CareCircle app
From early concept to an intuitive, accessible caregiving platform
Quick demo
Thoughtful design
OVERVIEW
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CareCircle was born from a 60-second Startup Weekend pitch: An AI powered medical translating app for ESL patients during their doctor’s visit, to relieve the burden on caregivers.
PHASE 1
venture sprint scope
Problem definition
Early prototype
team makeup
Creator (me)
Visionaries (2)
Builders (2)
timeline
May 30 – June 1, '25
PHASE 2
iterative design scope
Usability testing
UX/UI design
Mid + high-fi prototypes
team makeup
Solo team
timeline
June 14 - July 3, '25
(2 weeks total)
JUMP TO
FINAL
SOLUTIONS
MY VALUE ADD
1
UX Architecture & Research
Aligned the team: Facilitated collaborative sketching and ideation sessions.
Defined the audience: Grounded user assumptions through proto-personas and user journey maps.
Tested assumptions: Conducted guerrilla-style user research to quickly validate baseline assumptions.
PHASE 1
THE PROBLEM
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As we sketched out ideas, the team tested assumptions with research. We found that the real issues were around communication of care, so we decided to broaden the audience to include all involved: patients AND caregivers. This lead to use a 2-part, flat navigation.
I couldn't explain to my siblings everything the doctor said.
Doctors appointments - if it would get automatically sent to me, that would be great.
"
My grandmother didn't understand the doctor…and never spoke up.
PROBLEM
Patients and caregivers often do not understand or lose track of important information from medical visits. This makes it hard to follow up, advocate for themselves, and feel in control of their care.
HYPOTHESIS
If patients and caregivers can accurately capture what was discussed during doctor appointments, they’ll be better able to manage and follow through on their care.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Support patients and caregivers with AI-generated visit summaries that are automatically shared to improve comprehension and coordination of care.
KEY APPROACH:
2 TIERS FOR ENGAGEMENT
Original
Digitized
Recording screen
Use case:
User:
Task:
UX goal:
In a doctor's visit, receiving important and varied information from a provider regarding medical care.
Light users - patients; accompanying care-giver.
Record discussed content.
Minimal and single-task focused.
Original
Digitized
Dashboard screen
Use case:
User:
Task:
UX goal:
For daily reminders of medical instructions and coordination of care.
Power users - patients who opt to manage their care on the app; primary and remote caregivers.
Access, input, or share information regarding provider instructions, appointment dates, latest prescriptions, and miscellaneous care logistics.
Consolidated and "at-your-fingertips," geared toward long-term care management.
MY VALUE ADD
2
Project Strategy
Lead with decisions: Kept the target audience and their immediate problems driving our progress.
Safe-guarded the unique value proposition: Managed MVP scope creep by returning to core values of community, accessibility, and safety.
CHALLENGES
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Misaligned goals and time pressures created a disconnect between strategy and execution - the rush towards a polished demo ultimately deprioritized the user-centric navigation and accessibility considerations that were integrated in our wireframes.
The biggest discrepancies between original wireframes and the demo was evident in the IA and navigation, which decreased the app's overall accessibility. The most critical items were:
imbalanced, 3-part "flat" navigation menu
limited legibility in UI + UX copy
redundant steps
buried buttons / poor discoverability
MY VALUE ADD
3
Service leadership
Broke silos: Invited engineers into early cross-functional collaboration.
Created psychological safety: Encouraged all to contribute ideas and ask questions.
Welcomed debate: Valued disagreement while maintaining timely decision-making.
PHASE 2
ITERATIONS
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I saw potential in our team's concept - but more than our prototype demonstrated. After the event, I aimed to restore user-centric design principles to adequately serve its users, so I revisited the wireframes, dove into iterative design, and conducted usability tests.
Original design (low-fi)
Revised design (mid-fi)
Recorder: This screen's design is lightweight and focused for when attention is limited during appointments.
UX friction: Users had concerns about privacy.
Action: Added “info” button to explain HIPPA and how privacy is ensured.
Dashboard: This screen is the portal to the broader care ecosystem, providing at-a-glance access to tools like calendar, visit history, and to-dos.
UX friction: Confusion over where to find members.
Action: Added a direct link in the dashboard.
UX friction: Confusion regarding “All" to-dos
Action: Differentiated the way "All" to-do's are accessed, compared to those that are day-specific.
UX friction: Uncertainty regarding the "scan" button
Action: Moved button from dashboard to calendar screen, for more context.
FINAL DESIGN
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The most consequential decision in Phase II was to re-visit the navigation from the original sketch wireframes, structuring the IA around two task-based entry points: Recorder and Dashboard.
Now, the app is easier to grasp during emotional doctor's visits, more supportive of both patients and caregivers, and sensitive to the context.
GOVERNING DESIGN PRINCIPALS
Reduce cognitive load
Medical appointments can be stressful. The interface should minimize noise and keep tasks simple.
Support shared care
Caregivers and patient's roles often overlap, and there can also be more than one caregiver. The app should make information easy to share and coordinate.
Build trust
Sensitive medical information requires transparency around privacy and AI usage.
Explore the prototype
See mobile screens
PROJECT RETRO
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CareCircle revealed to me that I bring most value when connecting design decisions to a broader product strategy. While redesigning the UX, I found myself naturally zooming out to revisit the problem, align priorities, and ensure decisions supported the larger product vision. I aim to continue doing this going forward, along with:
Working cross-functionally with the project team at regular intervals.
Facilitating team discussions with structured templates and tools.
Integrating accessiblility into
design from day one.
