The Ultimate Recovery Hub.
Patients recoverring from procedures often struggle with recovery due to long and complex recovery instructions, communication gaps between providers and patients, and overwhelming symptoms that are diffult to track and express. This application seeks to uncomplicate this process, by creating a centralized location where recovery instructions, progress, and symptoms can be managed.
Research
I realized there was a gap in the recovery arena of healthcare and patient information, especially during the post‑op period, arguably one of the most vital phases of healing. However, there seemed to be little regulation or facilitation to ensure this stage went smoothly. That insight pushed me to investigate where the gap actually existed and what both physicians and patients felt could be improved. To investigate this gap, I conducted interviews and surveys to gather both perspectives, which highlighted recurring pain points and revealed how much opportunity there was to strengthen the recovery experience.
My initial market research showed that similar applications are not widely accessible and are often location or provider specific. Similarly existing platforms catered to treatment tracking or appointment tracking, but more holistic aspects like movement and nutrition were excluded.
I conducted surveys and interviews and sought out to create an affinity map to group reoccuring and related feedback.
There was alot of repetition among doctors (purple) on common questions asked as well as confusion among patients (blue) about what progress was "good".
My research narrowed down the areas that required regulation: Diet, Movement, Recovery Time and Support.
Using this information, I created a loose sitemap to establish a solid information architecture for the platform.
Design Decisions
While my primary focus for this case study was wireframing, the real work was translating research into decisions that actually solved a problem.
Doctors fundamentally wanted to convey how much recovery varies wildly from patient to patient, and existing tools weren't built to accommodate that variability. I wanted to frame the four areas that needed structure — Diet, Movement, Recovery Time, and Support and every design decision in MedAfter traces back to making those four areas easier to track and act on.
The dashboard puts logging at the center of the experience: Symptoms and Pain can be recorded in a single tap, removing the friction that usually causes patients to fall behind on tracking their own recovery. A journaling feature was also included for easy recall of anything that was not facilitated in app but may be important for follow-up appointments or pattern recognition.
From there, uploaded medical documents feed directly into the platform's connected trackers: Nutrition, Movement, and Medication, so information only needs to be entered once and then flows to wherever it's relevant, rather than living in disconnected silos. The result is a portal designed to work for both sides of the relationship: patients get an accessible, low-effort way to stay on top of their recovery day to day, while providers get visibility into real, consistent data instead of relying on memory or guesswork at follow-up appointments.
The Onboarding Wireframes for the Initial Hi-fi Prototype
Visual Systems
My design system was built from a mood board that captured the emotional landscape patients described. I wanted to convey comfort, light, and the feeling of being held and supported. Unlike inspiration boards, this mood board focused on the atmosphere and sensitivity of recovery, translating those emotions into visual direction. The evident, recurring color scheme of soft neutrals, muted greens, and warm beige tones hence became the foundation for the system’s palette and guided the creation of components, spacing, and typography to ensure the platform's restorative, approachable, and deeply human nature.
Addition of Colour to Wireframes
Reflections
Fitts Law
During wireframing, I realized how powerful layout became in shaping the user experience. Fitts’s Law stood out to me. The idea that minimizing the distance and steps between a user and their goal increases efficiency and satisfaction. This principle guided how I structured the interface. Key actions like logging symptoms or uploading documents were accessible within minimal clicks. The layout ultimately became a tool for empathy, helping patients navigate the platform intuitively and with ease during a sensitive stage of recovery.
The "Aura"
This project taught me that solving the problem isn't always enough but how the solution feels matters just as much, especially in a space as sensitive as post-operative recovery. Plenty of tools exist to track symptoms or share information, but recovery is an emotionally vulnerable experience. A purely functional approach risked feeling clinical or cold. While my process stayed problem-centered, every design decision also had to answer to how would the user feel. That meant thinking as much about tone, pacing, and visual warmth as about information architecture and learning that in healthcare-adjacent design, the emotional experience of the product is part of the outcome.
