Acucare AI
At Acucare AI, a healthtech startup, I collaborated with the co-founders and developers to redesign their product website for strengthened brand identity and improved usability.
HealthTech
B2C
Timeline
2 months, 2024
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Adobe Illustrator
Role
UX Research, UI Design, Prototyping
BACKGROUND
What is Acucare?
Acucare AI is a San Francisco-based healthtech startup that aims to provide easy symptom tracking for IBS and IBD patients and accessible patient summaries for GI physicians through their app.
The startup is now looking to redesign their product website to more effectively communicate the company's vision and product value.
COLLABORATE
Understanding The Vision
With our remote setup, it was essential to schedule weekly calls with the stakeholders to ensure continuous feedback and goal alignment. I worked closely with the co-founders to understand the product's vision.
Co-founders
Designer (me)
Developer
Having talked to the team, I understood the the purpose of the website redesign,
Clear Communication
Convey the product’s main feature and who it caters to.
Vision Alignment
Showcase the company’s vision and values effectively.
Brand Identity
Build a strong and welcoming brand presence.
HEURISTIC EVALUATION
Identifying The Issues
I conducted a comprehensive heuristic evaluation of Acucare's current website based on Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics and categorized the issues by rating their severity on a scale of 0 to 4.
User Feedback and Interaction
No Sign-Up Feedback
When signing up for the newsletter, there is no feedback on whether the user has successfully signed up.
No Form Submission Feedback
The ‘Start your journey with us’ form does not provide a response upon submission.
Content Representation
Missing Visual Story
The About Us page is missing engaging, story-driven content that visually conveys the vision and journey.
Text Overload
The homepage is text-heavy, which may overwhelm users and obscure key product features and benefits.
Oversized Text
The hero section's text is too large and does not provide sufficient information about the product at first glance.
Unaligned Palette
Color palette fails to reflect the essence of healthcare or align with the company's core values.
Essential Information
Missing Contact Details
The Contact page doesn't include company contact details. No way for users to reach Acucare with queries.
Indiscoverable Form
The ‘Start your journey with us’ form is on the Contact page which is not intuitive to discover.
Inefficient Footer
Lacks essential details—social links, privacy policy, terms of service, and other relevant links.
No Form Submission Feedback
The Products page doesn't have a link to download the app nor indicate when it'll launch.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Studying The Competitors
Comparing our website with current market leaders was essential to enhance its UI and overall customer experience. Competitors showcased clear, informative product descriptions, effectively promoted their app solutions and had a well-defined brand identity.
Guava
Health tracker for chronic illness and wellness. Manages meds, symptoms, medical records, etc.
Clean interface
Straightforward messaging
Highlights benefits and features
Evidation
Track your activity by connecting to other health apps. Complete cards by answering questions, taking surveys, and reading articles and earn points.
Simple UI
Clear data transparency
Effectively builds trust
Dieta
Food, activity, medication, and symptom tracker. Collect a record of daily highs and lows.
Effectively communicates its unique offerings
Empathy driven
Accessible flow to essential sections
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE, WIREFRAME
Defining And Exploring Ideas
I developed an information architecture to intuitively organize and present all essential information on the website. Following that, I created wireframes to visualize the user flow we brainstormed.
I designed wireframes for all website pages, focusing on clear communication tailored to both—patients and physicians.
I placed 'Get Started' CTAs in the hero section and navigation bar for immediate engagement. To address common user concerns about data privacy and integration with doctors, I included an FAQ section on the homepage. Additionally, we incorporated a blog section featuring current research and articles on GI health to keep users informed with up-to-date advice and findings on IBS and IBD.
The designs prioritized building trust and communicating with transparency, recognizing that users can be hesitant to share sensitive medical information. By addressing these concerns, the design aimed to create a reassuring experience.
5 SECONDS TEST AND MORE
Testing Our Designs
To evaluate my designs, I conducted a 5-second test with 2 physicians and 1 IBS patient. Participants viewed the wireframes for five seconds, after which I asked them what information stood out, such as whether they recalled the flagship product's name, the company's motto, the product’s main feature, and its target audience.
After the 5-second test, I asked the participants to explore the website and encouraged them to think aloud while navigating through screens. This helped me observe their navigation process and identify any challenges or points of confusion they encountered.
THE USERS WERE ABLE TO…
Understand what our product does
Know right away who the product is for
Clearly see company’s vision
Feel confident and trust the platform
BUT…
Unable to seamlessly navigate the website
Users mentioned difficulty finding key sections, such as 'Careers,' and noted redundant content between the Homepage and the Our Product page. Both pages communicated the same product features without adding distinct value, leading to confusion. Some users even mistook the product page for the homepage and struggled to navigate back to the main page.
This highlighted a need for clearer differentiation between pages as well as improved navigation cues to guide users effectively.
PROTOTYPE
Reiterating With The Team
Considering the startup's early stage and the website's role as an introductory product platform, we focused on maintaining simplicity and concise content. After multiple meetings and discussions, we implemented design improvements that streamlined the user flow and removed unnecessary content.
DESIGN IMPROVEMENT 01
Merged the Homepage and Our Product page to remove redundancy.
Streamlined the navigation bar to include only the Product, About, and Get Started pages, to present key information.
Highlighted how the product serves both physicians and patients in the GI space.
Made the CTA button prominent with action-driven language: “Get Started"
Added an illustration: one side showcasing a physician accessing insights and the other, a patient managing care.
Communicated the app’s contribution to GI research, emphasizing its potential to advance healthcare outcomes for everyone.
Showcased the latest blogs and research on GI, enabling users to stay informed and up-to-date with relevant insights.
DESIGN IMPROVEMENT 02
Added dropdown menu to Product page -> Patients, Physicians, Researchers and About -> Our Story, Our Team, Careers for ease in finding sections.
Effectively conveyed the company's vision by incorporating the founder's words, adding a personal and relatable touch to the narrative.
Added a careers section inviting individuals who resonate with the company's mission to express their interest.
As Acucare is an early-stage startup, the section features a flexible form where candidates can specify their desired role and upload their resume.
DESIGN IMPROVEMENT 03
Included Get Started button as the only CTA since the startup's current focus is gathering data for product research.
The "Get Started" page featured a form for joining the beta program, designed to contribute to the Acucare app's ongoing user research.
DESIGN IMPROVEMENT 04
Relocated the 'Subscribe to Newsletter' and 'Contact' buttons to the footer, following standard website design practices
The contact page featured a straightforward form allowing users to reach out to the company by providing their email and message.
The footer incorporated essential links, including the company’s privacy policy and disclaimer, along with contact details such as the phone number and email address.
STYLE GUIDE
Representing The Brand
The style guide for the healthcare website was created to evoke a sense of trust, approachability, and professionalism.
The color palette—featuring Dark Sapphire for depth and reliability, Vivid Azure for vibrancy and clarity, Coral Pink for warmth and empathy, Rose White for subtlety, and Soft Gray for neutrality—ensures a balanced and inviting experience.
For typography, Source Sans Pro was selected for headings to provide a clean and modern structure, while Inter was chosen for body text due to its readability and versatility.
Together, these elements create a cohesive and friendly design tailored for the healthcare audience.
TAKEAWAYS
What did I learn
Working at Acucare, I experienced the fast-paced nature of an agile startup environment, where adaptability and quick iterations are essential. Continuous stakeholder feedback proved to be crucial in aligning the product vision with user needs and business goals.
I honed my ability to prioritize features effectively in a resource-constrained setting. This opportunity deepened my understanding of designing for a highly specialized domain like healthcare.
