Revolutionizing preventative health with the power of machine learning, AI, and advanced language models to provide actionable health insights and recommendations. Cara aims to bridge the gap between health span and lifespan, empowering individuals to live healthier, longer, and more independent lives.

Cara - Wellness Companion

Project type: Internship

My role: Product Designer

Team: 4 engineers, 3 product managers, 2 designers

Tools: Adobe illustrator, Figma, Miro

Skills: User research, user testing, competitive analysis, user personas, user journeys, wireframing, prototyping

There's a significant gap between healthspan and lifespan, with traditional healthcare often being reactive rather than proactive. Individuals face challenges due to generalized health advice, scattered data, lack of continuous monitoring, and costly care.

Problem

Cara provides low-cost proactive, personalized care by using AI to offer tailored recommendations and consolidating health data for a comprehensive health overview. It also helps users address health issues early, preventing complications before they arise.

Solution

  • General health advice often overlooks personal health histories, lifestyles, and risk factors

  • Cara uses AI to analyze individual health data, providing tailored recommendations for diet, exercise, and other interventions

  • For example, users can rank their "fear of falling" score, which Cara uses to offer personalized strategies and recommendations to reduce fall risk

  • Health data is often scattered across various platforms and providers, complicating health tracking

  • Cara consolidates health data from sources like Apple Healthkit and electronic health records, offering a unified health overview

  • Cara’s wellness companion is always available to assist users with any questions or concerns about their health

  • Whether users need clarification on their health data, advice on next steps, or just general wellness tips, the companion is there to support them 24/7

  • Many age-related health declines can be prevented with the right lifestyle adjustments and regular monitoring

  • Cara provides actionable recommendations helping users make effective lifestyle changes

  • Continuous support from Cara ensures users stay on track, preventing or mitigating health declines over time

scroll to see more features and final prototypes!

  • Nearly 95% of adults 60+ have at least one chronic condition (United Health Care)

  • Chronic diseases account for 90% of the nation’s $3.8 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures (CDC)

  • Preventative care could save the U.S. healthcare system $100 billion annually (Trust for America’s Health)

  • Preventative health measures could prevent up to 40% of premature deaths from chronic diseases (CDC)

The Basic Statistics & Our Key Findings On Individuals 50+

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

  • 57% of individuals are very concerned about maintaining daily activities and independence as they or their parents age

  • 55% of individuals are very concerned about overall health as they or their parents age

  • 40% of individuals are very concerned about recognizing changes in their physical capabilities as they or their parents age

  • 45% of individuals are very concerned about mitigating the risk of falling as they or their parents age

Competitor Analysis

We conducted a thorough competitor analysis featuring Cara alongside existing solutions such as CarePredict, Assured Allies, and more. These existing solutions often focus on specific aspects of care, needing a more comprehensive approach.

Cara stands out by offering a holistic solution by providing extensive health assessments to evaluate current health status and risks. It delivers tailored insights based on individual health data and lifestyle, ensuring personalized recommendations.

With real-time monitoring, Cara continuously tracks health metrics to detect issues early and adjust care plans promptly. Personalized care plans are crafted to meet each user’s specific health goals and needs, enhancing overall well-being and effective management.

EMPATHIZING

Creating "how might we" statements was essential for shaping Cara by framing questions that inspired innovative solutions and guided development to meet key user needs effectively.

How Might We Statements

To help our team step outside of our own perspective and better understand users' needs, experiences, and behaviors, we created two user personas:

User Personas and User Journeys

We created two user journeys: one for the onboarding process and another for the fall risk assessment

DESIGNING

Lofi Sketches

Midfi Wireframes & User Testing

AI Companion Screen

Version A

Version B

User Feedback:

  • "The options the chatbot provides in Version A are a bit confusing and hard to follow"

  • "It might be better if the chatbot just asked questions and let us type our own responses, rather than clicking on preset options"

  • “Having a platform that most users know how to use may be more helpful, like ChatGPT”

Home Screen

Version A

Version B

User Feedback:

  • "Having a clear CTA button would help me better understand what I should do next with my data”

  • "It’d be nice to have a visual preview of the data instead of just plain text"

  • “Incorporating a feed-like feature could create a more dynamic and interactive way to browse through information, similar to how people naturally scroll through content”

  • "How do you save data if you want to revisit it later?"

Brand Development

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

We created two mood boards and ultimately chose the one with brighter colors to inspire and motivate users to take charge of their health.

Final Screens

  • The onboarding process is straightforward: users sign up with a one-time code, connect their Apple Healthkit, and are then directed to the homepage

  • After connecting their Healthkit, users can see how their data is synced on the homepage, which also provides a checklist to help complete the data syncing process

  • Users are prompted to link their electronic health records to allow our app to analyze more data and provide more accurate recommendations

  • The app integrates with their health portal through an API

  • Once users connect their data, they receive a tailored feed based on their individual health information

  • Users can click on the CTA cards in their feed to learn more about their health and discover recommended action items

  • If a user wants to save a card, they can click the heart icon at the top to favorite it

  • The ‘Ask Cara’ button is always available for users at the bottom of the homepage

  • We chose ChatGPT as the model for answering users' questions

  • We plan to implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) on top of the ChatGPT language model

REFLECTION

I had the incredible opportunity to work on this startup project, where I was involved in designing the initial D1 concepts. Contributing to a project from its early stages was an amazing experience, and it allowed me to grow significantly as a designer. From conducting a thorough competitive analysis to leading user testing sessions, I gained valuable insights into the entire design process.

One of the most important lessons I learned is the value of empathy in design. It’s crucial to step into the users’ shoes, understanding their needs, challenges, and perspectives to create solutions that truly resonate. This experience taught me how to balance creative vision with practical usability, ensuring that every design decision serves the user’s best interests.

Working in a startup environment also exposed me to the importance of collaboration and adaptability. I learned to iterate quickly, incorporating feedback from the engineers and product managers while maintaining a clear focus on the product’s goals.

Final Thoughts