Breakthrough
An on-demand mobile app to provide counseling for anyone, anywhere they are.
A new way to help.
With the recent surge of health-related applications, telemedicine is changing the way patients connect with healthcare professionals. A Silicon Valley-based startup named Breakthrough was focused on accessible mobile counseling, allowing patients to connect with licensed healthcare providers from home. Or anywhere. Sessions would be conducted with live video conferencing between patients and therapists. Patients could also browse therapists by specialty, schedule appointments, and more.
Understanding the unique needs of users informed every design decision
As with any design endeavor, our team began by framing the problem around the end user. Clearly defining user expectations felt especially important with this project, as they may potentially be in harm. Insight from the client revealed that many Breakthrough users are limited to older systems and would most likely be unfamiliar with common UI patterns. Considering the needs of these users, we aimed for directness and clarity, in both functionality and visual design. Our team examined multiple user paths in order to create seamless interactions that would feel intuitive to the end user, even if this was their first experience with a contemporary user interface. Visual design informed interaction patterns and styles, while also leveraging the existing Breakthrough branding. A card system allowed for intuitive usability and made information easily consumable. Subtle background colors and a small handful of different type weights created a visual hierarchy that helped a user to navigate between screens. By setting up some simple styles early in the process, our team was able to carry visual consistency throughout the application.
Bridging the distance
Working remotely with a client can pose some challenges, but weekly video conferencing and email allowed our teams to stay connected. Files prepared at multiple screen resolutions—for an array of end user devices— and a detailed UI Style Guide gave developers the flexibility to control consistency and offer a framework as they continued to build and grow.
Informed understanding, insightful design
Our team began by framing solution needs around the end user. Clearly defining expectations felt especially important with this project, and client insights revealed that many Breakthrough users are limited to older technologies. We aimed for directness and clarity, in both functionality and visual set-up. We wanted patients to feel comfortable and confident. Internal design critiques and open dialog with our client helped to evolve and improve that experience.
