Introduction

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manage the responsibilities of parenting while also serving as round-the-clock caretakers, often with little support. ASDXplore, an Android native app, designed on-spec for Aetna, aggregates autism-friendly locations, services, and activities, allowing caregivers to find resources easily and share knowledge with others.

My Role

I was part of a three-person team that set out to design a solution to better support caregivers. My role was to manage the team and lead user research, design studios, and usability testing. I used Trello to create a project plan and ensure we were all on the same page about roles, deliverables, and deadlines.

UX tools

check out the clickable prototype

User Interviews

Given the complexity of the issue and our unfamiliarity with the topic, we wanted to conduct user interviews with caregivers to understand the problem further. To find participants, I created a brief screener survey which we posted in online forums; we also reached out to family and friends. Through snowball recruiting, we identified six caregivers to interview.

In preparation for the interviews, I developed an interview guide that served as the basis for our conversations. We then conducted the six interviews via phone and Skype.

To synthesize the information we learned during our interviews, we created an affinity map, a great way to visualize the data and extract themes. — To synthesize the information we learned during our interviews, we created an **affinity map**, a great way to visualize the data and extract themes.

We then created a journey map to chart this lifelong process with constant ups and downs and identify possible stages in which we could intervene. — We then created a **journey map** to chart this lifelong process with constant ups and downs and identify possible stages in which we could intervene.

what we found

The ASD journey can be broken into 4 phases: research, seeking help, action planning, and maintenance
Existing resources are highly fragmented
Caregivers often rely on word-of-mouth to find programs for kids
Caregivers are very willing to share experiences and help others
Having a child with autism can be scary and isolating

Competitive Analysis

To corroborate our interview findings and help our team better understand the current product landscape, we conducted a competitive analysis. We looked at apps like Autism Village and Birdhouse, sites like Autism Speaks, and Autism Parenting Magazine.

key takeaways

The competitive analysis largely reinforced what we heard during interviews:

Few resources exist for parents of kids with ASD.
The resources that do existed are highly fragmented by geographic area.
Tools are not easily found via common search engines.
Existing products are clunky and difficult to navigate; many are not responsive.
There is a lack of robust data in existing apps.

Autism Village only returns one result when filtered to "Autism Friendly"

It was clear this is a highly complex problem and there are many places in the process that could be improved. Ultimately, we chose to focus on supporting caregivers during the maintenance phase, after they receive initial guidance from doctors and support networks, because our interviewees noted this is when they look for supplemental activities for their children and feel most alone.

Our Concept

Create a searchable, national repository of ASD- friendly locations and activities for caregivers

mvp Features

Database of ASD-friendly locations, generated through
pre-launch research and
user-submissions
Database is searchable by region (zip code, city, etc.)
Users can rate locations and leave reviews
Users are able to submit new locations

We used a feature prioritization chart to focus our concept and create a minimum viable product (MVP) that would deliver immediate value.

ASDXplore will be successful if

Parents report feeling more support at their fingertips, less stress around activity planning, and rely less on trial and error to find places to take their children to.

Sketches

Armed with a greater understanding of autism and the needs of caregivers, we began designing. To kick us off, I led a series of rapid design sessions with our team to explore different hierarchies, layouts, and user-flows. We time-boxed our sessions, beginning with 10-minute silent sketching sessions, followed by 10 minutes of discussion, an additional 5 minutes of silent sketching and discussion. We repeated this process to refine our ideas and visions for both the user flows and individual screens until we reached consensus and had a working user flow.

Wireframes

Through this iterative, collaborative process, we settled on our first design, which relies heavily on material design patterns. We did this to minimize the learning curve for the user, who we know is already pressed for time. Their biggest priority is getting credible information fast, rather than exploring a cutting-edge UI. With the help of our UI designer, Erin Porter, we turned our sketches into wireframes.

Usability Testing

To test the viability of our design, we created a clickable prototype with our lo-fi wireframes using InVision. We tapped into our network of caregivers discovered during our research phase to find participants and scheduled and conducted in-person and remote usability tests.

While the concept itself tested well and was familiar and easy to navigate, we uncovered two challenges that could jeopardize the success of the app:

Users opted not to leave reviews of locations they had visited. To be successful, ASDXplore needs user-submitted data and for users leave reviews to share with others. Our designs didn't emphasize this feature enough.
The designs felt cold and did not align with our mission to create a virtual community. We needed to figure out how to bolster a sense of community and togetherness without adding frills that take up time our users don't have.

To convey empathy and emphasize the impact person-to-person knowledge transfer can have, I suggested incorporating quotes and testimonials from parents. We also added photographs and played with using icons and color more on the home screen.

Initial designs | First Iteration with on-boarding screens and icons

Through a second round of usability testing and heuristic analysis, we found:

The quotes add a warm, human element to the app and demonstrate to caregivers we understand the challenges they face daily.
The colorful icons were too playful and do not match the style of the app or the brand.
The multi-color display makes the display feel less modern.

Final Designs

To address our usability test and heuristic analysis findings, I updated the home screen to incorporate material design cards. I also redesigned the color scheme throughout the app be more monochromatic, aligning with Aetna's brand. Users This final iteration was familiar and easy to navigate, reduced time on task, and delighted the users.

check out the clickable prototype

Next Steps

extending this design beyond the two-week sprint, I'd:

Dive deeper into data sources to generate content for the app, pre-launch.
Do additional usability tests to ensure the designs hit the mark for users.
Design a social component that allows caregivers to privately chat with one another.
Continue to iterate!