Music Health
Type:
App (Mobile + Tablet - iOS)
Company:
Music Health
Year:
2024
Role:
Managing the research & design process
UI design and prototyping, testing
Design documentation, handover to Dev
Tools:
Figma & Plugins, Notion
Adobe Suite (Photoshop and Premiere)
This project is a continuation of our previous SaaS migration work, aimed at improving the experience for everyone involved in dementia care. Our goal was to simplify the product they use to support the well-being of the listener, the person living with dementia.
Following critical feedback from usability tests in the earlier phase, we redefined the product to better address the essential needs of these users. This led to the removal of individual caregiver profiles, streamlining the interface and enhancing overall usability. The design process involved establishing a comprehensive design system, developing interactive prototypes, and collaborating closely with the development team to ensure a smooth handover and ongoing refinement through testing.
Research
Usability testing revealed a key challenge: the creation of individual caregiver profiles was adding unnecessary complexity to the product. Despite their diverse roles, caregivers and team leaders in care settings share a common focus—the listener.
In response to this feedback, we revisited our research findings, including insights from user interviews, site visits, and webinars. These findings highlighted the need to simplify the product and redesign our user flows to meet the essential needs of everyone involved in dementia care. To learn more about our initial research process, visit - Vera SaaS Migration
Testing Participants
Name: Sh.
Age Group: 51 - 60
Setting: Live-in volunteer carer for 92 year old with mild dementia
Location: VIC, Australia
Name: J.
Age Group: 70+
Setting: At home carer for 101 year old mother
Location: VIC, Australia
Family
Name: R.
Age Group: 70+
Setting: Previously at home carer of 75 yr old partner with Alzheimer's and dementia
Location: VIC, Australia
Name: B.W.
Role: Music Therapist
Setting: At home carer for 101 year old mother
Location: SA, Australia
Enterprise / Admin
Name: A.L.
Role: House Manager
Setting: RACF
Location: NSW, Australia
Name: C.
Role: Lifestyle Manager
Setting: RACF (Nursing home)
Location: VIC, Australia
Critical Feedback
“I think it’s a good point of having separate profiles, like I would not be here for 2 days. If another staff is looking after the resident there will be things they notice about the resident’s preferences of a song that I haven’t seen. It’s good they have their own account as well so they can provide feedback of the residents’ likes. Would you check this on the residents profile? Yes, to see what they have played for the week”
“I know you’ve got other places you’re designing for as well, but here we wouldn’t put the caregiver profiles in. We would setup admin profile to own the listener profiles, but wouldn’t want to the staff in. Because it’s going to be just too much admin. The nurses want to grab it and put it on. There isn’t time to change who is playing what. They would just be ignored within about 5 seconds - but only in this setting, I’m not sure about other settings. The staff change over so much, there is so many of them. In this setting listener-based works really well because the clients are long-term.”
Review of Research Findings
Usability Testing
Interviews
Site Visit / Cont. Inquiry
Webinar
“(Carers) have to document the care and for the activities part they have to document what they have done and it’s not happening at the moment, and even though they have had the training they’re not doing it”
C., Lifestyle Manager
RACF (Nursing home)
They are expected to cook, do personal care. They are expected to do a lot. We need to reduce barriers.
E.,B. Music Therapist
RACF
Carer/patient and device/carer ratios are the biggest issue.
A., Clinical Consultant
Hospital
Wonder whether the usage data per unit (ward/cottage) would be more useful as apposed to just individual carer - like when the units are using it, is it more during meal times, what the response is and things like that. There are multiple nurses in the ward, if you individualise the data it might not be as useful but if you look at it as a whole and see a trend.
Q: Would your staff be interested in seeing that data for themselves?
If they had more time they would be interested.
S., Nurse
Hospital
“When do I play it, what do I play” - The first time it feels like too many choices to make when the reality it’s just who and the mood.
T., Account Manager - Observations
Music Health
I have data on the listener side but as to who is putting on the music I’m wondering how I could use that information.
B.W., Music Therapist
Hospital
Those who are hand held get it, if you don’t hand hold...they get lost in the weeds. Carers, even people we have shown it to in the last few years, don’t get it.
T., Account Manager - Observations
Music Health
Can we have something easy to use, easy to navigate?
M., Caregiver
RACF
Carer profiles, are you a carer or a nurse? How does that factor? Does that change anything? Why do you have that option?
C.F., Project Manager
Hospital
In Care task there is a fine line between things going well and not well. A patient might need 5 carers to complete an ADL. This is a big change for them. Getting in and setting up VERA can be difficult. We need to do that early, otherwise someone else might play Spotify.
S.L., Occupational Therapist
Hospital
“(Carers) have to document the care and for the activities part they have to document what they have done and it’s not happening at the moment, and even though they have had the training they’re not doing it”
B.W., Music Therapist
Hospital
If another staff is looking after the resident there will be things they notice about the resident’s preferences of a song that I haven’t seen.
A.L., House Manager
RACF
Research Findings - Caregiver Profiles
Without incentive caregivers are unlikely to set up or switch profiles when using the app
There is potential to be an added burden on the manager to train staff to set up and use their own profile.
Caregivers defaulting to use the same profile, will affect Music Health’s growth and revenue on a caregiver license model
Feedback regarding reviewing caregiver activity in the app actually relates directly to the Listener or broader caregiving team as a whole
Ideate
Our research showed that individual caregiver profiles added unnecessary complexity, burdened managers with additional training, and lacked clear benefits for caregivers. As a result, we decided to remove individual profiles, simplifying the experience for all users.
Personas
Family members, professional caregivers, team leaders, and executives all share a common goal: the well-being of the listener, the person living with dementia. Regardless of their role, each is focused on providing the best care and support.
How might we simplify the product to meet the essential needs of everyone involved in dementia care?
Simplified User Flow
Detailed User Flows
Design & Prototype
We established a comprehensive design system, defining colors, text styles, icons, and components to ensure consistency across the product. We then created UI designs for all screens, laying out the visual structure and user flow.
Interactive prototypes were developed to visualize user interactions and test usability. Detailed design documentation was provided for a smooth handover to the DEV team, including all necessary assets and guidelines. After testing, we collaborated closely with the DEV team, offering several rounds of feedback to refine the design and ensure it met user needs.
Design System
Interactive Prototype
Click to Play Video
Sign up
Click to Play Video
Adding a Listener
Managing Groups
Click to Play Video
UI Design - Music Tab
Product Launch
After our hard work in the design and development phases, it was time to bring the product to life. We created a product video to explain its essential features and help users understand its value.
We also updated the images for the app store to reflect the new design and pushed the app update live. To share the news with our audience, we posted on LinkedIn and sent emails to existing customers, keeping them informed about the launch.
Product Tour
Click to Play Video
App Store
Outcome /Self-reflection
Being part of such an amazing project has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I was fortunate to be included in every stage of the product, from the initial concept through to the launch.
Throughout the process, I learned so much, not only from each stage but also from collaborating closely with the team. As the lead designer, I had the opportunity to guide the vision while adapting and refining the product based on real-time feedback. This experience has deepened my skills and reinforced the importance of collaboration in delivering a successful product.
If you would like to know more about the project