Timely Meds App
Addressing Medication Non-Adherence Through Research-Driven UX Design
A comprehensive UX case study examining how user research uncovered hidden behavioral patterns and informed innovative design solutions for chronic disease management.
Project Summary
Timely Meds represents a breakthrough in medication adherence design, born from deep user research that uncovered three critical behavioral patterns driving the 50% medication non-adherence crisis.
The Challenge
50% of individuals don't take medications as prescribed, leading to $300B in preventable healthcare costs and 125,000+ deaths annually.
Existing apps fail because they don't address underlying user motivations.
The Solution
A research-driven medication management app that addresses three core user needs: visual engagement, fear-based motivation from consequences, and community support systems.
The Healthcare Crisis
Medication non-adherence represents one of healthcare's most persistent and costly challenges, affecting millions of patients and healthcare systems worldwide.
The Scale of the Problem
50% Don't take medications as prescribed
$300B Annual preventable costs
125K+ Preventable deaths yearly
Design Challenge
Existing medication apps are generic, one-size-fits-all solutions that don't address the underlying psychological and behavioral factors driving non-adherence. Our research aimed to uncover these hidden motivations and translate them into actionable design solutions.
Research Question
Research Discovery Process
Methodology & Approach
Research Method
Qualitative user interviews
Open-ended question format
45-60 minutes per session
Semi-structured approach
Focus on real experiences
Participant Criteria
Adults aged 28-59 years
Managing chronic conditions
Independent medication management
Previous medication app usage
Varied tech comfort levels
Research Timeline
1
1
Planning & Recruitment
Developed interview guide, recruited 5 participants with diverse health conditions and medication regimens. Ensured mix of ages, conditions, and technology comfort levels.
2
2
User Interviews
Conducted in-depth interviews exploring current strategies, pain points, motivations, and support needs. Focused on real experiences rather than hypothetical scenarios.
3
3
Data Analysis
Used affinity mapping to identify patterns and themes. Synthesized insights into three major behavioral drivers validated across all participants.
Sarah Johnson, Primary User
"I want something that shows me I'm doing well, but also reminds me why this matters for my health. I don't need fancy features - I need something that works and makes me feel supported."
User
Persona
Sarah Johnson, 45
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Location: Suburban area, married with children
Health Conditions: Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension
Tech Comfort: Moderate user, prefers simple interfaces
Medications: 3 daily medications with different schedules
Goals & Motivations
Maintain stable health to avoid complications
Stay active and independent for her family
Understand medication impact on health
Avoid emergency room visits
Connect with others who understand
Current Behaviors
Uses phone alarms for reminders
Keeps medications visible
Researches health topics online
Participates in health communities
Manually tracks health metrics
Pain Points & Frustrations
Forgets doses during busy workdays
Overwhelmed by health information
Lacks understanding support system
Worries about long-term consequences
Struggles with different schedules
Technology Usage
Daily smartphone for work/personal
Basic health apps (steps, tracking)
Social media for connections
Prefers trusted, established brands
Values clean, straightforward UI
Key Research Findings
Our research uncovered three critical behavioral patterns that drive medication adherence success or failure. These insights challenged conventional design assumptions and informed our solution approach.
1
1
Visual Engagement Drives Motivation
Insight: All participants mentioned that visual engagement motivates them to continue better habits.
Supporting Evidence:
100% of participants wanted to "see" their progress over time.
Visual reminders were more effective than audio-only alerts.
Progress visualization helped maintain long-term motivation.
Participants created manual tracking when apps didn't provide visual feedback.
Design Implication: Visual progress tracking, clear status indicators, streak counters, and progress patterns became core features.
2
2
Fear-Based Motivation from Past Experiences
Insight: All participants improved their habits from past experiences related to misused medication.
"[Medication management] is not something I enjoy, but something I feel I need...I have seen how my life can go if I don't stay the course of my medication... Being afraid of having a lapse motivates me." - Participant 2
Supporting Evidence:
100% had experienced negative consequences from missed medications.
Personal health scares were powerful long-term motivators.
Understanding "why" medication mattered increased adherence.
Real consequences resonated more than abstract health benefits.
Design Implication: Educational content about consequences, personal health impact tracking, and "what you're preventing" messaging became essential.
3
3
Need for Community Support
Insight: 4 out of 5 participants thought that some people may need support from others.
"Using Reddit...allows me to passively take in info...it can be disheartening when nobody responds." - Participant 3
Supporting Evidence:
80% wanted community connection with peers.
Existing platforms (Reddit, Facebook) were insufficient.
Valued peer experiences over generic medical advice.
Response time and engagement quality were critical factors.
Design Implication: Healthcare professional-moderated community, peer support features, and quick-response mechanisms became core components.
Pain Points
1
1
Tool Fragmentation
Finding: All participants use tools that aren't related to medication management.
Current State:
Calendar apps for appointments
Phone alarms for reminders
Notes apps for medication lists
Separate health tracking apps
Impact: Increased cognitive load, scattered information, missed doses
2
2
Lack of Emergency Documentation
Finding: Only 1 participant had medication documentation readily available for emergencies.
Risk Factors:
No accessible emergency med list
Critical info unavailable to first responders
Family unaware of medication details
Healthcare contacts scattered
Impact: Potentially life-threatening in emergency situations
3
3
Credible Information Access
Finding: Individuals want to access credible sources of information quickly and learn from others' experiences.
Current Challenges:
Unreliable online health information
Slow response times in forums
Lack of professional oversight
Difficulty distinguishing credible sources
Impact: Poor health decisions, increased anxiety, reduced trust
Core Design Approach
Rather than creating another generic reminder app, we designed a comprehensive support system that simultaneously addresses visual motivation, consequence awareness, and community connection.
Addressing Finding 1: Visual Engagement
Creating powerful visual feedback systems that make progress tangible and motivating.
Visual Progress Tracking
Real-time adherence percentages, streak counters, and monthly progress visualization
Status Indicators
Clear color-coded medication status with instant visual feedback
Pattern Recognition
Visual patterns showing weekly and monthly adherence trends
Addressing Finding 2: Consequence Awareness
Educational content that helps users understand the real impact of their medication choices.
Personal Impact Stories
"What you're preventing" messaging with personal health improvements
Medication Education
Clear explanations of why each medication matters for specific conditions
Cost Awareness
Information about prevented emergency visits and healthcare costs
Addressing Finding 3: Community Support
Professional-moderated community providing credible information and peer support.
Peer Community
Connect with others managing similar health conditions
Expert Moderation
Healthcare professionals oversee discussions for accuracy
Information Architecture
The app structure reflects our research findings, prioritizing visual engagement, educational content, and community support within an intuitive navigation system.
High-Fidelity Prototypes
Based on our research insights and proposed solutions, we project significant improvements in 20% medication adherence rates and 80% user engagement metrics.
Health Outcomes
Reduced emergency room visits
Improved biometric tracking
Better medication regimen understanding
Increased patient-provider communication
Enhanced quality of life scores
I learned that early in our process, approaching participants with empathy is very important. By listening to them and not disturbing or judging their opinions, I can receive genuine and useful feedback and create a meaningful product.
What Worked Well
Open-ended interview format revealed unexpected insights
Focus on real experiences vs. hypothetical scenarios
Small sample size provided deep qualitative understanding
Affinity mapping clearly identified patterns
Direct quote integration validated findings
Areas for Future Improvement
Larger sample size for quantitative validation
Healthcare provider perspective integration
Cultural and demographic diversity expansion
Testimonials
Daniel Powers
Crisis/Behavioral Specialist
"Mara was an excellent collaborator. She consistently communicated with our team and went above and beyond her responsibilities as our team’s quality assurance manager. Mara’s attention to detail stood out on our team, ensuring that each step of our design process was conducted thoroughly and accurately. When it came time to prototype our concept, Mara’s technical skills were a great asset to our team. It is clear that Mara has a passion for design which helped carry our project to a successful conclusion. It was wonderful to work with her and I would highly recommend her as a valuable addition to any design team."
© Created by Mara Suwannawat. 2025