Project:
FlexFix app
This project involves designing a mobile app focused on aiding the recovery process of individuals with specific shoulder injuries, such as torn rotator cuff muscles. The app's dual purpose is to track recovery progress for medical research and to prompt patients to perform prescribed exercises, facilitating faster rehabilitation.
For : Noroff School of technology and digital media
The Brief
I was tasked with designing a mobile app to track recovery progress for shoulder injuries, such as torn rotator cuff muscles. The app gathers data for medical research and reminds patients to perform exercises for faster recovery. I chose to focus solely on iOS devices, excluding tablet sizing in this project.
- Sign-up flow: User can sign up using his email address and create a password.
- Progress check-in: User checks in and rates shoulder pain (pain-free, mildly painful, very painful). This data will be tracked and viewed for the entire month.
- General check-in: User asked to add a short diary entry about sleep, food, and daily activities. Note that this could be viewed from a calendar view.
- Exercise tracker: User lists three exercises the physiotherapist gave them to complete daily. User does these exercises and checks them off the list.
Easy research
Since the primary focus of this project was to create a prototype, extensive preliminary research was not necessary. I began by developing an information architecture to establish the app's structure and flow. This initial step helped me gain a clear understanding of how the app should function and allowed me to lay the groundwork for the design process. By mapping out the information architecture, I could visualize the user journey and ensure that the app would meet the intended goals of tracking recovery progress for shoulder injuries effectively.
The persona
In designing a recovery tracking app for shoulder injuries, it was crucial to create a persona that encapsulates the experiences and needs of potential users.
Meet Chris, a 37-year-old swimmer and former national competitor who recently underwent shoulder surgery. Despite his regular exercise routine to maintain his health, Chris is struggling with the aftermath of his injury. His shoulder's limited range of motion affects his daily life and his job as a designer, which he performs from home.
Chris's persona highlights the challenges of recovering from shoulder injuries. Tech-savvy and eager to try new apps, he often forgets his prescribed exercises, causing frustration. His need for an app to remember exercises and track progress underscores the demand for a user-friendly, supportive tool.
By focusing on Chris, ensures my app meets the needs of motivated users needing help to stay on track, guiding my design to be practical and engaging.
Creating a user flow for Chris was essential to understand his journey through the app and ensure it meets his needs. As a tech-savvy individual recovering from a shoulder injury, Chris requires a seamless, intuitive experience to remember and complete his exercises. This user flow helps identify key touchpoints and pain points, making the app user-friendly and supportive.
This user flow allowed me to visualize Chris's interactions with the app, guiding my design decisions onwards.
Early stages of prototyping
After being done with the information architecture, persona, and user flow, the next vital step was creating low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes act as a visual blueprint, enabling rapid iteration and refinement of the app's layout and functionality. By focusing on the fundamental structure and user interactions, free from detailed design elements, I could validate the concepts, identify potential usability issues, and make necessary adjustments before moving on to more detailed designs.
As you can see, the design is very simple. My vision was a clean and minimal design for this app.
Welcome to FlexFix
As I progress to the final stage of the project, the next and final step was to create high fidelity prototype based on the all of the information above and my vision of the app.
Down below are the consept art of the finished prototype.
