Overview
Adults between the ages of 25 - 40 often face significant barriers maintaining consistent oral hygiene routines due to heavy responsibilities such as work, childcare, self care, or busy schedules. Our team aimed to build a digital solution that could seamlessly integrate into a busy adult's life to improve their dental health.
Role
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Team
Anika, UX Designer
Mariam, UX Designer
Timeline
4 Months
Tools
Figma
OtterAI
Google Suite
Skills
Mobile App Design
User Interviews
Usability Testing
Prototyping
The Problem
There are many oral health products that exist that promote oral hygiene, but few that are designed to address the social, motivational, and behavioral challenges that adults experience in their day to day lives.
How might we ensure that busy adults feel confident and motivated to prioritize oral hygiene and model positive dental behaviors?
The Process
Stepping into the Shoes of our User Base
Let's take a look at our persona Sarah. Sarah is a hardworking mom juggling her job as a full-time teacher while raising her children. Raised in a family that did not prioritize oral hygiene, she wants to establish strong habits for her kids and model good hygiene. However, having to balance her responsibilities makes consistencies a challenge
Sarah Lee
Works 8-5
Mom of 2
Tech Proficiency: Moderate
Goals
-> Prevent future dental issues for herself and her kids
-> Wants to set a good example for her kids by maintaining her oral hygiene
-> Wants to avoid painful dental procedures
Pain points
-> Struggles to find motivation to brush and floss at night
-> Dental visits are costly and stressful when problems build up
-> Feels guilty skipping her own routine as she is trying to motivate her children
Research
A total of 6 user interviews were conducted with participants in our target age range. Varying childhoods and backgrounds in health knowledge revealed key insights into what is lacking in current adult dental resources.
Time and Prioritization as Barriers
The participants interviewed all face challenges with maintaining their dental hygiene at night. A main reason for this is being tired at night because of the demands and responsibilities they had during the day. This suggests our design should fit naturally into existing daily routines rather than to add burden.
Desire for Better Education and Support
Knowledge + Negative Perception of Dental Visits
It is important that the interviewee feels safe to ask questions about what is happening during their dental visits to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the effects of their dental hygiene habits. Knowledge of dental hygiene can also be used as a motivator to encourage and empower adults to keep up with their oral health.
Design
From low-fidelity paper sketches to mid-fidelity wireframes, we mapped out the uses flow of our application to assess the transition between our different features.
A mini style guide was created to define the mobile application's message and ensure cohesiveness.
The Solution
Provide users with an accessible and personalized way to learn, track, and promote dental hygiene.
Learning Videos and AI Dental Assistant
Our application compiles educational videos on dental hygiene for users to access as needed according to their needs. The AI Dental Assistant answers specific and personalized questions about dental health, reducing the gap of costly and scattered resources.
Tooth Diary for Logging
Users are able to log dental symptoms, history, and appointment notes to keep track of their data over time allowing them to advocate for their own oral health. With easier access to records, users are able to make informed decisions and speak with their dental care providers knowledgeably.
Motivational and Social Rewards System
With the potential to partner with dental providers, offices, and oral health companies, users are able to obtain real rewards, such as new toothbrushes or products, from maintaining a consistent habit. Having Brush Buddies also connects users to keep others accountable as well.
What I Took Away
Embrace new technology as it pertains to user needs.
AI is a trending topic currently. However, we struggled to see its incorporation into our app until we found a pain point relating to access to free and personalized dental hygiene recommendations and education — something that AI can easily fill the gap with its enhanced research abilities that can compile relevant resources or answers for specific questions.