Google.org AMMA

Background

For this project, which was my second solo capstone project with Designlab, I was tasked with creating a strategic, human-centered design direction and superior user experience for Google.org’s new Asthma Monitoring and Management App (AMMA). Google.org developed the cutting edge AMMA technology and wanted to ensure that this technology served their customer’s needs.

The AMMA product line consists of a wearable health tracking and monitoring device as well as a companion mobile application. The AMMA wearable is different from other fitness trackers in that it is specifically made for asthma sufferers. Listed below are some of its important features.

Tracking a user’s vital statistics with the ability to warn them of an incoming asthma attack
Changing color based on a user’s health profile, with green signaling good health and red being a warning that a user’s vital statistics are abnormal and/or they are having an asthma attack
The ability to be programmed to alert a medical team and/or doctor if a user’s vital statistics reach a critical level

AMMA's companion mobile application allows a user to stay on top of their asthma, providing vital statistics as well as environmental information. It also allows a parent or caregiver to track if the user has an inhaler, review their medical history and see past asthma attacks.

As a requirement for this project, my app design needed to reflect the following brand attributes of the Google Healthcare Initiative (GHI):

FRIENDLY | INNOVATIVE | MEMORABLE | INTELLIGENT | RELIABLE

Listed below is a summary of my design process in creating a strategic and human-centered design direction for AMMA. You can view the full case study here.

Foundational Investigation and Requirements Gathering

I first needed to better understand the offerings of other asthma apps on the market. To do this, I created a UX research plan. Listed below are the questions that I created to guide my research.

Who are AMMA’s target customers?
What makes AMMA’s target customers want to use an app for their asthma tracking vs. other means?
How are existing asthma apps on the market being used by customers?
How are existing asthma apps on the market being used by doctors and hospitals?
On what devices are existing asthma apps on the market being used?
What can AMMA’s target customers not live without?
Under what conditions will AMMA’s target customers be using the app/device?
What problems are AMMA’s target customers trying to solve?
What would AMMA’s target customers identify as a delightful app/device experience?
Who would accompany AMMA’s target customer as a co-user that would need access to the customer’s data?

I conducted both primary and secondary research for this project. I created provisional personas of potential users, conducted a competitive analysis of similar apps on the market, as well as sent out a user survey. I then summarized the results of that user survey to better understand the data.

After completing my research, I summarized the results and used that data to answer my research questions. All of this data allowed me to better understand the average AMMA user and to create well-informed designs.

Provisional Personas (click to enlarge)

Experience Strategy

I created a UX strategy blueprint that addressed the following:

Challenges
- What problems are you trying to solve and what obstacles must you overcome?
Aspirations
- What are your ideal desired outcomes and what do you want to achieve?
Focus Areas
- What is the scope of the strategy and what will you focus on for the most impact?
Guiding Principles
- How will you overcome the challenges and what specific mantras will guide teams?
Activities
- What types of activities solve the problems and what capabilities achieve my aspirations?
Measurements
- What types of measurements will you employ and what metrics will be used to gauge success?

I created a product road map identifying the key features of the app organized by scenario as well as priority.

To flesh out the basic structure and navigation of the app I also created a site map.

Interaction Design

Using the data from my research findings as well as Google's Material Design guidelines, I created wire frames of the key AMMA screens. In creating them, I also took into account GHI's brand attributes of:

FRIENDLY | INNOVATIVE | MEMORABLE | INTELLIGENT | RELIABLE

Below are a few of those wire frames.

User Interface Designs

I created a Pinterest mood board to gather design inspiration. I then created a color palette for the app from the Color Material Design guidelines as well as a logo wordmark. Below are a few of my color designs.

With my color designs, I created a prototype in Invision. I conducted contextual inquiries with several users to test AMMA's usability within a few different user scenarios. I documented the test results as well as next steps.

In Summary

This project was challenging and exciting at the same time. Prior to this project I had very little knowledge of asthma or Google's Material Design guidelines. I had never owned an Android phone so I did not have a good working knowledge of its common features, such as the floating action button. With this project, not only did I create a beautiful, intuitive design to help users effectively manage their asthma, but I also gained valuable knowledge I will be able to use in future design projects, such as Material Design principles and Android functionality. This project was a fantastic learning experience. I created a beautiful, human-centered and intuitive design that helped to grow both my skill set and knowledge base as a designer.