of the major symptom types of Afib, which were tested and understood by >85% of users. Presets of time and duration were implemented to save users time when logging.

Following user feedback, a note section was added for users to record any additional information that they wished to aid in their understanding of trends and alleviate their anxiety.

easy to understand, editable events

Users repeatedly stressed their need to know as much as possible about their health, in a way which they could understand. Short explanatory descriptions were added to vital stats to help frame their health in context and lessen their stress and anxiety about their diagnosis.

In testing it was noted that users would like to retroactively edit logged events and symptoms, so this was made accessible from all logged events in just one tap.

colour for individually tailored advice

The learn section was designed specifically to help users come to term with their situation and offer them a toolbox of methods for managing and dealing with it.

Users are offered a selection of articles which are curated by Afi in relation to the symptoms they are experiencing. From diet suggestions, to tips on travelling, a wealth of experiences from others is there to put the users at ease.

find and save what is important

Users wanted to be able to revisit and reread articles easily, so a favourite function was added to enable them to access the information they found useful quickly and easily.

Similarly, a search bar is available throughout the learn section, with built in search suggestions to help aid users find exactly wat they want when they want it.

help when you need it

Experiencing symptoms can be frightening and physically debilitating to users. As medical contact can be vital, a space was created where all  the details and contact information of their doctors and healthcare professionals can be accessed within a few taps.

Initial ideation sessions were conducted with users to gain their valuable contributions from the beginning of the design stage. Whilst this created some challenges logistically (contacts were spread throughout the country), online sessions on Miro helped solidify the key features to develop and enabled me to explore both the look and feel of the app.

Continual online user testing and interviews were conducted throughout design process to further my understanding of how users would use the app, how they felt about using it and enable me to iron out problems with the UI as and when they appeared.

2
ideation
sessions
18
user tests
6
iterations

As user testing and feedback was completed after each iteration, the final user tests gave some very satisfying results in the products’ ease of use, functionality and effectivess in helping users emotionally

>10% of people over 60 suffer from Afib
>80%  of users said that the app’s functions could help make a positive change to their outlook on their health
>90% of users said that they would rather use the Afi app than their current system for recording Afib
8
users tested
18
users takes
>85%
success
details do matter, just don’t always get caught in them

I am a perfectionist and fine details can be my biggest strongpoint, and also my biggest time taker. I found I had to step back a few times and  look at the whole to make sure I was on track to deliver. However, adding small details to the design (collapsable filters, tooltips and feedback info) was what really brought the project to life and elicited a good response from users

embrace all feedback as a learning opportunity

I was lucky enough to be able to test and interview a great user group during the course of this project. I did however get some unexpected criticisms at times ( ‘I would never use this feature’. ‘I don’t like the way this works/looks’). Clarifying these comments and viewing them as insights helped me to evolve the Afi app into its final, valuable form

simple is (almost always) best

This project posed the problem of conveying lots of different information on a small scale, multiple times. This was something new for me and took many iterations before I came to something that worked. By stripping back to the bones of what was most important, I was able to more easily communicate these complex, and vital, statistics

next steps...

develop smartwatch app

During testing many users stated that having the ability to quickly view stats while on the go, and log symptoms whilst exercising for example, would be a huge benefit to them. I would like to explore this further by developing a slimmed down version of the app for smartwatch

explore social elements

A big part of this journey was understanding what it was that could help users feel better about their health and what the future may bring. I found that the sharing and learning of experiences would As this was not my client’s focus, this feature wasn’t fully explored.  I would like to explore different social avenues which may allow users to connect and support one another so as to not feel so alone in their condition