Michael Geise

Health Journaling Mobile App

Objective

• Test a hypothesis that a health journaling app would empower people to record and analyze their symptoms, treatments, and passive data to better understand their health
• Use Lean UX processes to gather early feedback and iterate for a more complete and polished product

Role

• I led UX Strategy, research, and design working with the product owner and two native developers

Process

• We conducted market research to find a gap in the market for this need
• I conducted discovery research through interviews with physicians and chronic condition sufferers
• I created a clickable prototype to continue research
• We developed MVPs and continued to gather feedback and iterate

Complexities

• Designing for users with sensitive health data
• Creating a flow to capture daily entries of everything they need to record with as little effort as possible
• Creating reports and visualizations that users and physicians can find valuable

Results

• Two native apps with five star rating and thousands of users
• The flexibility to record whatever symptoms, treatments, and notes a user would like as well as general health, passive wearable data, and weather data

Wearable Mobile App

Objective

• Conduct research for interest in a unique fitness wearable and design the mobile app UX

Role

• I took over as the lead designer and researcher after initial discovery

Process

• I created wireflows followed by a clickable prototype of the app UX
• I created fake marketing materials to better explain the physical product and experience
• I conducted user interviews to gauge interest, test ideas, and perform usability tests on the prototype

Complexities

• Designing for a new hardware with complex medical terms
• Appropriating a medical tool to the general audience

Results

• The research confirmed that the concept was desirable and the clickable prototype was intuitive and usable, but the users needed to test with the physical device to confirm desirability
• The clickable prototype was integral for pitching the idea to potential investors

Pharmaceutical Data Portal

Objective

• Unify a pharmaceutical data company's products through one portal for professionals to query and visualize data

Role

• As the lead designer and researcher, I owned the complete UX, working closely with the client stakeholder

Process

• I facilitated a discovery workshop to understand the business goals and user needs
• I then made a site map and wireflows to demonstrate the site structure and flows
• I made a clickable prototype to test with users
• After user interviews I updated the designs based on feedback

Complexities

• Designing for power users with different objectives
• Understanding the different data types and uses

Results

• Blueprint wireframes and prototypes for the client's development team to create

EMR Patient Portal Web App

Objective

• Create a patient portal to accompany an electronic medical record product for patients to review and sign intake documents
• Administrators needed to be able to set up client accounts on the portal

Role

• As the lead designer, I owned the complete UX, working closely with the client stakeholder and 6 developers

Process

• I facilitated a discovery workshop to understand the business goals and user needs
• I then made wireflows to demonstrate the site structure and flows
• I polished the visuals with hi-fidelity mockups and worked with development until release

Complexities

• Simulating e-signatures
• Automating generating documents

Results

• A fully functioning responsive web app patient portal to supplement their EMR product
• Web app eliminated the need for in-person document signatures during the pandemic

Design System for Geospatial Website

Objective

• Create a design system and foundation for a geospatial company marketing and product website

Role

• As the lead designer and project owner, I managed a visual designer while working closely with the client stakeholders and a developer

Process

• I started with a discovery workshop to understand the business goals and user needs
• I created proto personas to better understand user needs and use cases
• I executed card sorting to determine the information architecture and site map
• We created wireframes and then hi-fi mockups and broke them into components in Figma
• We then documented the components and guidelines in Storybook

Complexities

• Designing a system that is flexible for expansion
• Designing for conflicting personas

Results

• A design system along with instructions on how to use and maintain it
• The site map and plan for development

Medical Dictation Mobile App

Objective

• Conduct research to test a product idea for dictation in the medical environment

Role

• As the lead designer and researcher, I worked with the subject matter expert client to drive the UX strategy and implementation

Process

• Discovery led to initial user research interviews with medical professionals
• I then created wireflows followed by a high fidelity clickable prototype for more research interviews and usability testing
• We iterated through multiple rounds of the concept and possible technologies

Complexities

• Designing for use in stressful environments
• Handling sensitive data

Results

• The research confirmed that the concept was desirable and the clickable prototype was intuitive and usable
• The clickable prototype was integral for pitching the idea to potential investors

Park Mobile App

Objective

• Create a mobile app to enhance a neighborhood park experience
• Focus on accessibility using Bluetooth beacons to highlight landmarks

Role

• As the lead designer, I uncovered the client needs and aided our team through development

Process

• I surveyed the park with the client to get an understanding of the task
• I created wireflows to explain the experience
• I made a clickable prototype to demonstrate the vision to the client and developers

Complexities

• Designing for visually impaired users
• Designing an experience to be used in a physical park
• Designing with the restrictions of Bluetooth beacons

Results

• Two native mobile apps that interact with the landmark beacons in the park
• The apps includes trail tours to guide users around park paths

Large Insurance Company E-Commerce Web App

Objective

• Create a custom enterprise E-commerce site to sell and manage insurance policies and court bonds

Role

• As the lead designer, I uncovered business and user needs while facilitating our team of team nine developers and one QA resource

Process

• I worked closely with the client to gather business requirements and their marketing company to keep branding cohesive
• I annotated wireflows in Miro to walk the client and team through the solution
• I made high fidelity mockups and prototypes in Figma for new UI patterns or sections
• I guided development until the release

Complexities

• Learning policy approval process and management
• Designing for multiple customer types
• Keeping all parties accountable and satisfied

Results

• A responsive web app with 11 policy types and templates to easily onboard new products
• A more complex employee admin section for policy adjudication and management

Hardware-as-a-Service Startup Web App

Objective

• Create an enterprise application to add, manage, and analyze thousands of smart plugs on a building basis
• The system also needed to create rules for controlling sockets to save energy

Role

• I worked with the Head of Design along with two developers and the client's internal team
• I took the design lead after the research phase to establish the information architecture and design the user interface

Process

• I helped analyze and synthesize the research using an affinity diagram and opportunity solution trees
• I then worked closely with the client to create annotated wireflows in Miro followed by a high fidelity interactive prototype in Figma to convey the vision to the client and developers

Complexities

• Designing flexibility to track and edit thousands of smart plugs
• Creating an experience for interacting with physical devices

Results

• A responsive web app to replace their MVP including all user validated useful features
• The research proved that their MVP had many unnecessary features and lacked more desired features

Tech Non-Profit User Research

Objective

• Identify the top priorities to create a pilot after-school program utilizing the client’s already existing curriculum

Role

• I worked with the Head of Design to design and implement the research strategy

Process

• The Head of Design led a kickoff workshop to establish goals and assumptions while analyzing the environment with a Rich Picture exercise
• We conducted nine contextual and remote interviews
• We then analyzed the findings with an affinity map of over 600 comments and synthesized it with insight statements

Complexities

• Adapting the protocol mid-interview to accommodate the different interviewees

Results

• Validated or disproved assumptions, along with other insights delivered in a summary
• Recommendations for next steps

Exercise Booking App

Objective

• Create a flexible exercise booking app (studio classes, trainer sessions, and gym day passes)
• It needed an admin backend to manage inventory and users

Role

• I worked with a product owner and a graphic designer to bring this product to life
• I created the algorithm for the dynamic pricing model

Process

• We created personas based on market research and then decided what needs the MVP had to fill
• We designed the UX for the app and admin portal by using a combination of whiteboarding, paper prototyping, and creating wireflows
• We made a prototype to test, iterate based on feedback, and to better convey the experience to the development team
• We interviewed multiple development agencies, then managed the project and development team until the release of the app

Complexities

• Creating a product that would be attractive to employers, insurers, end-users, and fitness facilitators
• The admin web app was the most complicated aspect because of the different admin roles and the control needed

Results

• Two native mobile apps and a web app administration tool with three different admin types and permissions
• In 2019 the largest health insurer in the Philadelphia area became a client and offered this product to its population