PillBug Pill Reminder App – UX Case Study
Overview
PillBug was designed to provide users with an intuitive way to manage and track their medications. The idea for this app was personal: my father has Parkinson’s Disease, and I initially envisioned it as a tool that could help him manage his complex medication schedule more easily, while also relieving some of the administrative burden from my mother, who is his primary caregiver. As a UX designer, I aimed to create a flexible app that balanced simplicity and accessibility with robust functionality for users of all technical abilities.
Problem
Managing medications, particularly for someone with a chronic condition like Parkinson’s Disease, can be overwhelming. Many current solutions either offer too much complexity or lack the flexibility required for diverse medication schedules, making it harder for caregivers and users alike to stay organized.
Objective
Design an app for social good that helps users and caregivers manage medications more easily, with a focus on accessible design, flexible functionality, and an onboarding experience that adapts to users' technical comfort levels.
Phase 1: User Research and Empathy
Research Goals
Understand the challenges faced by people with chronic conditions, such as Parkinson’s, in managing complex medication schedules.
Identify caregiver pain points, particularly how they manage medication for others.
Methodology
Inspired by my father’s experience with Parkinson’s, I conducted interviews with individuals and caregivers facing similar challenges. These conversations helped me shape the app’s features, particularly around simplifying complex medication schedules and reducing the burden on caregivers.
Key Insights
Caregivers often handle multiple administrative tasks in addition to their regular responsibilities. Streamlining medication management could provide significant relief.
Users with chronic conditions require a medication reminder system that is flexible enough to handle complex schedules without overwhelming them with too many options.
Accessibility for older adults was crucial, especially for those with vision or dexterity impairments.
Phase 2: Competitive Analysis
Competitive Audit
I examined four competing apps to understand their approach to medication management. While some offered robust functionality, they often lacked the simplicity needed for users like my father or overwhelmed caregivers with too many choices upfront.
Findings
Many apps failed to cater to both the caregiver and user experience, offering little flexibility for managing multiple users or simplifying complex schedules.
Accessibility features were often underdeveloped, with smaller text and cluttered interfaces that could easily confuse older users.
Related portfolio piece
Want to learn more about the research process behind PillBug? Check out my User Research and Competitive Audit portfolio piece, where I dive deeper into the interview process, user personas, and the competitive audit that informed PillBug’s design.
Phase 3: Developing the Design System
Visual Identity & Branding
PillBug’s primary branding, including logo variations, colors, typography, and several foundational Figma components.
I designed PillBug’s visual identity with simplicity, trust, and reliability in mind. The goal was to create an app that felt safe and approachable, while also being functional for users managing complex conditions.
A deeper look at some of PillBug’s commonly used Figma components.
Logo: In addition to being a play on words that the app would ‘bug you about pills’ The name “PillBug” was inspired by the idea of protection, much like a pill bug curls up to protect itself. This protective theme ran through the design of the logo and overall visual identity.
Color Palette: Calming blues, purples, and greens helped reinforce the app’s sense of trust and ease, with high-contrast colors for important actions, enhancing visibility for older users.
Typography: I chose large, easy-to-read fonts for key actions and labels, ensuring accessibility for all users, including those with vision impairments.
Design System
The design system was built to ensure that every interaction was consistent and easy to understand. I developed reusable components that could be adapted to both the simplified and detailed views, making the app intuitive for all users.
Buttons & Forms: Interactive elements were designed with accessibility in mind, using large touch targets and high-contrast colors to ensure they were easy to see and use for older adults.
Icons: Custom icons were designed for clarity, helping users quickly understand actions like setting a reminder or marking a pill as taken.
Phase 4: Prototyping and User Testing
Prototyping
I had developed sketches and low-fidelity prototypes earlier in the process. I then iterated on them to develop high-fidelity prototypes in Figma for both the simplified and detailed onboarding flows, as well as core features such as medication tracking and history. These prototypes allowed me to test how different types of users interacted with the app.
Key Features
Reminder Setup: The app allowed users to set time-based or interval-based reminders. For users like my father, the simplified view provided clear instructions, while the detailed view offered more customization options for advanced users like my mother.
Medication History: A clean, chronological list of taken and missed doses gave users and caregivers a clear overview of medication adherence.
Usability Testing
I conducted usability testing with both older adults and caregivers to ensure the app was intuitive for different user groups. Some key findings were:
Older users found the simplified view intuitive and appreciated the lack of overwhelming options.
Caregivers praised the detailed view’s flexibility in managing multiple medications and users.
Phase 5: Simplified Onboarding for Accessibility
Onboarding for Different User Needs
One of the key design challenges was creating an onboarding process that catered to both tech-savvy users and older adults who might find modern technology daunting. To address this, I developed two onboarding flows:
Simplified View: This view offered a step-by-step guide through the app's setup process. Each action—such as adding a medication or setting up a reminder—was presented on a single screen with large text, high-contrast buttons, and clear language. This flow was ideal for users like my father, who needed extra guidance without feeling overwhelmed.
Accessibility Features: I integrated voice-guided prompts and large touch targets to make this flow more accessible to those with vision or motor impairments.
Detailed View: For users like caregivers or more experienced users, the detailed view allowed them to configure the app more quickly. This view supported advanced features such as adding medication interactions or managing reminders for several people at once, giving users more control over the setup process and ongoing medication monitoring.
Design Considerations
The simplified view followed a principle of “progressive disclosure,” presenting only the most essential information upfront, while revealing more advanced options as needed. This approach reduced cognitive load for users, while still offering robust functionality for caregivers who managed medications.
Phase 6: Final Design and Iteration
Final Design
The final design balanced simplicity and flexibility, ensuring that both users managing their own medications and caregivers like my mother could use the app with ease. It allowed for clear medication tracking, flexible reminder setups, and a user-friendly experience for all levels of technical proficiency.
Refined Design System
Based on testing feedback, I refined the design system to further improve accessibility. Enhancements included larger text sizes, stronger color contrasts, and clearer navigation cues to ensure the app worked seamlessly for users. The prototype below displays ‘Timothy’s view’ by default, which reflects the more accessible view, but you can still view the more advanced user view by selecting ‘Donna’s View’ from the left sidebar.
Reflection
Designing PillBug was deeply personal for me, as it addressed real challenges faced by my family. The project allowed me to use my UX skills to create a solution that was functional, accessible, and empathetic to users’ diverse needs.
PillBug showcases my ability to design for accessibility, create a strong visual identity, and adapt complex functionality to different user types.
Conclusion
This case study highlights my holistic UX approach, which considers both user and caregiver experiences, accessibility, and visual consistency. PillBug’s success lies in its ability to provide a personalized, adaptable solution for managing medications, making life a little easier for users like my father.
