NutraTek Case Study
We proposed a technology solution to a business problem, then delivered a product that grew sales.
Background
A need for more scientific research
NutraTek had a need to expand research of their product when clinical trials are prohibitively expensive. The emerging custom multivitamin market provided an opportunity. By combining their science-based approach with a new custom supplement, they could validate their product while realizing an immediate ROI. Thus was born the Personal Health Tracker.
Step 1
Identifying the potential users
The company had a strong relationship with its customers through a trained support staff who already tracked their progress with their consent. I brought in a user researcher, and we started creating a picture of the company's demographics and psychographics to identify potential users of our new product.
Step 2
Fitting into users' lives
Having identified a cohort of users that would be a good fit for this product, we sketched out how this program would work. It would track a person's usage of their supplements over the course of months as well as their health outcomes. We then had to find a way to get people to use the app every day without fail, so we sought out windows of availability for usage.
Step 3
Planning the product
I pitched an idea of how the application might work, providing a series of simple but clear wireframes. This was enough to get the green light to expand design. I then laid out a more fully realized plan for how the app would actually be built, and I laid the groundwork for the prototype, a web app. We would build it and then begin user testing as quickly as possible.
Step 4
Worked to solve the cold-start problem
We ran into our first challenge right away, namely how to get enough information from a user to make the product useful. The original onboarding flow took over 30 minutes. Due to the relationship the company had with its customers, we were able to get a cohort of testers who were willing to work with us. This early research revealed the need for much more than a web app.
Step 5
Designed a native app for accessibility
The native app became a central part of the experience because it could collect data more efficiently than an SMS or web experience. I designed the interface with a focus on low cognitive burden. This was crucial to remain accessible to mentally impaired users. I developed innovative design communication methods which I now apply to all work.
Step 6
Shifted focus to long-term motivation
We now had a base of users testing the app, and they were increasingly autonomous, but we needed to keep them using it for the duration of the treatment program, and this required more than a friendly interface or a chatbot. I applied the science of gamefication in deep, meaningful ways, thereby solving the problem of parleying user data into user benefits.
Final product
This app made money
Over the course of a 2-year run, the program ran a large number of participants, including a number of doctors involved, and it saw a 35% improvement in vitamin regimen adherence compared to those not using the program, and it also increased purchases by 350%. Learn how the design played a role.