Touching 20K+ lives with a 4.6★ app that makes healthcare simpler

Touching 20K+ lives with a 4.6★ app that makes healthcare simpler

App | Jun 20’-Sept 21’ | UX Designer

App | Jun 20’-Sept 21’ | UX Designer

How We Built M Health Fairview’s Patient-First App

Context

M Health Fairview relied on Epic’s MyChart—a platform with limited branding and customization options. Patients found it frustrating, clunky, and disengaging, prompting the need for a dedicated, patient-first app.

My team and I initiated the development of M Health Fairview's own dedicated healthcare app, progressively moving away from Epic’s MyChart system. The goal was to address the limitations of MyChart, which lacked branding customization and provided a sub-optimal patient experience.

M Health Fairview, a major Minnesota-based healthcare service provider relied on EPIC’s MyChart—a platform with limited branding and customization options. Patients found it frustrating, clunky, and disengaging, prompting the need for a dedicated, patient-first app.

My team and I initiated the development of M Health Fairview's own dedicated healthcare app, progressively moving away from Epic’s MyChart system. The goal was to address the limitations of MyChart, which lacked branding customization and provided a sub-optimal patient experience.

Solution

For the MVP, we designed a feature-rich app that blended M Health Fairview’s branding with the power of EPIC’s MyChart system. This allowed us to deliver a personalized experience while maintaining seamless access to patient data.

My role

Led the UX design for the MVP App which included the onboarding, login, Guest experience, Homepage, Provider, and location search

Additionally, I worked alongside a Researcher, Visual Designer, Content Strategist, 2 Product Managers, IOS and Android app developers

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021 on the App Store and Nov 24th, 2021 on Google Play.

Led the UX design for the MVP App which included the onboarding, login, Guest experience, Homepage, Provider, and location search

Additionally, I worked alongside a Researcher, Visual Designer, Content Strategist, 2 Product Managers, IOS and Android app developers

Note: Due to NDA restrictions, only a high level overview of my work is being showcased here. If you're interested in exploring the full case study, kindly click on one of the options below-

Delivering a HIPAA-Compliant solution without disrupting existing users

Delivering a HIPAA-Compliant solution without disrupting existing users

While the long-term vision for M Health Fairview was to fully transition away from EPIC’s MyChart, our approach for the MVP strategically maintained integration with it to ensure compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations. We focused on designing non-PHI (Protected Health Information) features such as the homepage, find care, and access to key app features serving primarily as intuitive entry points. When users accessed features involving PHI, such as viewing medical records or appointment scheduling, they were seamlessly redirected to MyChart’s native workflows. This approach allowed us to deliver a familiar and branded interface while maintaining HIPAA compliance and minimizing disruption for existing users.

While the long-term vision for M Health Fairview was to fully transition away from EPIC’s MyChart, our approach for the MVP strategically maintained integration with it to ensure compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations. We focused on designing non-PHI (Protected Health Information) features such as the homepage, find care, and access to key app features serving primarily as intuitive entry points. When users accessed features involving PHI, such as viewing medical records or appointment scheduling, they were seamlessly redirected to MyChart’s native workflows. This approach allowed us to deliver a familiar and branded interface while maintaining HIPAA compliance and minimizing disruption for existing users.

MHF APP

MHF APP

MY CHART EXPERIENCE

Note: Some designs shown in this case study may differ from the final launched product. This is because the case study focuses on work done during the MVP design phase, meaning certain features may have been added or removed in the current app

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021

4.6 Rating on Apple App Store
Touching 20K+ lives

4.6 Rating on Apple App Store
Touching 20K+ lives

4.6 Rating on Apple App Store
Touching 20K+ lives

Designing for the U.S. from India

Designing for the U.S. from India

  • Being based in India, we had limited firsthand experience with the US healthcare system and its processes and relied heavily on the US team’s insights and verbal feedback.

  • Being based in India, we had limited firsthand experience with the US healthcare system and its processes and relied heavily on the US team’s insights and verbal feedback.

  • Due to the legal and compliance requirements with EPIC, there were many aspects of the functioning of mychart app including visuals and screen recordings the team in India wasn’t privy to. Thus, we purely relied on word of mouth and flow charts drafted by our counterparts in the US who had access.

Understanding the landscape

Understanding the landscape

Since access to EPIC’s full system was limited, I improvised—scouring Google, watching YouTube demos, and asking the US team pointed questions to fill in the gaps. This approach helped us map out essential features and interactions without direct access

Since access to EPIC’s full system was limited, I improvised—scouring Google, watching YouTube demos, and asking the US team pointed questions to fill in the gaps. This approach helped us map out essential features and interactions without direct access

Understanding our users: What they told us

Understanding our users: What they told us

Understanding our users:
What they told us

To understand patient pain points with my chart app, we conducted 15 in-depth interviews and surveyed 150 Minnesotans. The feedback was clear: appointment scheduling was a hassle, finding the right providers was confusing, and the app’s layout felt clunky.

To understand patient pain points with my chart app, we conducted 15 in-depth interviews and surveyed 150 Minnesotans. The feedback was clear: appointment scheduling was a hassle, finding the right providers was confusing, and the app’s layout felt clunky.

“Unless you are trying to schedule like the most routine and mundane types of appointments that it's just easier to call and schedule stuff”

-Participant 3

She (My mother) struggles to understand the doctor’s profile descriptions listed online and finds them unclear

-Participant 6

"Sometimes I can't find things that I'm looking for"

-Participant 7

“Unless you are trying to schedule like the most routine and mundane types of appointments that it's just easier to call and schedule stuff”

“Unless you are trying to schedule like the most routine and mundane types of appointments that it's just easier to call and schedule stuff”

-Participant 3

-Participant 3

She (My mother) struggles to understand the doctor’s profile descriptions listed online and finds them unclear

She (My mother) struggles to understand the doctor’s profile descriptions listed online and finds them unclear

-Participant 6

-Participant 6

"Sometimes I can't find things that I'm looking for"

"Sometimes I can't find things that I'm looking for"

-Participant 7

-Participant 7

From these insights and understanding the background of our end users, We created 3 user personas, however, for the MVP App we considered 1 of the 3 as our primary persona

William

A tech-savvy professional who wants to easily track and share health data with his care team and receive personalized care.

A tech-savvy professional who wants to easily track and share health data with his care team and receive personalized care.

Chue

A Hmong immigrant who needs language support, help understanding the healthcare system, and financial assistance. He needs an interpreter to fill out forms and translate test results.


A Hmong immigrant who needs language support, help understanding the healthcare system, and financial assistance. He needs an interpreter to fill out forms and translate test results.

Moira

A 41-year-old mother of two, including an autistic son, Moira recently moved to Minnesota and is looking for specialized care for her eldest and a pediatrician for her youngest. She also needs to find primary care providers for herself and her husband.

She needed to:

  • Efficiently find trustworthy providers

  • Seamless appointment scheduling for her whole family.

  • Stay organized with health reminders, especially for children's specific needs

We focused on Moira, a busy mom managing her family’s health

By designing for Moira, we ensured the app was not only easy to navigate but also reduced the cognitive load on users managing multiple profiles.

Getting patients started without the hassle

Getting patients started without the hassle

The login experience needed to be simple and secure. Since patients would use their MyChart credentials at this stage of the app, there would be no registration flow.

The login experience needed to be simple and secure. Since patients would use their MyChart credentials at this stage of the app, there would be no registration flow.

The login experience needed to be simple and secure. Since patients would use their MyChart credentials at this stage of the app, there would be no registration flow.

"Sometimes I can't find things that I'm looking for"

"Sometimes I can't find things that I'm looking for"

"Sometimes I can't find things that I'm looking for"

-Participant 7

-Participant 7

Homepage:
Prioritizing what matters most to patients

Homepage:
Prioritizing what matters most to patients

Through feature analytics, we were able to identify the most used feature and validated those assumptions during interviews, informing us to populate tier 1 features in the first fold of the homepage.

Through feature analytics, we were able to identify the most used feature and validated those assumptions during interviews, informing us to populate tier 1 features in the first fold of the homepage.

Business needed to promote
- Schedule an appt
- E-Visits
in order to encourage scheduling via app

Business needed to promote
- Schedule an appt
- E-Visits
in order to encourage scheduling via app

I created a rough IA for the homepage, post which I conducted a white boarding session with the team and the Journey Owner from the client side to collectively decide and agree on feature grouping and prioritization

We organized the homepage into three sections:

  • High-Use Features: Like appointment scheduling and e-visits.

  • Action-Oriented Features: Bill pay, support, etc.

  • Information-Only Features: Test results, past visits, and more.

We organized the homepage into three sections:

  • High-Use Features: Like appointment scheduling and e-visits.

  • Action-Oriented Features: Bill pay, support, etc.

  • Information-Only Features: Test results, past visits, and more.

We organized the homepage into three sections:

  • High-Use Features: Like appointment scheduling and e-visits.

  • Action-Oriented Features: Bill pay, support, etc.

  • Information-Only Features: Test results, past visits, and more.

We organized the homepage into three sections:

  • High-Use Features: Like appointment scheduling and e-visits.

  • Action-Oriented Features: Bill pay, support, etc.

  • Information-Only Features: Test results, past visits, and more.

Homepage

For users who may not find what they need, we added a More menu with a simple list view

For users who may not find what they need, we added a More menu with a simple list view

More menu

"I would like all three of our charts in the same account and I don't have to like create special accounts for them or something...that I just show at the top my name, my daughter's name, my son's name and I can click and see all of our stuff”

"I would like all three of our charts in the same account and I don't have to like create special accounts for them or something...that I just show at the top my name, my daughter's name, my son's name and I can click and see all of our stuff”

"I would like all three of our charts in the same account and I don't have to like create special accounts for them or something...that I just show at the top my name, my daughter's name, my son's name and I can click and see all of our stuff”

-Participant 2

-Participant 2

-Participant 2

Managing multiple profiles

Managing multiple profiles

Knowing Moira is a primary caregiver for her children, we wanted to make it easy for her to manage her family's healthcare needs. To simplify this process, we enabled Moira to seamlessly switch between her profile and her children's profiles from the homepage

Knowing Moira is a primary caregiver for her children, we wanted to make it easy for her to manage her family's healthcare needs. To simplify this process, we enabled Moira to seamlessly switch between her profile and her children's profiles from the homepage

Proxy profile

The profile-switching feature allows Moira to easily toggle between her own profile and her children's, ensuring she can schedule appointments, view test results, and manage prescriptions without logging in and out of multiple accounts

Parents or legal guardians have the right to access their minor children’s medical records

Once Moira’s children turn 18, the system may restrict her access per HIPAA and Minnesota state laws

The ability to customize names and manage record-sharing settings is only available within the user’s own profile

Proxy profile switching overlays

At each step I checked the technical feasibility of my concepts by collaborating with the tech team reducing friction and iterations at later stages.

Helping patients connect with the right providers faster

Helping patients connect with the right providers faster

Designed a self service workflow where users can identify the provider and location that best fits their needs. For MHF, it promotes revenue generating services by creating an entry point for scheduling appointment for guests and authenticated users

Designed a self service workflow where users can identify the provider and location that best fits their needs. For MHF, it promotes revenue generating services by creating an entry point for scheduling appointment for guests and authenticated users

Find care low fidelity wireframe

Early wireframes that missed the mark

Early wireframes that missed the mark

I realized that having a consistent toggle tab throughout the find care flow could disrupt users’ mental model when switching tabs midway through finding a provider.

Rather than giving users the freedom to switch tabs or edit location mid-search, we decided to restrict those actions once the results were generated to avoid confusion and accidental taps that may lead to API errors.

Find care high fidelity designs

Setting location was kept at the top of the page hierarchy as that would determine relevant providers to be populated for users

Setting location

IOS Native designs

Android native designs

Provider location switch: In IOS, segmented controls. In Android, Toggle tabs

Incase the location access has been denied for the app, the default location will be set to ‘Minneapolis’

Quick links reducing the number of taps to arrive at relevant results

"I hate when online sources give an overwhelming number of search results for possible providers as it gets confusing for me to choose from the list of doctors"

"I hate when online sources give an overwhelming number of search results for possible providers as it gets confusing for me to choose from the list of doctors"

"I hate when online sources give an overwhelming number of search results for possible providers as it gets confusing for me to choose from the list of doctors"

-Participant 3

-Participant 3

-Participant 3

Search Results: Minimizing complexity, improving decision-making

Search Results: Minimizing complexity, improving decision-making

Search Results: Minimizing complexity, improving decision-making

Users could search by provider name, specialty, or medical condition, as well as by location or proximity to their address. The search results featured relevant filters, sorting options, and a map view for easy navigation.

Users could search by provider name, specialty, or medical condition, as well as by location or proximity to their address. The search results featured relevant filters, sorting options, and a map view for easy navigation.

Users could search by provider name, specialty, or medical condition, as well as by location or proximity to their address. The search results featured relevant filters, sorting options, and a map view for easy navigation.

Due to Fairviews database not being mature enough just yet, we proposed a phased release of the search functionality

Phase 1

Basic auto suggestion list with no segregation

Phase 2

Clear segregation provided between categories and names for differentiation

Phase 3

Added tags for easier identification

Location search results

Location search results

When searching for providers, convenience was key. I suggested sorting results by distance—closest to furthest.

It was a small change but we knew it would a big win for Moira, a stay-at-home mom managing care for her 2 children and her own

Provider search results

Callout tooltips suggesting users to change filters for better search results after the first 20 results

Anticipating a range of screen sizes, I proposed collapsing cards and minimizing the header to ensure an intuitive map view experience

Map view capability inspired by interaction patterns adopted by Google Maps and Airbnb

"Finding doctors with the right qualifications and reviews is hard. How do I know who has the availability to fit all of my family members in?"

"Finding doctors with the right qualifications and reviews is hard. How do I know who has the availability to fit all of my family members in?"

"Finding doctors with the right qualifications and reviews is hard. How do I know who has the availability to fit all of my family members in?"

-Participant 1

-Participant 1

-Participant 1

Easily evaluate providers and care locations

Easily evaluate providers and care locations

Easily evaluate providers and care locations

The goal of the provider and location detail page was to address patient frustrations such as overwhelming search results, unclear doctor profiles, and difficulty in determining appointment availability

The goal of the provider and location detail page was to address patient frustrations such as overwhelming search results, unclear doctor profiles, and difficulty in determining appointment availability

The goal of the provider and location detail page was to address patient frustrations such as overwhelming search results, unclear doctor profiles, and difficulty in determining appointment availability

Although the vertical scroll approach might seem daunting, we felt it was more natural and comfortable interaction to scan information and scalable for the business when more information gets added in future

Provider detail page

Followed a consistent blueprint for location details as that of provider to make it easier to scan for the right information

Location detail page

First-time and non-registered users can find care effortlessly

First-time and non-registered users can find care effortlessly

To show our users why they should sign in, we crafted a persuasive guest experience providing them with just enough functionality to find a provider or location while still protecting their PHI (Personal Health Information)

To show our users why they should sign in, we crafted a persuasive guest experience providing them with just enough functionality to find a provider or location while still protecting their PHI (Personal Health Information)

Guest experience flow

Collaborating in real-time with developers made me realize that for complex workflows and edge cases, simply handing off designs isn’t enough. Walking them through user flows alongside prototypes helped bridge gaps, reduced misinterpretations, and made development smoother. Next time you’re updating JIRA stories, attach both—it saves time and avoids back-and-forth later

A preview of a complex biometric authentication flow for MHF App that adapts to iOS and Android native settings for a frictionless login experience

A preview of a complex biometric authentication flow for MHF App that adapts to iOS and Android native settings for a frictionless login experience

When things didn’t go as planned

When things didn’t go as planned

We hit a few roadblocks. Our limited access to EPIC and technical limitations forced us to drop a few features we really wanted to build

We hit a few roadblocks. Our limited access to EPIC and technical limitations forced us to drop a few features we really wanted to build

Early explorations of the homepage

For example, I initially proposed a feature to help parents track health checkpoints for their kids. It was perfect for Moira, but the backend couldn’t support it yet.

I filed it under future enhancements and moved on.

Real-world testing & iteration

Real-world testing & iteration

We did a soft launch, rolling the app out to a select group of users. The feedback was encouraging—many loved the new experience, but there were some who wished for more freedom in the features that were still EPIC dependent. So, the team started planning Phase 2, which would focus on redesigning the remaining EPIC-dependent features (i.e. Scheduling appointment flows (virtual, E-visit, In-person), Test results, Bill pay, and more)

Unfortunately, I was rolled off the project at this point. Still, seeing the app in the wild and hearing real users' thoughts was a win in itself.

We did a soft launch, rolling the app out to a select group of users. The feedback was encouraging—many loved the new experience, but there were some who wished for more freedom in the features that were still EPIC dependent. So, the team started planning Phase 2, which would focus on redesigning the remaining EPIC-dependent features (i.e. Scheduling appointment flows (virtual, E-visit, In-person), Test results, Bill pay, and more)

Unfortunately, I was rolled off the project at this point. Still, seeing the app in the wild and hearing real users' thoughts was a win in itself.

Learnings and Challenges

Learnings and Challenges

Designing for two OSs at once

Designing for two OSs at once

90% of Minnesotans use iOS, but we also designed for Android simultaneously. This meant mastering both Apple’s HIG and Google’s Material Design principles and making sure our app felt native on both platforms.

90% of Minnesotans use iOS, but we also designed for Android simultaneously. This meant mastering both Apple’s HIG and Google’s Material Design principles and making sure our app felt native on both platforms.

POV docs saved the day

POV docs saved the day

There were times when the team’s ideas didn’t align with what I thought was best for the user. Instead of pushing back, I created POV docs—simple comparisons of both approaches, listing pros and cons. It helped us reach a consensus quickly and kept the project moving.

There were times when the team’s ideas didn’t align with what I thought was best for the user. Instead of pushing back, I created POV docs—simple comparisons of both approaches, listing pros and cons. It helped us reach a consensus quickly and kept the project moving.

Understanding a JSON file

Understanding a JSON file

To design the flows, I had to familiarize myself with the JSON file structure. I realized it was crucial to map backend data to frontend design. To bridge this gap, I collaborated closely with developers, leading to a more scalable design that could adapt as the database matured

To design the flows, I had to familiarize myself with the JSON file structure. I realized it was crucial to map backend data to frontend design. To bridge this gap, I collaborated closely with developers, leading to a more scalable design that could adapt as the database matured

Applause Award

Applause Award

Thank you for stepping up and taking the lead in all key UX discussions with clients on the Flagship App. You have also helped educate our clients about our design thinking approach, which led to more meaningful conversation and a better user experience of the Flagship App. The Journey Owner from Client appreciates your thoughtful designs

Thank you for stepping up and taking the lead in all key UX discussions with clients on the Flagship App. You have also helped educate our clients about our design thinking approach, which led to more meaningful conversation and a better user experience of the Flagship App. The Journey Owner from Client appreciates your thoughtful designs

-Creative Director

-Creative Director

Spot Award

Spot Award

Your confidence in your work and how you put it across (articulate & present to the clients and the team) is commendable. You have been able to handle not just client conversations but even dev complexities with ease and I see you only getting better at it. All the best.

Your confidence in your work and how you put it across (articulate & present to the clients and the team) is commendable. You have been able to handle not just client conversations but even dev complexities with ease and I see you only getting better at it. All the best.

-Associate Creative Director

-Associate Creative Director

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021 on the App Store and Nov 24th, 2021 on Google Play

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021 on the App Store and Nov 24th, 2021 on Google Play

The MVP app launched in the US on Nov 16th, 2021 on the App Store and Nov 24th, 2021 on Google Play

Note: Due to NDA restrictions, only a high level overview of my work is being showcased here. If you're interested in exploring the full case study, kindly click on one of the options below-