DocGiveBack
The spirit of generosity is something that all humans value, no matter where they are or what time it is. It helps make relationships and communities stronger. The power of generosity has become increasingly evident as people
unite to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 and advocate for social justice.
Despite this universal value, medical professionals often encounter barriers in their endeavors to give back. DocGiveBack empowers doctors to engage in philanthropic activities by streamlining the giving process through a user-centered
platform tailored to their needs, fostering a culture of generosity within the medical community.
Role
Researcher, UX/UI Designer
Deliverables
Mobile app
Tools
Figma, Miro, Notion, Google docs
Time span
12 weeks
The Problem
Donation process is challenging for medical professionals, hindering their meaningful engagement in philanthropic activities
How might we reinforce a culture of doctor’s generosity?
The Solution
A centralized platform, tailored to the needs of medical professionals, empowering them to effortlessly explore opportunities and donate for causes aligned with their values, expertise and capabilities.
Tailored Opportunities
DocGiveBack will provide users with tailored AI- driven recommendations about available charitable opportunities based on their preferences such as location, working environment, amount of time, schedule, patients group, and donation type.
Streamlined Donation
Users complete only one time registration with DocGiveBack, get approved and then effortlessly donate or volunteer to any hospital, clinic or charity organization.
Community Space
DocGiveBack provide users with a community space that fosters a supportive community of like-minded medical professionals who are passionate about giving back. Here Users can connect, create groups, share experiences, and support each other
Process Overview
1
research
2
Synthesis
3
Ideation
4
design
5
ITERATIONS
6
TESTING
1.Research
Secondary Research Findings
A large body of research uncovered main personal and professional barriers for medical professionals to engaging in philanthropic activities (McGeehan et al. 2016; Eid 2018; Kim et al. 2019; Alhomaid and Sulaiman 2022)
Time constraints
Organizational issues
Financial challenges
Age
Market Research
Comparing services, features, strengths, and weaknesses of the top 5 Medical Charities and 7 Telemedicine platforms provided valuable insights into areas for improvement
Lack of Personalization
Generic opportunities without considering doctors’ specialty, skills, interests, experience or availability
Conflicting donation mission
Telemedicine apps charge money for their services, and this goes against the doctor’s donation mission
Lack of Impact Measurement
Doctors unable to see effectiveness of their contributions, what leads to reduced motivation
Complex process
Volunteers recruitment, coordination, and organization are challenging for medical
User Research
Interviews with potential users provided qualitative data about their needs, motivations and challenges, revealing that giving back to the community and making positive impact were primary motivations driving medical professionals to participate in charitable activities.
2.Synthesis
Affinity Map
I’ve created affinity map to synthesize and analyze interview data that helped me to identify user needs and define a clear problem statement.
User Needs
User needs were identified and prioritized based on the analysis of the 12 emerged themes from affinity maps
relevant opportunities
Seamless donation process
Impact Tracking
Supportive medical community
Problem Statement
Doctors need an easy way to find and directly engage in relevant charitable opportunities, fostering a supportive community for exchanging ideas and experiences among like-minded healthcare professionals, because they want to give back to the community and maximize their collective impact, make a difference to those in real need, and see the immediate impact of their efforts, which gives them a bigger sense of fulfillment.
User persona
Creating User Persona helped me to summarize user research findings and guide design process, ensuring that the final product aligns closely with user needs, expectations and goals.
Empathy Map
Creating an empathy map helped me better empathize with medical professionals, understand their feelings, motivations, needs and challenges more deeply. I’ve gained a clearer understanding of how to design solutions that would resonate with users on a more personal level.
3.Ideation
Design Concept
After several brainstorming sessions, HMW technique, user feedback, and iterations, I finalized my design concept around creating a platform connected to medical charities and hospitals, offering personalized donation opportunities for medical professionals.
Considering the usage patterns of the target users, I’ve decided to prioritize the design of a mobile app first. This choice is based on the understanding that users are likely to search for donation opportunities during weekends, between work breaks and after work hours
.
This mobile application will offer various features that perfectly solve identified users needs and gaps in the market. Next step will be to design a desktop application to enable the telemedicine feature.
Card Sorting
A hybrid card sorting technique with two users revealed that they had different views on the app structure and naming compared to what I had initially developed (marked in red).
This method provided valuable insights into how users think, their preferences, and what makes sense to them.
Information Architecture
I’ve created IA based on the insights from Card Sorting technique:
Navigation
Global:
Hamburger menu is used to save space on the screen, the most important links are in the footer and top navigation
Local:
Links inside global navigation
Contextual
Indicates screen description, so users know where they are in their journey, and use return back navigation
Gamification
Gamification elements were incorporated into the onboarding and donation process to enhance user engagement and motivation.
User flows
User flows served as a foundational reference that helped me to determine the number of screens needed, their order, and the components required.
2.Design
Visual Style
Color Palette
My color choice was based on the psychology of color (Cugelman, 2024) to evoke specific emotions and foster emotional connection with my product.
Primary green color
Associated with health and motivation was chosen for accents, specifically for inviting action buttons to emphasize motivational aspect of donating more
Primary blue color
It was chosen to evoke comfort, empowerment, and competence
Secondary colors
They were used to add visual interest and complement the overall aesthetic
Typography
I’ve chosen Inter for its readability and modern look, ideal for body copy and headers.
As a sans-serif typeface, it is highly legible on digital screens, which is essential for my app. Its clean and straightforward design also conveys professionalism and clarity, aligning well with the serious nature of medical charity
work.
Montserrat was selected for the logo for its distinctive and elegant appearance. Its bold geometric letterforms with a touch of sophistication and modern vibe make the logo stand out, leaving a lasting impression on users.
Brand Name and Logo
Brand name reflects one of the main user motivations – giving back to the community
Design System
A cohesive design system was developed to maintain consistency and reinforce brand identity.
Accessibility Conciderations
Some basic Accessibility considerations were integrated to ensure inclusivity and usability for all users
COLOR CONTRAST
Adjusted color contrast to meet accessibility requirements for text, graphics and user interface components
ACCESSIBLE DESIGN ELEMENTS
Labels for forms, bold headers, icons with text labels, a combination of text, color and graphical objects were used to increase accessibility
CONSISTENT NAVIGATION
Ensured that repeated navigation components occur in the same order on each screen to help users to predict where they can find things on each page
3. Iterations
Numerous design iterations were undertaken during this project, progressing from initial sketches to high-fidelity mockups. These iterations were informed by self-evaluations, feedback from peers, instructors and users, as well as usability testing insights.
Sketching Iterations
I’ve iterated my ideas through sketching, user testing, self-critique and running design studios, incorporating feedback and suggestions along the way.
Onboarding Iterations
I’ve incorporated feedback from instructors, peers, and users as much as possible to deliver a smooth and engaging experience
Home Screen Iterations
I strived to design a clear and functional home screen for my users
4. Testing
Two rounds of Usability Study
Usability testings uncovered major issues and guided improvements
Round 1 Findings
Round 2 Findings
First Major Improvement
To ensure a clear and intuitive Home screen:
Second Major Improvement
User experience of exploring opportunities:
Third Major Improvement
Enhanced awareness
and motivation:
Fourth Major Improvement
The confirmation screen was created to notify users of their successful group joining
Final Designs
Next Steps
Further App Design
Design new screens and flows, such as Impact, Goals, Telemedicine and My Cabinet to enable a complete and immersive experience.
Implement microinteractions and some more animation effects to add engaging and delightful user interactions.
More User Testing
Test prototype with more users to gather a wider range of perspectives and feedback.
This helps validate the usability of the app and ensures that it provides a positive user experience for its target audience.
Design Desktop App
Desktop app will greatly enhance user experience, particularly for the Telemedicine feature. Doctors will be able to effectively communicate with users and conduct visual examinations, leveraging the larger screen and enhanced capabilities of desktop computers
Key Learnings
Plan Testing early on
At the initial stage, it is important to consider the strategies for reaching your target audience, identifying interviewers and product testers, ensuring diversity among participants and their availability.
User experience significantly improves when conducting usability testing with enough amount of diverse set of users
Accessibility matters
Prioritizing accessibility demonstrates ethical responsibility and respect for all individuals.
Accessibility features enhance user experience for a wider range of users, making the product more inclusive. Planning for accessibility early in the design process prevents unnecessary redesign efforts later on.
Final Thoughts
I’m pleased with how the DocGiveBack app turned out and the positive impact it could potentially have on connecting medical professionals with giving opportunities.
Usability sessions and the iterative design process allowed for continuous refinement, resulting in an intuitive and motivating experience, ensuring that the final product meets the needs and expectations of the target users.
However, user testing could have been expanded to include larger and more diverse participant groups. This would have provided a broader range of perspectives and uncovered potential usability issues that may have been missed.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience expanding my knowledge in medical charity field and enhancing my research, design, and prototyping skills.