.png){kind=small}
SmileSync
Application Design | Mobile Application
Overview
SmileSync revolutionizes dental care by seamlessly connecting users with their dental providers and insurance companies. Bridging dental providers and insurers, SmileSync aims to enhance the user experience and accessibility to oral health services.
My Role
This was a self-initiated project where I saw an area of opportunity based on my background in dental insurance and wanted to create the ideal experience for users based on their needs. I utilized the following methods in my process: User Research, Product Strategy, UI Design, Interaction Design, and Usability Testing.
Challenges
Despite advancements in digital healthcare, the dental industry remains fragmented, with a lack of communication between providers and insurers. SmileSync aims to revolutionize the dental landscape by streamlining access to dental providers and accessibility to dental records but faces the challenges of seamless integration between dental insurers and dentists and trust from users regarding protecting PHI and ensuring data security and privacy.
Research & Planning
Tools
Pen and Paper | Figma/FigJam | Otter AI | Notion
Methods
To start this project, I conducted a competitive analysis to better understand the dental insurance landscape. Then, I conducted several interviews with potential users to understand their specific needs.
Key Findings
Following the user interviews, I organized the insights into categories using an Affinity Map and found the following areas of opportunity:
-
Streamlining Appointment Management - Simplifying the process of scheduling dental appointments for busy individuals by offering a user-friendly interface and quick booking options, reducing the time and effort required to manage appointments.
-
Personalized Recommendations - Provide personalized dental recommendations and tailored dental care solutions to promoting proactive oral health management.
-
Communication and Coordination - Enhance communication and coordination between users, dental providers, and insurance companies within the app, ensuring seamless information exchange and reducing the need for manual interventions.
These findings led to the creation of a persona (Mike James) to ensure that I always empathized with and kept the target end user in mind when ideating design solutions.
.png)
Mike is a 32-year-old marketing manager living in a bustling city. His days are filled with meetings, deadlines, and social commitments all managed from his electronic devices. Despite his busy schedule, he strives to prioritize his health and well-being, including his dental care.
Ideation
Tools
Pen and Paper | Zoom | Optimal Workshop - TreeJack | Notion
Methods
Following the research stage, I ideated using potential solutions by framing POV and HMW statements that could address the key findings highlighted in the interviews and help our persona/target users.
"
How might we simplify appointment management for busy professionals who struggle to find time for dental care?
With this statement in mind, I compiled a prioritized list of features that best aligned with business and user goals. Recalling a concern from the user interviews, I contemplated including a document-sharing feature to allow for easy exchange of necessary information between users, dentists, and insurers. To see if this was technically feasible, I consulted with a developer to check for any technical constraints and privacy concerns.
Following stakeholder feedback, I conducted a Card Sort to understand our target users' navigational preferences.
In response to insights gathered from the card sorting activity, I developed a Site Map and User Flows which provided comprehensive blueprints for the website's structure and guide. users through a seamless journey.
.png)
Design & Prototyping
Tools Used
Pen and Paper | Figma | InVision | Notion
Process
Initial desktop and mobile sketches were based on the current company website with minor improvements to the interface.
Guided by my initial sketches, I produced lo-fi wireframes responsive wireframes to visually represent early concepts. These wireframes facilitated valuable feedback, enhancing the efficiency of the iterative process.
.png)
Desktop
%20(1).jpg)
Mobile
After finalizing the flow and interactions through the low-fi prototypes, I focused on crafting the content essential for their brand refresh. Through the curation of a moodboard and style guide, I translated abstract ideas into tangible visuals, ensuring a cohesive and impactful brand identity that resonates with our target users.
Developing a UI kit played a crucial role in streamlining my UX design project. This collection of pre-designed elements guaranteed design consistency and efficiency, fostering a unified user experience, and allowing the team to focus on inventive solutions.
Testing
Tools Used
Pen and Paper | UserZoom | Notion
Methods
To evaluate the user experience, I carried out remote moderated testing using UserZoom. This approach provided real-time insights into how actual users interacted with the proposed solution, helping identify strengths and weaknesses within the design.
Insights
The testing revealed the system usability score (SUS) significantly increased to 78% (up from the initial score of 65%). Users attributed this improvement to the increased confidence with their product selection. Other feedback from the retest included:
-
Insight #1: Users favoring the inclusion of filters or sorting options for products on the recommended products page.
-
Insight #2: Users expressing a preference for a description explaining why specific products were recommended for them.
-
Insight #3: Users noting that the clarity of the "add to cart" button in the original mockups needed improvement.
Solution
Tools Used
Figma | InVision | Notion
Results
Insight #1: Users favoring the inclusion of filters or sorting options for products on the recommended products page.
Original Design
.png)
Revised Design
.png)
Insight #2: Users expressing a preference for a description explaining why specific products were recommended for them.
Original Design
Revised Design
Insight #3: Users noting that the clarity of the "add to cart" button in the original mockups needed improvement.
.png)
Original Design
.png)
Revised Design
Prototype
Next Steps
The next steps will involve building upon the foundation laid at the project's initiation. I will continue the competitive analysis to stay aware of the market/industry dynamics. Additionally, further interviews with users and stakeholders will be conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding of existing limitations, encompassing both front and back-end perspectives. These insights will guide the development of a holistic solution.